Sanjida Khatun no more

Sanjida Khatun, a renowned Bangladeshi musicologist, cultural activist, and exponent of Rabindra Sangeet, has passed away on Tuesday afternoon due to old age complications. She was 92.

Chhayanaut President Sanjida Khatun breathed her last around 3:00pm at Square Hospital in the capital, said Laisa Ahmad Lisa, Sanjida’s daughter-in-law. 

A message expressing condolences on her death has been published on Chhayanaut's Facebook page. The condolence message reads, “Chhayanaut expresses deep sorrow on the death of cultural activist, artist, researcher, and educationist Chhayanaut President Sanjida Khatun”.

Born on April 4, 1933, in Dhaka, Sanjida began her musical journey at a young age. Her father Qazi Motahar Hossain was a national professor of Bangladesh and her mother Sajeda Khatun was a housewife. 

Sanjida Khatun graduated from Dhaka University in 1954 in Bengali Language and Literature, completed her postgraduate studies from Visva-Bharati University in Shantiniketan, West Bengal, India in 1955, and completed her PhD in 1978. She started her career as a teacher. She taught in the Bengali Department of Dhaka University for a long time.

Sanjida Khatun has been seen protesting against injustice almost from the beginning of her life. She has also been involved in some organisational work.

The Ekushey Padak-winning Rabindra Sangeet proponent dedicated her life to the promotion and preservation of Bengali culture and music, particularly through her association with Rabindra Sangeet, the songs written and composed by the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

Over the years, she performed on radio and television, gaining recognition for her soulful renditions. 

Sanjida played a pivotal role in the establishment and growth of Chhayanaut, a leading cultural organization in Bangladesh founded in the early 1960s, where she served as president. 

Chhayanaut became a vital platform for promoting classical music, dance, and Bengali cultural heritage, especially during times of political repression under Pakistani rule.

As a cultural activist, Sanjida Khatun was instrumental during the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971, co-founding the Bangladesh Mukti Sangrami Shilpi Sangstha, an organisation of artists that used music and art to inspire and support the independence movement of Bangladesh. 

Her contributions earned her numerous accolades, including the Ekushey Padak (1991), the Bangla Academy Literary Award (1998), the Rabindra Award (2010), and India’s prestigious Padma Shri (2021).