Begum Rokeya was a famous writer
and a social worker.
She lived in undivided Bengal in
the early 20th
century.
She believed that women should
have the same rights and
opportunities as men have in the
society. So she fought for
their cause throughout her life.
Begum Rokeya was born in a
village called Pairabondh, Rangpur in 1880. Her
father Jahiruddin Muhammad Abu
Ali Haider Saber was an educated landlord.
Rokeya was married to Khan Bahadur
Sakhawat Hussain in 1896. Her husband
was the Deputy Magistrate of
Bhagalpur, now a district in the Indian state of
Bihar. He was very cooperative,
and always encouraged Rokeya to go on with her
activities.
Many upper class Muslims of
Bengal at that time learnt Arabic and Persian as
medium of education and
communication. But Rokeya had great love for her
mother tongue. She learnt Bangla and English from
her eldest brother Ibrahim.
