Muhammad Hasanuzzaman
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Muhammad Hasanuzzaman () was a
Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...
educationist and politician. He served as a member of the
Bengal Legislative Assembly The Bengal Legislative Assembly () was the largest legislatures of British India, legislature in British India, serving as the lower chamber of the legislature of Bengal Presidency, Bengal (now Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal). It ...
.


Early life and family

Hasanuzzaman was born in to a
Bengali Muslim Bengali Muslims (; ) 'Mussalman'' also used in this work./ref> are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising over 70% of the global Bengali population, they are the second-largest ...
family in the village of Haripur in Nangalkot, which was then under the Laksam subdivision of the
Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William in Bengal until 1937, later the Bengal Province, was the largest of all three presidencies of British India during Company rule in India, Company rule and later a Provinces o ...
's Tipperah (Comilla) District. He was the eldest son of Muhammad Arifur Rahman and Sayyidunnisa Begum. His father was a graduate of the Islamia Madrasa of
Chittagong Chittagong ( ), officially Chattogram, (, ) (, or ) is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It ...
, and became the founding principal of the local Haripur Madrasa from 5 April 1892 until his death in 1923. Hasanuzzaman's mother came from a family of
Qadi A qadi (; ) is the magistrate or judge of a Sharia court, who also exercises extrajudicial functions such as mediation, guardianship over orphans and minors, and supervision and auditing of public works. History The term '' was in use from ...
s.


Education

Hasanuzzaman was initially homeschooled by his father, Arifur Rahman, and passed the local primary examinations. He then enrolled at the Chittagong Senior Madrasa, and took first place in the entrance examinations. His talent was noticed by
Khan Bahadur Khan Bahadur – a compound of ''Khan'' "Leader" and ''Bahadur'' "Brave" – was an honorary title in British India conferred on Indian subjects who were adherents of Islam or Zoroastrianism. The equivalent title for Hindus, Buddhists and India ...
Wazuddin, the erstwhile principal of Sirajganj College, under whose influence he joined the Sirajganj College for his
Intermediate of Arts Intermediate Arts (IA) is an academic diploma awarded by a high school or junior college after the completion of 12th grade or equivalent in some countries like India and Nepal. However, as for Nepal, the usage of IA, ISc, and the like has become o ...
. However, as he was the eldest child of the family, he had many responsibilities and left education for employment.


Career

Remaining in the home of Sir Azizul Haque in
Sirajganj Sirajganj is a city in north-western Bangladesh on the right bank of the Jamuna River, located in Rajshahi Division. It is the administrative headquarters of Sirajganj District, and with a population of 500000, it is the 14th largest city in Ba ...
, Hasanuzzaman found employment as the principal of a junior
madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...
. He became influenced to join politics after observing Azizul Haque. He returned to Comilla in 1926, and established the Nangalkot Arafiyyah Junior Madrasa in memory of his father, the following year. In 1927, he was nominated as the director of the Comilla Central Co-operative by the authorities. Among his tasks was opening a bank branch in
Laksam Laksam is a city in eastern Bangladesh. It is the headquarters of Laksam Upazila of Comilla District. It is situated on the banks of the Dakatia River. Demographics According to the 2022 Bangladesh census, Laksam city had a population of 9 ...
in 1929, as the Tippera District only had one, which was situated in
Comilla Comilla (), officially spelled Cumilla, is a metropolis on the banks of the Gomti River in eastern Bangladesh. Comilla was one of the cities of ancient Bengal. It was once the capital of Tripura kingdom. Comilla Airport is located in the Duli ...
town. Due to non-payment of bank money, deadlock was created and Hasanuzzaman subsequently invited the erstwhile Co-operative Registrar,
Khan Bahadur Khan Bahadur – a compound of ''Khan'' "Leader" and ''Bahadur'' "Brave" – was an honorary title in British India conferred on Indian subjects who were adherents of Islam or Zoroastrianism. The equivalent title for Hindus, Buddhists and India ...
Ershad Ali, to Nangalkot. Ali was asked on behalf of the public to ease the suffering of the indebted people and so he waived the interest of 166,000 taka. He joined the Tippera District Board as a member in 1929. In 1932, he became the president of local Union Board. In every village of the union, he organised a Ulama Committee to maintain adherence to Islamic laws. Two years later, Hasanuzzaman became the secretary of the Laksam Co-operative Bank. He achieved the distinction of building the two-storied picturesque building for the bank with much effort. He was re-elected to the union board for a second term in 1935. On the new moon of
Falgun Falgun or Phalgun (; ) or Phagun () is the eleventh month of the year in the Bengali calendar, the Assamese calendar, and the Nepali calendar. In the revision of the Bengali calendar used in Bangladesh since October 2019, the month has 29 days ...
before the 1935 local election, Satish Chandra Kar Zamindar of Makrabpur was attacked by miscreants on his way to Haripur along with his companion Mansoor Ahmed, Maulvi Abdul Gani and his younger brother Maulvi Ali Ahmed from Tehsil Kachari. Hasanuzzaman came to their defence and was heavily injured. He was held in Comilla Hospital for 32 days, and survived the near-death experience. Hasanuzzaman contested as a
Krishak Praja Party The Krishak Sramik Party (, ''Farmer Labourer Party'') was a major anti-feudal political party in the British Indian province of Bengal and later in the Dominion of Pakistan's East Bengal and East Pakistan provinces. It was founded in 1929 as th ...
candidate in the 1937 Bengal legislative elections, winning in the Tippera South constituency. The constituency covered the present-day areas of Chauddagram,
Laksam Laksam is a city in eastern Bangladesh. It is the headquarters of Laksam Upazila of Comilla District. It is situated on the banks of the Dakatia River. Demographics According to the 2022 Bangladesh census, Laksam city had a population of 9 ...
, Nangalkot and Hajiganj. The next year, Hasanuzzaman became the first ethnic Bengali member of the Assam-Bengal Railway Board. He was conferred the title of ''
Khan Sahib Khan Sahib - a compound of Khan "Leader" and Sahib "Master" - was a formal title of respect and honour, which was conferred mainly on Muslim, and also on Parsi, Irani, and Jewish subjects of the British Indian Empire. It was a title one deg ...
'' by the
British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...
in 1939. On 17 January 1941, he established the Nangalkot Arifur Rahman High School and got approval and permission to conduct examinations in the same year with the help of
A. K. Fazlul Huq Abul Kasem Fazlul Huq (26 October 1873 – 27 April 1962), popularly known as Sher-e-Bangla, was a Bengalis, Bengali lawyer and politician who served as the first and longest Prime Minister of Bengal, prime minister of Bengal during the Britis ...
. During the
Bengal famine of 1943 The Bengal famine of 1943 was a famine in the Bengal province of British India (present-day Bangladesh, West Bengal and eastern India) during World War II. An estimated 800,000–3.8 million people died, in the Bengal region (present-day Ban ...
, Hasanuzzaman invited
A. M. Martin A is the first letter of the Latin and English alphabet. A may also refer to: Science and technology Quantities and units * ''a'', a measure for the attraction between particles in the Van der Waals equation * ''A'' value, a measure of s ...
, the Commissioner of
Chittagong Division Chittagong Division (), officially Chattogram Division, is geographically the largest of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. It covers the southeasternmost areas of the country, with a total area of and a population according to th ...
, to Nangalkot through the co-operative department. After failing to win a seat at the 1946 Bengal legislative elections, Hasanuzzaman decided to perform
Hajj Hajj (; ; also spelled Hadj, Haj or Haji) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for capable Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetim ...
. On his way back, he stopped at
Karachi Karachi is the capital city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Sindh, Pakistan. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, largest city in Pakistan and 12th List of largest cities, largest in the world, with a popul ...
where he briefly served as the vice-chairman of the Pakistan Co-operative Department. He ran as a
Muslim League Muslim League may refer to: Political parties British India *All-India Muslim League, led the demand for the partition of India resulting in the creation of Pakistan ** Punjab Muslim League, a branch of the organization above **Unionist Muslim L ...
candidate during the
1954 East Bengal Legislative Assembly election Legislative elections were held in East Bengal between 8 and 12 March 1954, the first since Pakistan became an independent country in 1947. The opposition United Front led by the All-Pakistan Awami League and Krishak Sramik Party won a landslide ...
but failed to win a seat. During the presidency of
Ayub Khan Mohammad Ayub Khan (14 May 1907 – 19 April 1974) was a Pakistani military dictator who served as the second president of Pakistan from 1958 until his resignation on 1969. He was the first native commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Army, se ...
in 1962, Hasanuzzaman was elected to the
National Assembly of Pakistan The National Assembly of Pakistan, also referred to as ''Aiwān-ē-Zairīñ'', is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, with the upper house being the Senate of Pakistan, Senate. As of 2023, the National Assem ...
. He was the Parliamentary Secretary (currently equivalent to the Minister of State) in the Ministry of Relief and Rehabilitation during the tenure of Ghulam Farooqui and was appointed as the Whip. In 1963, he was appointed as a member of the Land Reforms Committee. He presented an anti-government speech in Parliament against President Ayub Khan's SUNSET LAW 30th Chaitra Act and said he would not hesitate to give up his seat if necessary. (According to this law, if the rent was not paid by the 30th month, the land would be auctioned). He gave speeches for necessary measures and legislation against cannabis, liquor, gambling and other un-Islamic activities. In parliament, he expressed ideas of the establishment of an Islamic university in
East Pakistan East Pakistan was the eastern province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1971, restructured and renamed from the province of East Bengal and covering the territory of the modern country of Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Burma, wit ...
. In 1963, 1964 and 1965, for three consecutive years, he strongly emphasized the equitable distribution of Sarshina's annual rights and wealth. In 1963-64 flood affected areas of
Barisal Barisal ( or ; , ), officially known as Barishal, is a major city that lies on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative headquarter of both Barisal District and Barisal Divi ...
and
Cox's Bazar Cox's Bazar (; ; ) is a city, fishing port, tourism centre, and Cox's Bazar District, district headquarters in south-eastern Bangladesh. Cox's Bazar Beach, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Bangladesh, is the longest uninterrupte ...
, he worked tirelessly to provide relief. In the 1965 elections, he failed to become a Member of Parliament as an independent candidate.


Death and legacy

Since 1965, Hasanuzzaman's body and mind were breaking down due to various reasons. In addition, polyuria and heart disease occurred. On 14 April 1968, he suffered a heart attack while sitting with his son AKM Rafiquzzaman. He was then admitted to
Dhaka Medical College Hospital Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) is a public medical college and hospital located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1946, the college houses a medical school as well as a tertiary care hospital on its campus. History Site during ...
(PG). He breathed his last at 7 am on Thursday 18 April 1968. He left behind 4 sons and 4 daughters at the time of his death. His children were Mahmuda Begum, Saleha Begum, Dr. AKM Kamaruzzaman, AKM Shamuzzaman, AKM Rafiquzzaman, Roqeya Begum, AKM Mahbubuzzaman and Umm Kulthum. His last words were one of the dying. To set up a college in Nangalkot, so that the local poor boys and girls can advance in higher education. Two. Making Nangalkot High School a model school. Three. His youngest son, AKM Mahbub Uz Zaman, successfully completed his engineering studies. Four. Marrying off his youngest daughter, Umm Kulthum.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hasanuzzaman, Muhammad Bengal MLAs 1937–1945 1968 deaths 1900s births People from Nangalkot Upazila Politicians from Chittagong Division 20th-century Bengalis Krishak Sramik Party politicians Pakistan Muslim League politicians