Nurul Momen (25 November 1908 – 16 February 1990) was a Bangladeshi playwright, educator, director, broadcast personality, orator, academician, satirist, essayist, translator and poet.[1][2][3] He served as a faculty member in the capacities of professor and dean at the faculty of Law in the University of Dhaka. He also served as a lawyer. He is called "Father of Bangladeshi theatre" and "Natyaguru" (or Natyo Guru or Natto Guru) of Bangladesh (The Grand Teacher of Drama and Theatre).[1] He was awarded the Bangla Academy Award in 1961, merely a year after its inception. He was also honoured by the People's Republic of Bangladesh with the Ekushey Padak in 1978, only a couple of years after this State honor was introduced.
Momen was born on 25 November 1908. His father was Nurul Arefin, a physician and Zamindar (landlord) in Alfadanga, of the then Jessore district. (After the partition of India, from 1947, Alphadanga is in Faridpur district.) He went to primary school in Calcutta and was admitted in 1916 into Khulna Zila School. At the age of ten he wrote his first poem, Shondhya (Evening), in the same verse as Tagore's Shonar Tory. In 1919 it was published in the journal Dhrubotara. In 1920, he was enrolled in the Dhaka High School where he resided in the Dafrin Hostel. After matriculation in 1924 he studied at Dhaka Intermediate College. Passing intermediate, he enrolled for a BA at the newly established Dhaka University in 1926.
While he was residing at "Muslim Hall" of Dhaka University, the various halls staged the then new play Muktadhara by Rabindranath Tagore. After some initial resistance, Momen received the main role of "Botu". This ignited his passion for drama and even earned him the first prize, but it was also the first time that he performed as actor himself.
After the foundation of All India Radio in Dhaka, 1939, Momen picked up on the opportunity of the new medium and became its first Muslim author. In 1941 he wrote and directed the comedy Rupantor (Transformation) for the radio. With its progressive plot and a female main character it differed vastly form traditional Muslim plays and was actually the first modern drama of Bangladesh. Upon initiative of the critic, the poet and literary critic Mohitlal Majumder, the play was also published in the yearly Puja issue of the newspaper Anandabazar.
While he was in London for higher studies from 1948 on, Nurul Momen and his friend Nazir Ahmed started a BBC Bengali program, a weekly one-hour format called Anjuman where Momen was responsible for the literary content.
Teaching careerEdit
Rather than continuing to practice law even before the partition of India, Momen joined the faculty of Law at the Dhaka University in 1945.[4] There he was known for including elements from literature and music into the law classes. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was one of his favourite students, who enrolled in that department in 1948. Nurul Momen encouraged Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to read the works of George Bernard Shaw and Bertrand Russell. He encouraged Munier Chowdhury to get interested in theater and become a playwright. Momen encouraged him to read George Bernard Shaw and got many other students interested in theatre. He later translated You Never Can Tell. From 1948 until 1951 Momen was on leave from the university, undergoing higher studies in England and graduating in law from London University.
The Theatre TheoristEdit
Natyaguru Nurul Momen has ushered in a New theory of dramaturgy in the world, alongside many practical & theoretical contributions in the world of Dramatics and literature.
The Fourth UnityEdit
In 1944, the Bengal playwright Natyaguru Nurul Momen, introduced the fourth unity in his pioneering tragedy play, Nemesis (Momen play) . In this epoch-making one character play (in other words, "Monodrama"), Nurul Momen immaculately maintained all the three Aristotelian unities of classical Greek theatre --- and added the fourth unity for the first time in world theatre.
In the preface of Nemesis (Momen Play) the Natyaguru wrote, " In this play a fourth Unity is added to the traditional three unities of The Greek Tragedies -- Time, Space & Action. A new experimentation has been done by introducing a new unity --- "Unity of Person" despite maintaining the format of The three unities. "
In 1936 Momen married Amena Momen, née Khatun (died 1993). They had four children – Momena Momen Saara (died 1995), Ahmad Nurul Momen (died 2009), Hammad Nurul Momen and Faisal Mahmud Tukun Nurul Momen.
LegacyEdit
On 25 November 2008, his birth centenary was celebrated at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA).[1] His 102nd birthday was celebrated in November 2010 with a week-long festival, organized again by the BSA together with the Aurony Mohona International Foundation (AMIF).[6]
ReferencesEdit
^ abcMahmud, Jamil (27 November 2008). "Birth centenary of Professor Nurul Momen". The Daily Star. Retrieved 18 October 2010.
^Rubin, Don (1998). The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre: Asia. Taylor & Francis. p. 104. ISBN978-0-415-05933-6.
^Bangla Natyashahitter Itihash, the most authoritative reference book on Bengali theater
^Mahmud, Faisal (2012). "Momen, Nurul". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
^Mahmud, Dr.Faisal (9 December 2010). "Natyaguru Nurul Momen (Part 2)". The New Nation. Retrieved 19 December 2010.
^Mahmud, Jamil (24 November 2010). "Tribute to a Theatre Icon". The Daily Star. Retrieved 22 December 2010.
External linksEdit
Daily Star_25 Nov.2008: Birth anniversary of Natyaguru Nurul Momen
Daily Star_ 16 Feb.2008: 18th death anniversary of Nurul Momen
Daily Star_ 2 Jun.2007: Homage to Nurul Momen
Daily Star_ 25 Apr.2008:Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy's tribute to Nurul Momen
..displayed live performances, video installation and photographs at twelve pavilions, which were named in the memory of late theatre personalities of the country such as AKM Bazlul Karim, Moksud-us-Saleheen, Nurul Momen..
October 15, 2023
nurul, momen, november, 1908, february, 1990, bangladeshi, playwright, educator, director, broadcast, personality, orator, academician, satirist, essayist, translator, poet, served, faculty, member, capacities, professor, dean, faculty, university, dhaka, also. Nurul Momen 25 November 1908 16 February 1990 was a Bangladeshi playwright educator director broadcast personality orator academician satirist essayist translator and poet 1 2 3 He served as a faculty member in the capacities of professor and dean at the faculty of Law in the University of Dhaka He also served as a lawyer He is called Father of Bangladeshi theatre and Natyaguru or Natyo Guru or Natto Guru of Bangladesh The Grand Teacher of Drama and Theatre 1 He was awarded the Bangla Academy Award in 1961 merely a year after its inception He was also honoured by the People s Republic of Bangladesh with the Ekushey Padak in 1978 only a couple of years after this State honor was introduced NatyaguruNurul Momenন র ল ম ম নBorn 1908 11 25 25 November 1908Alphadanga Jessore District Bengal Presidency British India Now Jashore District BangladeshDied16 February 1990 1990 02 16 aged 81 Gulshan Dhaka BangladeshNationalityBritish Indian 1908 1947 Pakistani 1947 1971 Bangladeshi After 1971 Other namesNatyaguruAlma materUniversity of Dhaka University of Calcutta University of LondonOccupationsPlaywright writer educationist theatre directorNotable workNemesis Rupantor AlochhayaJodi Emon HotoLest We Forget Forbidden PleasuresSpouseAmena Momen d 1993 Children4AwardsBangla Academy Literary Award 1961 Ekushey Padak 1978 Websitetukunmomen wbr wix wbr com wbr natyaguru Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Career 2 1 Radio work 2 2 Teaching career 2 3 The Theatre Theorist 2 4 The Fourth Unity 3 Literary works 4 Awards 5 Personal life 6 Legacy 7 References 8 External linksEarly life and education EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed November 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message Momen was born on 25 November 1908 His father was Nurul Arefin a physician and Zamindar landlord in Alfadanga of the then Jessore district After the partition of India from 1947 Alphadanga is in Faridpur district He went to primary school in Calcutta and was admitted in 1916 into Khulna Zila School At the age of ten he wrote his first poem Shondhya Evening in the same verse as Tagore s Shonar Tory In 1919 it was published in the journal Dhrubotara In 1920 he was enrolled in the Dhaka High School where he resided in the Dafrin Hostel After matriculation in 1924 he studied at Dhaka Intermediate College Passing intermediate he enrolled for a BA at the newly established Dhaka University in 1926 While he was residing at Muslim Hall of Dhaka University the various halls staged the then new play Muktadhara by Rabindranath Tagore After some initial resistance Momen received the main role of Botu This ignited his passion for drama and even earned him the first prize but it was also the first time that he performed as actor himself After receiving his B A from Dhaka University in 1929 he studied law at the Department of Law University of Calcutta Upon completing his B L examinations in 1936 he started practicing at the Calcutta High Court Career EditRadio work Edit This section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed November 2015 Learn how and when to remove this template message After the foundation of All India Radio in Dhaka 1939 Momen picked up on the opportunity of the new medium and became its first Muslim author In 1941 he wrote and directed the comedy Rupantor Transformation for the radio With its progressive plot and a female main character it differed vastly form traditional Muslim plays and was actually the first modern drama of Bangladesh Upon initiative of the critic the poet and literary critic Mohitlal Majumder the play was also published in the yearly Puja issue of the newspaper Anandabazar While he was in London for higher studies from 1948 on Nurul Momen and his friend Nazir Ahmed started a BBC Bengali program a weekly one hour format calledAnjuman where Momen was responsible for the literary content Teaching career Edit Rather than continuing to practice law even before the partition of India Momen joined the faculty of Law at the Dhaka University in 1945 4 There he was known for including elements from literature and music into the law classes Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was one of his favourite students who enrolled in that department in 1948 Nurul Momen encouraged Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to read the works of George Bernard Shaw and Bertrand Russell He encouraged Munier Chowdhury to get interested in theater and become a playwright Momen encouraged him to read George Bernard Shaw and got many other students interested in theatre He later translated You Never Can Tell From 1948 until 1951 Momen was on leave from the university undergoing higher studies in England and graduating in law from London University The Theatre Theorist Edit Natyaguru Nurul Momen has ushered in a New theory of dramaturgy in the world alongside many practical amp theoretical contributions in the world of Dramatics and literature The Fourth Unity Edit In 1944 the Bengal playwright Natyaguru Nurul Momen introduced the fourth unity in his pioneering tragedy play Nemesis Momen play In this epoch making one character play in other words Monodrama Nurul Momen immaculately maintained all the three Aristotelian unities of classical Greek theatre and added the fourth unity for the first time in world theatre In the preface of Nemesis Momen Play the Natyaguru wrote In this play a fourth Unity is added to the traditional three unities of The Greek Tragedies Time Space amp Action A new experimentation has been done by introducing a new unity Unity of Person despite maintaining the format of The three unities Literary works EditRupantor Nemesis Yadi Emon Hoto 1961 Naya Khandan 1961 Alochhaya 1962 Shatkara Ashi Ainer Antorale Rupolekha Bhai Bhai Shobai Eituku ei Jibontate Underneath the Law We are Brothers All Is Law An Ass At the Altar of the Law Jeman Ichchha Temon Adikkheta London Probashe Ha jo bo ro la Lest We Forget Forbidden Pleasures Andhokartai Alo 1964 Thik Cholar Poth As You Like ItAwards EditBangla Academy Award best Playwright and litterateur 1961 Ekushey Padak for Drama and literature 1978 Sitara e Imtiaz 1967 which he renounced and destroyed in 1971 5 Personal life EditIn 1936 Momen married Amena Momen nee Khatun died 1993 They had four children Momena Momen Saara died 1995 Ahmad Nurul Momen died 2009 Hammad Nurul Momen and Faisal Mahmud Tukun Nurul Momen Legacy EditOn 25 November 2008 his birth centenary was celebrated at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy BSA 1 His 102nd birthday was celebrated in November 2010 with a week long festival organized again by the BSA together with the Aurony Mohona International Foundation AMIF 6 References Edit a b c Mahmud Jamil 27 November 2008 Birth centenary of Professor Nurul Momen The Daily Star Retrieved 18 October 2010 Rubin Don 1998 The World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre Asia Taylor amp Francis p 104 ISBN 978 0 415 05933 6 Bangla Natyashahitter Itihash the most authoritative reference book on Bengali theater Mahmud Faisal 2012 Momen Nurul In Islam Sirajul Jamal Ahmed A eds Banglapedia National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh Second ed Asiatic Society of Bangladesh Mahmud Dr Faisal 9 December 2010 Natyaguru Nurul Momen Part 2 The New Nation Retrieved 19 December 2010 Mahmud Jamil 24 November 2010 Tribute to a Theatre Icon The Daily Star Retrieved 22 December 2010 External links EditDaily Star 25 Nov 2008 Birth anniversary of Natyaguru Nurul MomenA TV program on Natyaguru Nurul Momen https m youtube com watch v ki69H8j9hoI Daily Star 16 Feb 2008 18th death anniversary of Nurul Momen Daily Star 2 Jun 2007 Homage to Nurul Momen Daily Star 25 Apr 2008 Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy s tribute to Nurul Momen displayed live performances video installation and photographs at twelve pavilions which were named in the memory of late theatre personalities of the country such as AKM Bazlul Karim Moksud us Saleheen Nurul Momen in Bangalee Shamagra museum there are 60 portraits of celebrated Bangalees in different fields of the society Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Nurul Momen amp oldid 1176210162, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
