Sardar Fazlul Karim (; 1 May 1925 – 15 June 2014) was a Bangladeshi academic, philosopher and essayist.
Early life and family
Sardar
Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar (, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royal family, royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other Aristocracy (class), aristocrats. It ha ...
Fazlul Karim was born on 1 May 1925, to a
lower middle class
In developed nations around the world, the lower middle class is a subdivision of the greater middle class. Universally, the term refers to the group of middle class households or individuals who have not attained the status of the middle or u ...
family in the village of Atipara located in the
Backergunge District
Backergunge, Backergunje, Bakarganj, or Bakerganj is a former district of British Bengal, East Pakistan and Bangladesh. It was the southernmost district of the Dacca Division. The district was located in the swampy lowlands of the vast river delta ...
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 ...
(present-day
Wazirpur Upazila
Uzirpur (), officially known as Ujirpur, is an upazila of Barisal District in Barisal, Bangladesh.
Geography
Uzirpur is located at . It has a total area of 248.35 km2.
Demographics
According to the 2011 Census of Bangladesh, Wazirpu ...
,
Barisal District
Barisal District, officially Barishal District () is a district in south-central Bangladesh, it was formerly called Bakerganj district, and established in 1797. Its headquarters is in Barisal city, which is also the headquarters of Barisal ...
,
Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
). His father, Khabiruddin Sardar, was a farmer, and his mother, Safura Begum, was a housewife. He had one brother and three sisters, and they grew up in the village.
Education
When Karim was a high school student,
Saratchandra Chatterjee
Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay (anglicised as Sarat Chandra Chatterjee; 15 September 1876 – 16 January 1938) was a Bengali novelist and short story writer of the early 20th century. He generally wrote about the lives of Bengali family and societ ...
's novel ''Pather Dabi'' (Demand for a Pathway) inspired him to dream of a revolution. He matriculated from Barisal Zilla School in 1940.
He completed 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 ...
(IA) at Dhaka Intermediate College in 1942. He then became a student of
Dacca University
The University of Dhaka (), also known as Dhaka University (DU), is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Established in 1921, it is the oldest active university in the country.
The University of Dhaka was founded in 1921 ...
, initially studying English but soon shifting to philosophy because
Haridas Bhattacharya
Haridas Bhattacharyya (1891–1956) was a Bengali Indian philosopher, author and educationist, known for his works on comparative religion.
Early life
He was born in an orthodox Brahmin family on 7 November 1891, at Bhatpara, West Bengal to Pand ...
's class lectures had attracted him. He earned an honors BA, and in 1946, an MA.
Career
In 1954, while in prison, he was elected to the
East Bengal Legislative Assembly
The East Pakistan Provincial Assembly, known as the East Bengal Legislative Assembly between 1947 and 1955, was the provincial legislature of East Pakistan between 1947 and 1971. It was known as the East Bengal Assembly from 1947 to 1955 when the ...
as a Jukto Front candidate. He was released in 1955 by the
United Front
A united front is an alliance of groups against their common enemies, figuratively evoking unification of previously separate geographic fronts or unification of previously separate armies into a front. The name often refers to a political and/ ...
government.
He 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 ...
in 1955. Arrested again during martial law, he was released in 1962.
He left politics in 1963 and joined the translation section of the Bangla Academy. From 1969 to 1971 he directed the academy's cultural section.
In 1972, after Bangladesh won its independence, he rejoined Dacca University as a professor of political science.
Karim wrote scholarly books on philosophy, among them his দর্শনকোষ (Encyclopedia of Philosophy). He has translated
Plato
Plato ( ; Greek language, Greek: , ; born BC, died 348/347 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher of the Classical Greece, Classical period who is considered a foundational thinker in Western philosophy and an innovator of the writte ...
,
Aristotle
Aristotle (; 384–322 BC) was an Ancient Greek philosophy, Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath. His writings cover a broad range of subjects spanning the natural sciences, philosophy, linguistics, economics, politics, psychology, a ...
,
Rousseau
Jean-Jacques Rousseau (, ; ; 28 June 1712 – 2 July 1778) was a Genevan philosopher ('' philosophe''), writer, and composer. His political philosophy influenced the progress of the Age of Enlightenment throughout Europe, as well as aspects ...
Bangla Academy Literary Award
The Bangla Academy Literary Award (; ''Bangla Academy Shahitya Puroshkar'') is given by the Bangla Academy of Bangladesh in recognition of creative genius in advancement and overall contribution in the field of Bengali language and literature.
...
in 1976, and the
Independence Day Award
The Independence Award (), formally known as the Independence Day Award or Swadhinata Padak (), is the highest state award given by the government of Bangladesh. Introduced in 1977 by President Ziaur Rahman, this award is bestowed upon Banglade ...