Jahanara Imam born in a conservative Muslim family of Murshidabad (India) in 1929, received a liberal education. She held a Master's degree in Bengali language and literature and a Bachelor's degree in Education from Dhaka University.

She has spent a significant part of her life as an educationalist. She visited the United States in 1964-65 as a Fulbright scholar and again in 1977 under the International Visitors Programme at the invitation of the government of the United States.

Mrs. Imam was a prolific writer. Among her outstanding works are "Another Life", an autobiographical account depicting the life of a Muslim conservative family in a rural society of West Bengal in the first half of the century, and 'The Days of '71' which gives a graphic account of life in East Pakistan under the Pakistani military occupation. Mrs. Imam passed away in 1994.

Source: Of Blood and Fire: The Untold Story of Bangladesh's War of Independence by Jahanara Imam, Translated by Mustafizur Rahman

About the the book: Of Blood and Fire: The Untold Story of Bangladesh's War of Independence by Jahanara Imam

The year 1971 saw the eastern half of Pakistan (now Bangladesh) rise in revolt against the military regime of the country which had unleashed a reign of terror to crush the people's demand for independence. There was indiscriminate killing, burning and looting of the unarmed civilians. An underground resistance movement spearheaded by students came into being to fight the oppressor. A full-fledged war of liberation ensured.

The breathtaking events of 1971 are faithfully recorded in the present volume. It is a first-hand account by the author who along with her son and husband took an active part in the struggle for freedom.  She had herself witnessed some of the events. For the rest she gathered facts from authentic sources. Written in form of a diary, the book was originally published in Bengali. This  English rendering of it now presents the story of Bangladesh's war of independence to a larger audience.

Literary Works of Jahanara Imam Source: Wikipedia

• Anya Jiban (1985) (Other life)

• Ekattorer dinguli (1986) (The days of 71)

• Jiban Mrtyu (1988) (Life and death)

• Buker Bhitare Agun (1990) (Fire in my heart)

• Nataker Abasan (1990) (End of drama)

• Dui Meru (1990) (Two poles)

• Cancer-er Sange Basabas (1991) (Living with cancer)

• Prabaser Dinalipi (1992) (Life abroad)

Photo Credit: Mufti Munir