Shamsunnahar Mahmud

Shamsunnahar Mahmud (c. 1908 — April 10, 1964) was a writer, politician and educator in Bengal during the early 20th century. She was a leader of the women's rights movement in Bengal pioneered by Begum Rokeya. Shamsunnahar Hall of the University of Dhaka was named after her. Mahmud was born in 1908 in North Guthuma village, in what is now Parshuram Upazila of Feni District, Bangladesh. Her father, Mohammad Nurullah, was a munsiff. Khan Bahadur Abdul Aziz was her grandfather. Her brother, Habibullah Bahar Chowdhury was a politician. Mahmud started her studies at Dr. Khastagir Government Girls' School in Chittagong, and matriculated in 1926 as a private candidate. She received her I.A. in 1928 and B.A. in 1932 at the Diocesan College of Calcutta. In 1942, she completed her M.A. in Bengali literature. After her studies she joined the women's rights movement led by Begum Rokeya.