Begum Rokeya

রোকেয়া সাখাওয়াত হোসেন (Known as "Begum Rokeya")

Pioneering Feminist, Educator, Social Reformer, Author of Sultana's Dream

Born 1880-12-09

Pairaband, Rangpur, Bangladesh

Passed Away 1932-12-09 Kolkata, India

Lifespan 52 years old

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Notice / Correction

"We must awaken; women cannot expect their freedom as a gift from men, we must claim it through knowledge."

Archival Overview

Foremost Bengali feminist thinker, educator, and social reformer whose visionary 1905 feminist utopian novella 'Sultana's Dream' and tireless girls' schools pioneered women's liberation in South Asia.

Biographical Record

Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain was born on December 9, 1880, in Pairaband, Rangpur. In an era when Bengali Muslim women were strictly confined behind purdah and denied formal schooling, Rokeya secretly learned Bengali and English from her supportive brothers and husband, Khan Bahadur Sakhawat Hossain.

In 1905, she published Sultana's Dream, a groundbreaking feminist science-fiction novella depicting 'Ladyland', a utopian realm where women rule peacefully while men remain in purdah. Following her husband's death, she founded the Sakhawat Memorial Girls' School in 1909 and the Anjuman-e-Khawateen-e-Islam (Muslim Women's Association), dedicating her life to female literacy and emancipation. Her birthday, December 9, is commemorated nationally as Rokeya Day.

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Rest in Peace Forever remembered and cherished Your legacy lives on in all of us With deep gratitude for your life and light

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial

Sodepur Burial Grounds
Sodepur, Kolkata, India

                         GPS: 22.6950, 88.3850                    

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