Manju Biswas

Manju Biswas, a former Research & Development pharmacist at Barr/Teva Pharmaceuticals, passed away on March 4, 2011, at Nyack Hospital, after a courageous four-year battle against breast cancer. She was 55. Born in Barisal, Bangladesh to Santi and Sava Ranjan Biswas, on May 16, 1955, Manju was the fifth daughter in a family of six children. She was a bright and precocious student, and spent her formative years studying in Barisal, Calcutta, and Dhaka. Her interests went far beyond a love of education; Manju was a freedom fighter in Bangladesh’s Liberation War of 1971. Throughout her life, she was an ardent champion of women’s rights both locally and abroad. She traveled across the world to complete her Masters at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. As a sophisticated curator of Bengali literary and musical events, she exposed the talents of contemporary Bengali artists to her community at home. Manju was a beloved member of the Dhaka Drama Company, and appeared in Jal Balika and other plays. She served as Cultural Secretary for the Bangladeshi American Pharmacist’s Association. She was as a secular person in the truest sense of the word. A believer in the harmony across faiths, and the power of cultural arts to transcend borders, Manju instilled her love of classical dance and singing into her daughter. She is survived by her husband, Iqbal Hossain, an architect, and her daughter, Sunita Iqbal, a legal assistant at Chanel, Inc., as well as her mother, Santi, her three sisters, Dolly, Dipali, and Sabita, and two brothers, Bimal and Dulal. We will remember the vibrant, loving smile she bestowed upon all in her presence. She fought until her last breath to live a life of joy.