page_title: Begum Rokeya
section_title: Death and legacy
hierarchical_section_title: Begum Rokeya / Death and legacy
caption_attribution_description: English: Statue of Begum Rokeya in the premises of Rokeya Hall, University of Dhaka taken during Saraswati puja festival
context_page_description: Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, commonly known as Begum Rokeya, was a Bengali feminist thinker, writer, educator and political activist from British India. She is widely regarded as a pioneer of women's liberation in South Asia.
  She advocated for men and women to be treated equally as rational beings, noting that the lack of education for women was responsible for their inferior economic position. Her major works include Matichur, a collection of essays in two volumes expressing her feminist thoughts; Sultana's Dream, a feminist science fiction novella set in Ladyland ruled by women; Padmarag depicting the difficulties faced by Bengali wives; and Abarodhbasini, a spirited attack on the extreme forms of purdah that endangered women's lives and self-image.
  Rokeya held education to be the central precondition of women's liberation, establishing the first school aimed primarily at Muslim girls in Kolkata. She is said to have gone from house to house persuading the parents to send their girls to her school in Nisha. Until her death, she ran the school despite facing hostile criticism and social obstacles.
context_section_description: Rokeya died of heart problems on 9 December 1932, on her 52nd birthday. 9 December is celebrated as Rokeya Day in Bangladesh.
  Rokeya's grave in Sodepur was rediscovered due to the efforts of the historian Amalendu De.
  Rokeya is considered as the pioneer feminist of Bengal. Universities, public buildings and a National Award has been named after her in Bangladesh. She was an inspiration for many later generation female authors including Sufia Kamal, Tahmima Anam, and others.
  On December 9, 2017, Google celebrated her 137th birthday with a Google Doodle.
caption: Statue of Rokeya on the premises of Rokeya Hall, University of Dhaka
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