Khan Bahadur Syed Abdul Majid, CIE (; 1872–1922), also known by his

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

Kaptan Miah (), was a politician, lawyer and entrepreneur. He is notable for pioneering the development in the

agricultural Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created f ...

and tea industry in

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance in South Asia. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one form or another ...

as well as his contributions to both secular and Islamic education in

Sylhet Sylhet (; ) is a Metropolis, metropolitan city in the north eastern region of Bangladesh. It serves as the administrative center for both the Sylhet District and the Sylhet Division. The city is situated on the banks of the Surma River and, as o ...

Early life

Abdul Majid was born in 1872 to a noble

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 ...

Syed family in the Kazi Elias neighbourhood in urban

. His father was Syed Abdul Jalil. His grandfather, Syed Muhibullah, was originally from Moulvibazar and a descendant of the 14th-century

Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

preacher Shah Mustafa. His mother, Hasb-un-Nisa, was the granddaughter of Moulvi Syed Qudratullah. This led to Abdul Majid being brought up in a traditional

Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

ic household in which he studied to become a moulvi. In addition to Bengali (both Standard and Sylheti), he was fluent in English and

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

, and a moderate proficiency in

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

. Completing his

primary education Primary education is the first stage of Education, formal education, coming after preschool/kindergarten and before secondary education. Primary education takes place in ''primary schools'', ''elementary schools'', or first schools and middle s ...

in Nawab Taleb Bengal School in

, his

secondary education Secondary education is the education level following primary education and preceding tertiary education. Level 2 or ''lower secondary education'' (less commonly ''junior secondary education'') is considered the second and final phase of basic e ...

took place in Sylhet District High School where he passed his

matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term ''matriculation'' is seldom used no ...

exams in 1887. He then moved to the city of

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

, where he studied at the Presidency College as well at St. Xavier's College. He obtained a BA (Hons) in 1892 and a BL (Hons) degree in 1894. Abdul Majid kept a beard, as per Islamic custom. His dress sense was quite traditional, typically consisting of a pagri,

achkan An achkan (, ), also known as ''baghal bandi'', is a knee length jacket worn by men in the Indian subcontinent. It is a similar garment to the angarkha. History The achkan evolved from the , a dress which was worn by people in higher social c ...

and pyjamas.

Career

All India Muslim league conference 1906 attendees in Dhaka

Abdul Majid was a lawyer associated with the Sylhet District Bar Association for a few years after graduating before going into politics and agriculture. His main interests were in

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

and as a

, he joined the Anjuman-e-Islamia movement. This forum was the only Muslim political organisation which preceded the

All-India Muslim League The All-India Muslim League (AIML) was a political party founded in 1906 in Dhaka, British India with the goal of securing Muslims, Muslim interests in South Asia. Although initially espousing a united India with interfaith unity, the Muslim L ...

. He was made the secretary of its Sylhet unit in 1902 and later its president. In 1904, he opened the Brahmanchara Tea Estate alongside Muhammad Bakht Mazumdar, Karim Bakhsh and Ghulam Rabbani. He was also made Sylhet Pourashava's vice-chairman in 1906 and later chairman in 1909 for 3 years. As a District Session Judge based in Assam, he was invited by the Nawab of Dhaka,

Khwaja Salimullah Nawab Sir Khwaja Salimullah Bahadur (7 June 1871 – 16 January 1915) was the fourth Nawab of Dhaka and one of the leading Muslim politicians during the British rule in India. On 30 December 1906, the All-India Muslim League was officially ...

, to attend the 1906 All India Muhammadan Educational Conference in Shahbag,

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

. This conference was crucial to the development of the

. He was invited by the

Indian Government The Government of India (ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of 36 states and union territor ...

to the opening ceremony of Pune City's agricultural research and college in 1908. Abdul Majid was the first ever native and Muslim Minister of

Assam Assam (, , ) is a state in Northeast India, northeastern India, south of the eastern Himalayas along the Brahmaputra Valley, Brahmaputra and Barak River valleys. Assam covers an area of . It is the second largest state in Northeast India, nor ...

. On 2 February 1911, Abdul Majid pioneered the tea industry as a native by establishing the All India Tea and Trading Company. Consequently, he established three tea gardens in the

Sylhet region Sylhet Division () is a northeastern Divisions of Bangladesh, division of Bangladesh, renowned for its lush tea gardens, rolling hills and vibrant cultural heritage. Covering an area of approximately 12,298 square kilometres, it is bordered by t ...

. The authorised capital of the company was 1 lakh rupees, paid up capital was 7 lakh rupees, and subscribed capital was 8 lakh rupees. In addition to owning tea gardens, he also owned many agricultural farms and one oil mill which made him the first native to do so in

. During the Delhi Durbar of 1911, Abdul Majid was honoured as an invited elite by Emperor George V and

Mary of Teck Mary of Teck (Victoria Mary Augusta Louise Olga Pauline Claudine Agnes; 26 May 186724 March 1953) was List of British royal consorts, Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 6 May 1910 until 20 Janua ...

to commemorate their

coronation A coronation ceremony marks the formal investiture of a monarch with regal power using a crown. In addition to the crowning, this ceremony may include the presentation of other items of regalia, and other rituals such as the taking of special v ...

. In 1912, he established the Muslim Institute Hall in Sylhet as a new headquarters for the ''Anjuman-e-Islamia'', located south of Shah Jalal's dargah. It is now known as the Shaheed Suleman Hall and has been known as Jinnah Hall at one point. In 1913, he also founded and developed the Sylhet Government Alia Madrasah at the old private Madrassah of the Anjuman-e-Islamia as part of his role as the Education Minister of Assam. He gave a speech and addressed the Muslim Fisherman's Society in Kanishail to start raising funds for a high-level madrasa project in Sylhet town. In response, wealthy Mahimal businessman managed to raise the money and hand it to him. With that money, several acres of land suitable for the construction of madrasa houses, including the present government Alia Madrasa ground, located southeast of the Dargah, were purchased and the necessary construction work was also completed. Abdul Majid was questioned by some people for the reason that he approached the Mahimal community (which is generally seen as a neglected lower-class Muslim social group). He responded by saying that he did to show that this community can do big things and that they should not be neglected. In 1916, he upgraded Murari Chand College's status to first grade degree level and laid the school's foundation stone in Thackeray Hills alongside William Sinclair Marris in 1921. In 1919, as president and chairman of Anjuman-e-Islamia's reception committee, he invited the Bengali

Nobel laureate The Nobel Prizes (, ) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make outstanding contributions in th ...

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Thakur (; anglicised as Rabindranath Tagore ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengalis, Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter of the Bengal Renai ...

which attracted over 5000 people. It was in 1921, when he gained a seat into Assam's law council (MLA) representing Sylhet Sadar. Abdul Majid was a prominent leader of the Sylhet-Bengal Reunion League founded in 1920, to mobilise public opinion demanding Sylhet and Cachar's incorporation into Bengal. However, during the Surma Valley Muslim Conference of September 1928, Abdul Majid and the ''Anjuman-e-Islamia'' later opposed the transfer of Sylhet and Cachar to Bengal and supported Muhammad Bakht Mazumdar's resolution.

Awards

In 1915, 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 ...

awarded him the title of Khan Bahadur as part of the 1915 Birthday Honours of King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

. He was subsequently awarded the chivalry of Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire as part of King George V's 1922 New Year Honours. This was during Abdul Majid's office as the Minister for Education for the

Governor of Assam This is a list of governors of Assam, and other offices of similar scope, from the start of British occupation of the area in 1824 during the First Anglo-Burmese War. The governor of Assam is the nominal head of the Indian state of Assam. The ...

, William Sinclair Marris.

Death

Abdul Majid died in

Shillong Shillong (, ) is a hill station and the capital of Meghalaya, a Indian state, state in northeastern India. It is the headquarters of the East Khasi Hills district. Shillong is the list of most populous cities in India, 330th most populous city ...

at the age of 50. His daughter's son, Abu Saleh Chowdhury, wrote a biography on his life titled ''Forgotten Kaptan'' (). Abdul Majid also had a son called Syed Maqsood.

References

External links