Arjumand Ali

Arjumand Ali Chowdhury (Bengali: আর্জুমন্দ আলী চৌধুরী; 1870–1930), better known as simply Arjumand Ali, was a blind Bengali author and poet during the British Raj. The customary style of Bengali literature had historically been through poetry (puthis), with prose literature only emerging in the 19th century. Ali's Premdarpaṇ is the earliest example of a prose novel from Bengal's Muslim community. Ali was born in 1870, to a Bengali Muslim family of Chowdhuries in eastern Bhadeshwar, Golapganj, located in the Sylhet District of Assam Province. Through his father, Bande Ali Chowdhury, he was a descendant of the medieval Baro-Bhuiyan chieftain Fateh Khan. From an early age, Ali was described to have been a lover of poetry and a deep thinker. After passing matriculation in 1890, Ali left education and found employment as a school inspector. In 1891, he wrote Premdarpaṇ, which is recognised as the first Bengali prose novel written by a Muslim. The novel was a love story between a Muslim boy and Hindu girl, as well as Ali's personal sorrows. Ali claimed that the novel was based on a true incident. He married Amina Khatun Chowdhurani, the daughter of the Zamindar of Rupsha Umed Reza Chowdhury and Syeda Aftabunnesa Chowdhurani. His brother-in-law was Khan Bahadur Abidur Reza Chowdhury. At the age of 30, Ali was diagnosed with visual impairment. His poetry anthology was published in 1905, with the title Hriday Sangīt. Ali died in 1930 and had no children. He was buried in the Rupsa zamindar family graveyard in Faridganj, Chandpur District, and a mazar (mausoleum) was constructed around his grave.