Iamabirofficial at 21:41, 10 July 2023

2023-07-10T21:41:38Z

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{{Short description|Indian poet (1934–2023)}}
{{Grammar}}
{{More sources}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Ahmed Ilias
| native_name = احمد الیاس
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1934|08|25|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Taltala|Taltola]], [[Calcutta]], [[Bengal Presidency]], [[British India]] (now [[West Bengal]], India)
| death_date = {{death date and age|2023|07|07|1934|08|25|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Dhaka]], Bangladesh
| nationality = Pakistani
| occupation = Poet
| known_for =
| family =
}}

'''Ahmed Ilias''' (25 August 1934 – 7 July 2023) was an Bangladeshi [[Urdu]] poet of [[Bihar|Bihari]] origin. His ancestors came from [[Munger]] in [[Bihar]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Three Poets |url=https://longingbelonging.net/the-three-poets/#!/Ahmed-Ilias |website=Longing Belonging |access-date=8 July 2023}}</ref>

==Early life and education==
Ahmed Ilias was born in the [[Taltala|Taltola]] area of [[Calcutta]] on 25 August 1934.<ref name="Bangla">{{cite web |title=Writer Migrant: Ahmed Ilias – Dhaka |url=https://www.banglastories.org/about-the-project/the-interviews/writer-migrant-ahmed-ilias---dhama.html |website=Bangla Stories |access-date=8 July 2023}}</ref> His mother died in childbirth, and he was raised by Muslim neighbours from [[East Bengal]]. His adoptive father worked at [[Kidderpore]] port. Ilias studied at the [[Calcutta Alia Madrasah]] (established 1781). He continued his studies till the age of 15, when the [[partition of India]] caused him to pause his education due to lack of funds. He resumed a few years later in [[Islamia High School]] in Calcutta. He fell ill before his SSC exams, and lacking the means for treatment, he moved to live with relatives in [[East Pakistan]] in 1953. He came to the provincial capital of [[Dhaka|Dacca]], where he passed his school certificate exams and became a trainee surveyor for the Pakistani government. He travelled all over Bangladesh for his job.

==Career==
Ilias joined the [[Dhaka Press Club]], where he was soon appointed secretary.

Ilias began to take an active interest in writing, and his circle of friends included journalists, poets and writers. He too became a journalist. In 1964, communal riots drove more Indian Muslims, from [[Jamshedpur]] and [[Rourkela]], to East Pakistan. Ilias covered their plight as a reporter. In 1971, as the [[Liberation War]] led to the creation of an independent Bangladesh, Urdu speakers such as Ilias lost their rights and their livelihoods.

Although representing a marginalized, even vilified, language, Ilias gained some renown as a writer of [[Urdu poetry]]. His work has been translated into Bengali. He also wrote a book called ''[[Biharis]]: The Indian Emigres in Bangladesh: An Objective Analysis'' (2003) which was translated into Bengali.

==Social work==
Ilias led the Al-Falah [[NGO]] which works with Urdu speakers who live in various camps in Bangladesh to help them integrate into mainstream society.

==Personal life and death==
Ilias had nine children, three sons and six daughters.<ref name="Bangla"/> He died in Dhaka on 7 July 2023, at the age of 88.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bangladesh's renowned Urdu poet Ahmed Ilias dies |url=https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/obituary/bangladeshs-renowned-urdu-poet-ahmed-ilias-dies-661590 |access-date=8 July 2023 |publisher=The Business Standard }}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ilias, Ahmed}}
[[Category:1934 births]]
[[Category:2023 deaths]]
[[category:Urdu-language poets]]
[[Category:People from Kolkata]]

Ahmed Ilias - Revision history

Iamabirofficial at 21:41, 10 July 2023