Nazrul Minto
| Nazrul Minto | |
|---|---|
 15844358_10211569305538406_87125380904805722_o.jpg Nazrul Minto | |
| Born | 1958/06/06 |
| 🏳️ Nationality | Bangladeshi/Canadian |
| 💼 Occupation | Digital Media Expert, Writer and Journalist |
| nazrulminto | |
| nazrul.minto | |
Nazrul Minto (born 6th June 1958) is an IDM (Interactive Digital Media) Expert and writer, as well as a journalist, organizer, and cultural activist. [1]
Career
Nazrul Minto is a journalist, columnist, author, social worker, and cultural activist. Historically speaking, Bangladeshi Canadian Nazrul Minto is regarded as a trailblazer in the Canadian news media who started by founding a Bangla Tele Journal he called Banglar Mukh (the Face of Bengal) back in 1990 when the Internet was not yet available to all. This was done with a view to attracting Bangladeshi Canadians to news that covered both Canada and Bangladesh. Within a year, in 1991, an ambitious Minto came up with the first Bangla newspaper Deshe Bideshe. When one recognizes the barriers immigrants face in their initial years in Canada, one can appreciate how an enterprising Minto played a pioneering role in taking a risk in producing a Bengali newspaper when there was no guarantee that such a paper would survive and sustain itself. In that sense, a courageous Minto is a risk-taker who went ahead to fulfill his dream. In fact, the publication of Deshe Bideshe, the first Bengali newspaper in Canada, brought Minto into the limelight across Canada as an avant-garde. To recognize Minto's contribution to Canadian journalism, one would have to be aware of how Minto overcame the barriers that new immigrants are generally subjected to, for they are often behind the eight ball. With no grant of any kind, Minto worked tirelessly to establish himself as a journalist in a competitive world. Minto and his wife, Afia Khanam, remained firmly tied to the realities, even though the couple had no resources and no helping hands; they knew they must continue their work to support their family. Recognizing that Canada is a country full of different cultures, heritages, and traditions, he took on the task of advancing the Bengali language, culture, and tradition with a view to moving towards Canada's diversity. In that sense, Minto's efforts were consistent with the government of Canada's policy toward Multiculturalism. Through his newspaper, Minto became a spokesperson for the Bangladeshi community by bringing a new insight into the cultural differences, conflicts, struggles, and triumphs. With his feet on the ground, a realist Minto recognized that he would meet with all kinds of people – even ragtag and bobtail. To keep himself safe and productive while working towards reaching his goal, a cautious Minto tactfully ran with the hare and hunted with the hounds without antagonizing rivals in the community. Through his extensive network with relevant organizations and associations, Minto gathered strength and involved many Bengalis in choosing journalism as a profession to eventually become a part of Canadian news media.
Over the years, as a dynamic Minto assumed greater responsibility through the expansion of the enterprise (newspaper, multiple TV channels), he asked the audience to loosen their tongues and talk freely as a guest speaker at formal seminars, town hall meetings, or informal get-togethers with fellow Bangladeshi Canadians. He emphasizes the notion of diversity, which is a source of strength in Canada for Canadians of all racial and religious backgrounds. Within a matter of a few years, he also came to be regarded as an agent of change – who has been disseminating information to Bangladeshi Canadians through his communication vehicles, reaching out to his readers regarding Canada's shared values of democracy, freedom, human rights, and the rule of law. Minto's greatest contribution to Canada is his relentless work in encouraging his clients/readers to participate fully in Canadian economic, social, and cultural integration. One particular way was the inclusion of pertinent write-ups in the weekly Deshe Bideshe on diversity, the importance of the mother tongue and its retention, acquisition of Canada's official languages, human rights, assimilation, integration, and simple civic responsibility, especially for new immigrants. The use of technology is making the challenging work relatively easier for Minto, who engages the new generation of Bangladeshi Canadians in his TV talk shows to discuss issues of importance to Bangladeshi Canadians – the youth, adults, and seniors. Minto's empowered team knows that Deshe Bideshe's commitment to continuing its work in the area of multiculturalism and integration is not over by a long shot. In fact, keeping his pecker up, the whirlwind that has become Minto's life has accelerated even more. This is where Minto stands with distinction for his work with the community in enhancing diversity and pure charity work; after all, Minto is a man with a bleeding heart. In that sense, Minto remains exemplary to Canadians as someone who personifies multicultural values by disseminating information pertaining to the commonly known five multicultural streams, such as cultural continuity, a celebration of diversity, anti-racism, intercultural connections, and integration. Minto has long been recognized for his laudatory efforts and contribution to Canada in the area of community development, group solidarity, and promoting diversity through an understanding of the fundamental value of Canadian society that is multiracial and multicultural. A vanguard in the Canadian news media representing the hopes and aspirations of the Bengali community, Minto has been honoured by many for his brave experimental role in the formative stage when publishing ethnic newspapers had been a challenge. Some of the notable awards are the Ethnic Press Council of Canada Award; FOBANA Awards (twice); Ontario Government Award; Canada Bangladesh Muslim Society Award; The Optimist (U.S.A); Centennial College Dean's Award. As an active member of the Canadian Association of Journalists, Commonwealth Journalist Association, Pen Canada, and Rotary International, Minto is playing a substantive role in enhancing the participation of visible minorities and raising issues that are affecting Canadians of various races. A hard-working Minto does not rest on his laurels; instead, he remains focused on his work in promoting multiculturalism and journalism. Minto's greatest contribution to Canadian media is that, though resource-poor from the beginning, through sheer assiduous work, Minto was able to successfully overcome the systemic barriers. He not only established himself as a media person but encouraged new immigrants to take up journalism in Canada.
Historically speaking, Bangladeshi Canadian Nazrul Minto is regarded as a trailblazer in the Canadian news media for the Toronto-based first Bengali newspaper Deshe Bideshe he published in 1991. When one recognizes the barriers immigrants generally face in their initial years in Canada, one can appreciate how an enterprising Minto played a pivotal role in taking a risk in producing a Bengali newspaper when there was no guarantee that such a paper would survive and sustain itself. In that sense, a courageous Minto is a risk-taker who went ahead to fulfill his dream. Within seven years, Minto ambitiously launched the same paper’s online version in 1998, the first of its kind – let there be no distortion of a historical fact. As the first newspaper for Bangladeshi Canadians, Minto, its Editor-in-Chief, soon became a household name among Bangladeshi Canadians of all ages in North America for his appearance in the news media.
One of the most commendable works of award-winner journalist Nazrul Minto in the mid-1990s is his work with Mustafa Chowdhury on the war babies of Bangladesh. Since these babies, born as a result of rapes in 1971 during the Liberation War of Bangladesh, were frowned upon and categorized as the “unwanted/illegitimate” babies of Bangladesh, a sensitive Minto wanted to find a term acceptable to all without any negative connotation. After thinking a great deal, Minto creatively came up with a term for such abandoned babies by calling them juddhoshishu (war babies). Minto worked closely with the author and published a series of articles on individual juddhoshishu that readers found fascinating. This encouraged Minto to persuade the author to contribute regularly by writing on juddhoshishu – something that later inspired the author to do a comprehensive book. Ever since the term juddhoshishu appeared in the Deshe Bideshe, it entered the vocabulary of researchers and writers and the Bengali/English Dictionary of Bangladesh. The term soon came into use in Bangladesh and everywhere else. No longer are the Juddhoshishus referred to as the “unwanted/illegitimate” babies of Bangladesh. This remains one of Minto’s invaluable contributions to the historical narrative of the Liberation War of Bangladesh for future writers and historians.
Encouraged by the spontaneous interest of readers in his newspaper, in 2015 Minto also established Deshe Bideshe TV, an interactive 24/7 TV channel for Bangla-speaking people around the world. Minto became its CEO. As the first Bengali channel in Canada, today Deshe Bideshe TV is the most popular and well-known Bengali media in Canada. Deshe Bideshe undertakes several thematic programs that are viewed by people from all around the world. Adda with Minto; Minto'r Darbar; Mukhomukhi; Antorik; Hridoye Rabindranath; Chetonay Nazrul; Nadir Naam Surma; Karnafuly; Chander Baranda; Pandulipi; Ghungur; Potrolekha; Kanchan Konnya; Shekorer Gaan; and Ghash Foring are worth mentioning, emceed by a group of talented emcees.
Minto is also the founder of Jhankar TV (2018), which is the only exclusively Bengali music channel abroad. Lately, he started Azan TV (2019), which is the first Bangla Islamic channel in North America. Both channels have attracted viewers within a very short time and have involved a large number of volunteers. Minto also published a Bengali book titled Uttor Americar Chalchitro in 2009. It's a fascinating collection of his write-ups that appeared in Deshe Bideshe over the years.
Education
- Centennial College (Interactive Digital Media), Toronto
- Humber College (Web Design), Toronto
- Seneca College (Social Media), Toronto
- George Harvey Collegiate Institute (Printing Technology), Toronto
Awards
- Ethnic Press Council of Canada (1995)
- Fobana Award (1997)
- Government of Ontario, Canada (1998)
- Ottawa Muslim Association (2000)
- The Optimist, United States (2007)
- Fobana Award (2012)
- Centennial College Dean's Award (2012)
References
External links
- Nazrul Minto on IMDb
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