1. References

2. Zobaen Sondhi

Zobaen Sondhi was born in Joypurhat, Bangladesh in 1974. He is a blogger, human rights’ activist, poet, journalist, publisher, editor and online activist. Although poetry being his forte, he never lags behind in developing and projecting his interest in language and linguistics of Bengali, his mother tongue.

Besides, he worked as a librarian at the Textile Institute, Dinajpur of Bangladesh and he studied in Information Science and Library Management at the Asian University of Bangladesh. He was politically active too since 1988.

Sondhi co-founded the website Nobojug (New Age), a forum for dissemination of diverse views and voice with a view to build and develop a harmonious, secular and tolerant world view amongst the masses in general through the writings of his own and that of other bloggers too. He has been focusing on topics such as - Islamist terrorism, forced conversions, superstitions, dogmas, and relations between Islam and Bangladeshi society etc. He always stood firm as a great campaigner in favour of protecting humanist ideals and against human rights’ violations of all kinds.

Zobaen Sondhi also established Onghshumali, an International Bengali literary magazine of repute and continues to be the Chief Editor and publisher since inception. Simultaneously, Ongshumali is also being published and edited by him every month through other various languages of Indo-European and Semitic origin.

During the heydays of his career as a freelance journalist, Zobaen Sondhi came in association with Textile Industry and it was then he through his role as a co-founder, established the ‘Bastrajagat’ in Bengali [ ‘World of Textiles’ ], the one and only registered print-organ of the Textile Industry of Bangladesh, and worked as the Desk Editor of the same since its inception till his stay in Bangladesh in 2016.

These are the the few among-st many initiatives in which he was involved in - demonstrates Zobaen Sondhi’s prowess and excellence in his role that of a mature leader and a flawless organizer.

As a member of a secular left-wing party, he was brutally attacked at an early age for his free expressions in Bangladesh. Islamic militant fundamentalists attacked and injured him severely due to his relentless exercise of freedom of expression unequivocally against the bigots and the fundamentalists. Fortunately, he didn’t succumb to his injuries and and still remains alive with various physical complications. But he remains undeterred as always he was, and stood firm with bravery in his commitment against social injustices and wrongdoings.

In 2013, the Bangladeshi government being pressurized by the radical Islamist groups started censoring articles written by humanist authors, and also of those who were/ are critical of Islam.

A list of names of these bloggers was circulated accusing them of blasphemy. Sondhi’s name was in the front-line. Fundamentalist groups, allegedly linked to Al-Qaida and IS started demanding the death penalty for these bloggers. A vigorous and all out hunt for online activists and bloggers began and some were brutally killed even in broad daylight. Panic spread amongst the bloggers community. Many destroyed their texts, others went underground or fled into exile.

The Bangladesh government, its administration, police and security forces did nothing to apprehend, control, or to book them as culprits or murderers for trial. They were allowed to roam scot free and to continue their crime unabated with renewed energy and support from police and government officials. Sondhi, too, was meted with death threats and spent the last few months hiding in disguise before fleeing from Bangladesh to avoid being murdered.

In August 2016, he was granted with a scholarship by the Writers in Exile Program of German PEN. In 2017, a text by Sondhi was published in the anthology prepared by German PEN, christened as Zuflucht in Deutschland. Texte verfolgter Autoren (S. Fischer).

Even during his stay in Germany he has been continuing his efforts to protect the endangered bloggers and free-thinking cultural workers under constant threats, subjugation and torture; and remains ever active to extend his help and support towards them in association with different International organisations engaged in upholding the interest of Human Rights as well.

References

https://www.pen-deutschland.de/en/themen/writers-in-exile/aktuelle-stipendiaten/zobaen-sondhi/

https://www.pen-deutschland.de/de/themen/writers-in-exile/aktuelle-stipendiaten/zobaen-sondhi/

https://www.pen-deutschland.de/de/tag/zobaen-sondhi/

https://www.dw.com/bn/%E0%A6%89%E0%A6%97%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%A8%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%A5%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A6%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B0-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%95%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B7%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A4%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%AC-%E0%A6%95%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%9B%E0%A7%87-%E0%A6%86%E0%A6%93%E0%A7%9F%E0%A6%BE%E0%A6%AE%E0%A7%80-%E0%A6%B2%E0%A7%80%E0%A6%97%E0%A6%93/a-43568505

https://www.jagonews24.com/national/news/424411

http://museemagazine.com/features/2018/8/13/bangladesh-pressed-for-freedom

https://www.fischerverlage.de/media/fs/308/LP_978-3-596-29800-6.pdf

https://issuu.com/kummerdesign/docs/010217_pen_stipendiatenbrosch_2017__b432c154ebc556

Zobaen Sondhi

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