Sayera Khatun

Sheikh Sayera Khatun (1886 – 31 March 1975) was the matriarch of Sheikh-Wazed political family and mother of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding president of Bangladesh.[1] She was the grandmother of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina.

Sheikh Sayera Khatun
Born1886 (1886)
Tungipara, Gopalganj
Died (aged 89)
Dhaka, Bangladesh
NationalityBritish Indian (1886-1947)
Pakistani (1947-1971)
Bangladeshi (1971-1975)
OccupationHousewife
Known forMother of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Spouse(s)Sheikh Lutfar Rahman
Children
Parent(s)
  • Sheikh Abdul Majid (father)
FamilySheikh-Wazed family

Biography

Sheikh Sayera Khatun was born to Sheikh Abdul Majid in 1886. She was married to her paternal first-cousin Sheikh Lutfar Rahman, the son of her father's brother Sheikh Abdul Hamid. Her father had four daughters, so when she married her cousin she inherited all the family property.[2] She lived in Tungipara Upazila, Gopalganj District. On 17 March 1920 she gave birth to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.[3] She had six children, four girls and two boys.[4] Her two sons were Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Sheikh Abu Naser and her daughters were Sheikh Fatema Begum, Sheikh Asia Begum, Sheikh Amena Begum, and Khadijah Hossain Lily.

1971 Liberation war

During the Bangladesh Liberation War, Sheikh Sayera Khatun and her husband Sheikh Lutfar Rahman, along with the family of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman were put under arrest by the Pakistan Army. Initially, Sayera Khatun and her husband were in Khulna at their younger son Naser's house in Khulna, but was later sent away to their ancestral home in Gopalganj. On April 8, 1971, the Pakistan Army looted ornaments and other valuables from the house and later bulldozed and set fire to it. The soldiers also shot dead four relatives and two servants of the household. Sayera Khatun and her husband were rendered homeless until the local Awami League activists built them a temporary shed which was also destroyed by the Pakistan Army after 20 days. They were then sent away to Dhaka where they were put under arrest with their elder son's family.[5]

Death and legacy

Sayera Khatun died on 31 March 1975 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.[6] Sheikh Sayera Khatun Medical College and Hospital in Gopalganj District was named after her. The college was inaugurated by Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, on 1 January 2012. Her death anniversary is observed annually in Bangabandhu Bhaban and Bangabandhu Memorial Museum in Dhanmondi, Dhaka, by Bangladesh Awami League and members of the Sheikh-Wazed family members.[7][8]

References
  1. "Hasina asks AL leaders to provide legal support to held party men". archive.thedailystar.net. The Daily Star. 1 June 2007. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  2. "Early life of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman". Early life of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman | theindependentbd.com. Retrieved 30 June 2020.
  3. "Bangabandhu's birthday today". dhakatribune.com. Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  4. Rahman, Sheikh Mujibur (2012). Sheikh Mujibur Rahman: The Unfinished Memoirs. Penguin UK. ISBN 9788184757033. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  5. Women on the March, Volumes 15-16. Smt. Mukul Banerjee for the Women's Department, 1971. 1971. pp. 1971/18.
  6. "PM attends Milad for Sayera Khatun". bssnews.net. BSS. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  7. "PM attends milad for her grandmother". Daily Sun. The Daily Sun. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
  8. "Milad held on death anniversary of Bangabandhu's mother". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
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