| Bidhan Ranjan Roy Poddar | |
|---|---|
| বিধান রঞ্জন রায় পোদ্দার | |
 Poddar in 2024 | |
| Adviser for Primary and Mass Education | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 11 August 2024 | |
| Chief Adviser | Muhammad Yunus |
| Preceded by | Rumana Ali (as Minister of State) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1963 (age 60–61) Madhyanagar, Sunamganj, East Pakistan |
| Nationality | Bangladeshi |
| Political party | Independent |
| Education | MBBS |
| Alma mater | Sir Salimullah Medical College |
Bidhan Ranjan Roy Poddar (Bengali: বিধান রঞ্জন রায় পোদ্দার; born 1963) is an adviser to the Bangladesh Interim government. He served as director of the National Institute of Mental Health and Hospital's department of psychiatry.
Early life
Poddar was born in 1963 to a Hindu family of Rai Poddars in Madhyanagar Upazila, Sunamganj District, Sylhet Division, East Pakistan. He is the eldest among the three sons of Dr. Gopi Ranjan Roy Poddar and Madhavilata Roy Poddar. His father, a son of the esteemed Radha Charan Roy Poddar, was renowned for providing free healthcare services to the less fortunate in Bangshikunda, Chamardani and Madhyanagar areas, famed as the Gariber Daktar or Doctor of the Poor. Additionally, his father was a leftist politician who served as a leader of the Kshetamajur Committee. His younger brothers are Canadian expat Vikash Ranjan Roy Poddar and filmmaker Viresh Ranjan Roy Poddar.
Poddar attended the Government Jubilee High School from where he received his Secondary School Certificate in 1979, and completed his Higher Secondary Certificate from Dhaka College in 1981. He then proceeded to study medicine at the Sir Salimullah Medical College in Dhaka, receiving his MBBS degree in 1988.
Career
Poddar served as a professor of psychiatry at Mymensingh Medical College. He had a chamber in the Mymensingh Union Specialized Hospital Limited. He specialized in drug addiction, mental health, and sexual diseases. Poddar later served as the director of the National Institute of Mental Health and Hospital's department of psychiatry.
On 11 August 2024, Poddar and Supradip Chakma took oath as the advisers of the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus. President Mohammed Shahabuddin administered their oath in the Durbar Hall of Bangabhaban. Hailing from the minority of the country, he is the lone Hindu member in the Interim government.
Works
Poddar has written several works including:
- Samajik Chetanar Manastwatta (2016)
- Adhunikata O Amra (2018)
- Sigmund Freud O Afreudiya Freudbadigan (2020)
References
- Bhadra, Himadri Shekhar (8 August 2024). "অন্তর্বর্তীকালীন সরকারের উপদেষ্টা ডা. বিধান রঞ্জন রায় পোদ্দার সুনামগঞ্জের সন্তান" (in Bengali). Retrieved 11 August 2024.
- "প্রাথমিক ও গণশিক্ষা উপদেষ্টার দায়িত্ব পেলেন সুনামগঞ্জের সন্তান ডা. বিধান রঞ্জন রায়". Sunam Kantha (in Bengali). 12 August 2024.
- ^ "Read the profiles of the advisors to the interim government". The Business Standard. Retrieved 14 August 2024.
- ^ Ratan (2021-07-07). "Prof. Dr. Bidhan Ranjan Roy Poddar - Psychiatrist in Mymensingh". Doctor Bangladesh. Retrieved 2024-10-10.
- "Yunus-led interim govt sworn in". The Daily Star. 2024-08-08. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
- "Two advisers take oath". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 14 August 2024.