How little-known Masud Ahmad became the 'Shera Bangali'

It was a weekend, Friday to be precise, when someone named Suman De from Kolkata called Masud Ahmad. Following initial pleasantries, he informed Masud that he was going to be awarded 'Shera Bangali 2023' for his contribution to Bangla literature. 

Masud was left speechless for a moment, struggling to comprehend the identity of the person on the other end of the line, let alone grasp the gravity of the news he had just received.

As Suman continued to speak, Masud slowly came to the realisation that he was indeed conversing with Kolkata's influential media personality Suman De, also the senior vice-president of ABP Ananda, the leading Bangla news channel in India. 

"Over the past 18 years, we've been awarding the Shera Bangali to distinguished individuals of Bangali origin worldwide, recognising their impactful contributions to various sectors," Suman told Masud. 

"In the past years, eminent Bangladeshis like Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, Joya Ahsan and Shaheen Akhtar won the award, and this time it's your turn," he gladly added. 

It was a surreal moment for Masud. He was not a well-known figure even in his own country, and now he was going to be honoured as one of the 'best' Bangalis globally. 

Photo: Rajib Dhar

Clearly, emotions were running high, but he couldn't share the news with many people, as Suman had clearly instructed him to not make the information public just yet. 

A few days later, he travelled to Kolkata. On 17 November, he accepted the award amid a resounding round of applause from Kolkata's prominent figures.

Another Bangladeshi awardee of this year, Chanchal Chowdhury, also showered Masud with praises during his acceptance speech. 

"Perhaps I am regarded as a hero for my on-screen roles but individuals like Masud Bhai who continue their work without seeking the limelight also deserve a hero's welcome," Chanchal remarked.  

At last, following the telecast of the award ceremony on ABP Ananda on 2 December, Masud is now at liberty to share this good news with everyone. 

But the first thing that might arise in anyone's mind is: what exactly has Masud accomplished to get this award? 

Turns out, Masud has written one of the finest Bangla novels in recent times, titled 'Kanchanfuler Kobi,' centred around the life and works of eminent poet Jibanananda Das. 

Prior to its release as a book by Ananda Publishers in October this year, it was serialised in Kolkata's esteemed literary magazine Desh from 17 January 2022 to 2 May 2023.

But it was easier said than done for Masud, born in Rajshahi's Puthia in 1985, who settled in Dhaka only in 2009 following his completion of Master's in History from Rajshahi University. 

Although he started writing short stories from his university days, he was never encouraged by his family. His father, who had once been in the army, always opposed the idea of his son becoming an author. 

Nevertheless, Masud always harboured the aspiration of penning something that would leave an indelible mark in the pages of history.

Photo: Rajib Dhar

Now, he is a banker. But he started his professional career as a journalist. Besides, he always wrote in his leisure time. However, he prioritised quality over quantity in his literary pursuits.

"Some of my contemporaries already have 50-60 books. But I hardly have 6-7 books to my name," Masud shared with us. 

Still, thanks to the quality of his writing, particularly his short stories, he successfully had his works published in nearly every prominent newspaper and magazine in the country.

His decade-long perseverance to write a novel on Jibanananda Das began in 2013 when he came across a memoir by Subodh Roy, putting a new light on Jibanananda. 

He was so engrossed about Jibanananda as a person after reading the memoir that he decided he would try his hand at writing something on the poet's life and works. 

"But at that time, I didn't have much knowledge about the great poet. I knew as much as an average reader knows. So, I began researching with the intention of writing a novel about him," he said. 

This not only prompted him to go through hundreds of books and documents about Jibanananda but also took him to Barishal and Kolkata. He even initiated the editing of a magazine called 'Jibanananda' to delve deeper into the subject.

Based on such thorough research, he completed a short story on Jibanananda in 2016. 

Despite having some of his stories featured in Prothom Alo, this particular one faced rejection. Consequently, he considered submitting it to Desh for the first time. 

Although he received no initial response, to his delight, the story was eventually published in Desh in February 2017.

"This boosted my confidence significantly because being published in Desh is always a big deal, especially when you are not even from West Bengal," Masud expressed. Later on, he got another short story published in Desh.

Simultaneously, he kept working on the novel and finally finished it in mid-2020, amid the coronavirus lockdown. He hoped to get it published serially somewhere before bringing it out as a book. 

"But no one gave me a break. In this country, serialising a novel is impossible unless you are a very big name. I was turned down by everyone," he reminisced. 

Suddenly, he thought, if his short stories could be in Desh, why not the novel too, which was clearly a much better one?

Photo: Rajib Dhar

"I sent the hardcopy of the manuscript to Desh headquarters in Kolkata through international courier service in November 2020," Masud recollected. 

After seven months had passed, there was still no response from Desh. At one point, Masud almost became certain that his novel would never see the light of day.

However, after nearly a year, Desh authorities eventually contacted him, expressing their intention to publish the novel. Subsequently, from January 2022, the novel began to be serialised in every issue of Desh.

"I never expected such a response for the novel," Masud admitted. "Most Desh subscribers not only read each episode but also analysed the progressions, even pointing out the tiniest spelling mistakes. I was so happy that my novel was finally reaching its audience."

He also started gaining recognition in the Bangladeshi literary community as no other Bangladeshi in recent memory had their novel published in Desh.

Amid the ongoing publication in Desh, nearly 20 publishers from both Bangladesh and Kolkata contacted Masud to publish it as a book. 

Still, deep down, he was anticipating a proposal from Ananda Publishers. Eventually, that dream also materialised. 

"Since the book's publication, the response has been very positive. However, I believe that with the announcement of the Shera Bangali award, more people will now be interested in reading my work," Masud hoped. 

Also, he has no intention of stopping just yet. Already his hands are full with various other projects, receiving requests for new write-ups not only from Bangladesh and Kolkata newspapers and magazines but also from as far as New York and Georgia.

However, after one 'Kanchanfuler Kobi,' the bar must be too high. And Masud is determined to surpass his breakthrough novel with his next one, which will centre around another legendary figure in Bangla literature, 'Titash Ekti Nodir Naam'-famed Adwaita Mallabarman. 

The book will be published from Prothoma.