Humayun Ahmed Birthday & Age: Wife, Children, Famous Books and Awards

Humayun Ahmed, the most loved storyteller of post-independence Bangladesh, was born on 13 November 1948 in Kutubpur, Netrokona. He died on 19 July 2012 at the age of 63, yet his birthday is still marked every year by readers, TV fans and the book world. He wrote more than 200 books, created the iconic characters Himu and Misir Ali, and directed eight films based on his own novels.

Early Life and Family Roots

Humayun Ahmed was born in the Moulvi Bari of Kutubpur, then part of the Mymensingh district of East Bengal. His father, Faizur Rahman Ahmed, was a sub-divisional police officer who was killed in 1971 during the Bangladesh Liberation War. His mother, Ayesha Foyez, was a homemaker. Because his father was posted to different towns, young Humayun lived in Sylhet, Comilla, Chittagong, Bogra and Dinajpur.

Talent ran in the family. His younger brother Muhammad Zafar Iqbal is a well-known writer and academic, and another brother, Ahsan Habib, is a popular cartoonist. He also had three sisters: Sufia Haider, Momtaz Shahid and Rukhsana Ahmed.

Education: A Chemist Who Became a Novelist

Stage	Institution
School	Chittagong Collegiate School; SSC from Bogura Zilla School (1965)
College	HSC from Dhaka College
BSc & MSc	Chemistry, University of Dhaka
PhD	Polymer chemistry, North Dakota State University, USA
Career	Faculty member, Department of Chemistry, University of Dhaka

For years he balanced teaching chemistry with writing, before giving himself fully to literature, television and film.

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Career Timeline

• 1971–1972: Writes his debut novel Nondito Noroke during the Liberation War; it is published in 1972 with the help of writer Ahmed Sofa.
• 1973: Wins the Lekhak Shibir Prize.
• 1981: Receives the Bangla Academy Literary Award.
• 1983: His first TV drama, Prothom Prohor, airs.
• 1985–1990: Creates hit serials Ei Shob Din Ratri, Bohubrihi, Ayomoy and Kothao Keu Nei.
• 1987: Founds his estate Nuhash Palli in Gazipur.
• 1994: Directs his first film, Aguner Poroshmoni, which wins eight National Film Awards; he also receives the Ekushey Padak.
• 2005: Shyamol Chhaya becomes Bangladesh’s Oscar submission.
• 2012: His last film, Ghetuputra Komola, is also sent to the Oscars.

Famous Characters and Books

Character / Book	What It Is
Himu	A carefree, yellow-panjabi-wearing wanderer – 21 novels
Misir Ali	A logical psychology professor who solves mysteries – 19 novels and 11 short stories
Shuvro	An innocent, idealistic young man – 6 novels
Nondito Noroke	Debut novel about a struggling middle-class family
Shonkhonil Karagar	His second novel
Deyal	Historical novel written during his cancer treatment

His stories focus on ordinary middle-class families, gentle humour and simple language, which made reading a habit for millions of young Bangladeshis.

Wife and Children

In 1973 Humayun Ahmed married Gultekin Khan. They had three daughters — Nova Ahmed (a professor at North South University), Shila Ahmed (an actress) and Bipasha Ahmed — and a son, Nuhash Humayun, now a writer and film director. The couple divorced in 2004.

Later in 2004 he married actress and singer Meher Afroz Shaon. They had two sons, Nishad Humayun and Ninith Humayun.

Nuhash Palli and Shomudro Bilash

In 1987 he created Nuhash Palli, a green estate near Pirujali village in Gazipur, named after his son Nuhash. It grew to about 14 acres and became his favourite retreat. In 1988 he also built a seaside house called Shomudro Bilash on Saint Martin’s Island.

Major Awards

• Ekushey Padak (1994)
• Bangla Academy Literary Award (1981)
• Michael Madhusudan Medal (1987)
• Humayun Qadir Memorial Prize (1990)
• A record seven National Film Awards for directing, screenplay and story

Final Years

Doctors found colon cancer during a routine checkup, and in September 2011 he travelled to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York for treatment. Even while unwell he kept writing, completing the novel Deyal. He died on 19 July 2012, and the country mourned him as one of its greatest cultural figures.

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