Abdullah Abu Sayeed

Abdullah Abu Sayeed
Native name আবদুল্লাহ আবু সাইয়ীদ
Born 25 July 1939
Park Circus, Calcutta, British India (now India)
Occupation writer, television presenter, activist
Nationality Bangladeshi
Education
Alma mater
Notable awards

Abdullah Abu Sayeed (born 25 July 1939) is a Bangladeshi writer, television presenter, organizer and activist. He is currently the Chairman of Bishwa Sahitya Kendra, a non-profit organization that promotes the study of literature, reading habits and progressive ideas.

Early life

Sayeed was born in 1939 in Calcutta. His father was Azimuddin Ahmed, a teacher of both English and Bengali literature.[2] He was also a playwright. Sayeed passed SSC exam from Pabna Zilla School in 1955 and HSC exam from Profollo Chandra College in 1957. He later earned the degree of BA and MA in Bengali from the University of Dhaka in 1960 and 1961 respectively.

Career

Sayeed was a professor of Bengali language in Dhaka College.[3] In mid-1970s he started presenting Shaptabarna (Seven Colors), a multidimensional TV show in Bangladesh Television. In 1978, he founded the Bishwa Sahitya Kendra.

Abdullah Abu Sayeed (left), with Yasmeen Haque and Muhammed Zafar Iqbal

Awards

Sayeed was given the 97th Ramon Magsaysay Award in Journalism, Literature, and Creative Communication Arts for "cultivating in the youth of Bangladesh a love for literature and its humanizing values through exposure to the great books of Bengal and the world".[4] Other awards include:

References

  1. "Bangla Academy prizes announced". bdnews24.com. 2012-02-18. Retrieved 2012-12-15.
  2. Lorraine Hahn (2005-01-14). "Ramon Magsaysay Recipient Abdullah Abu Sayeed TalkAsia Transcript". CNN. Retrieved 2012-12-15.
  3. Shamim Ahsan (2004-09-03). "Recognised for an Enlightening Pursuit". Star Weekend Magazine. Retrieved 2012-12-15.
  4. "CITATION for Abdullah Abu Sayeed". 2004-08-31. Retrieved 2012-12-15.
  5. "The 'bookworm' in full form- Abdullah Abu Sayeed turns 72". priyo. 2011-07-27. Retrieved 2012-12-25.