UNB, Dhaka :Nurjahan Begum, editor of the country’s first illustrated women’s weekly ‘Begum’, passed away at a city hospital on Monday. She was 91.Nurjahan, also the country’s first woman journalist, breathed her last at Square Hospitals around 10am, said hospital officials. “She died in the morning. She suffered a cardiac arrest around 8:30am. When doctors were trying to help her recover, she suffered cardiac arrest for the second time,” said Nurjahan’s eldest daughter Flora Nasrin Khan Sathi. She left behind two daughters-Flora Nasrin and Rina Yasmin Miti- and a host of relatives, followers and well-wishers to mourn her death. From the hospital, Nurjahan’s body was taken to her Narinda residence where her first namaz-e-janaza was held after Zohr prayers around 2:30 pm. The body was brought to the Central Shaheed Minar around 4pm enabling people from all walks of life to pay their last respect to the legendary editor. She was buried at Mirpur Intellectual Graveyard after the second namaz-e-janaza at Gulshan-1 Jam-e-Mosque after Magrib prayers, said Flora Nasrin. Nurjahan was admitted to the hospital over respiratory problems, including pneumonia, on May 4 and later shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on May 7 as her condition deteriorated. She had been on life support since then.Born on June 4, 1925 at Chalitatilo village in Chandpur district, she passed matriculation from Shakhawat Memorials Girls’ High School in 1942. She obtained intermediate in 1944 while Bachelor of Arts degree in 1946 from Lady Brabourne College in Kolkata. Nurjahan earned repute as a pioneering woman journalist as she edited the weekly ‘Begum’ for over six decades as a mouthpiece of Bengali women. The magazine mainly carried write-ups of women as part of its motto to promote the backward Muslim womenfolk.She was the daughter of another prominent journalist, Mohammad Nasiruddin, editor of the then popular newspaper ‘Saogat’. Nasiruddin founded the weekly Begum in 1947 and first published from Kolkata a month before India gained freedom from British rule. The office of Begum was shifted to Dhaka in 1950.The first editor of the magazine was late popular female poet Begum Sufia Kamal.The magazine has been playing an outstanding role in creating women writers.In 1951, Nurjahan was married to noted writer and journalist Rokonuzzaman Khan, popularly known as Dada Bhai, who died in 1999. She had been awarded Begum Rokeya Padak in 1997.Meanwhile, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina expressed deep shock at her death.In a condolence message, the President prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed his sympathy to the bereaved family members. In her condolence message, the Prime Minister recalled with profound respect the unique contributions of Nurjahan Begum towards awakening the women of this subcontinent. “The nation has lost a great woman at her death,” she said. Sheikh Hasina prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed her deep sympathy to Nurjahan Begum’s bereaved family.Earlier, the Prime Minister had taken all the responsibilities for the treatment of ailing Nurjahan Begum when she was admitted to the hospital. BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia also expressed profound shock at her death.Besides, Dhaka University Vice-chancellor Arefin Sidique expressed deep shock at her demise.
