Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain — Social Reformer

Born into a conservative Muslim family in Rangpur (now in Bangladesh), Rokeya was not allowed to attend formal school or learn English and Bengali. Her father believed women only needed to learn Arabic to read the Quran. However, her elder brother secretly taught her Bengali and English late at night by candlelight.

She later married Syed Sakhawat Hossain, a supportive magistrate who encouraged her to write and continue her education.

Following the death of her husband, Rokeya took the money he left behind and established the Sakhawat Memorial Girls' School in Calcutta in 1911.

• It was the first school in the region specifically designed for Muslim girls.
• She faced severe opposition from conservative religious leaders who believed educating women was a sin.
• She personally went door-to-door in Calcutta, convincing fathers and husbands to send their daughters and wives to her school.

Begum Rokeya used literature as a powerful weapon to expose the hypocrisy of a male-dominated society. Her most famous work is 'Sultana's Dream' (1905).

• Written in English, it is one of the earliest examples of feminist science fiction in world literature.
• It depicts a utopian society called Ladyland, where the roles are reversed: women run the government, conduct scientific research, and control the world using solar power, while men are locked away indoors in seclusion (purdah).
• She also wrote essays like Motichur and Padmarag, fiercely attacking the extreme purdah system and demanding economic independence for women.

In 1916, she founded the Anjuman-e-Khawateen-e-Islam (Islamic Women's Association), which fought for women's employment and legal rights. Today, she is celebrated as a visionary. Every year on December 9 (her birth and death anniversary), Bangladesh observes Rokeya Day to honor her legacy.