Abdur Razzaq (professor)
Abdur Razzaq আবদুর রাজ্জাক | |
|---|---|
 Abur Razzaq on the left and Ahmad Sofa on the right | |
| Born | 1914 Paragram, Nawabganj, Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Died | 28 November 1999 (aged 84–85) |
| Occupation | Academic, educator, intellectual |
| Language | Bengali |
| Nationality | Bangladeshi  |
| Notable awards |
|
National Professor Abdur Razzaq (Template:Lang-bn; 1914 – November 28, 1999) was a noted scholar, academic, educator and intellectual in Bangladesh.[1]
Biography
Abdur Razzaq was born in 1914 in the Paragram village of Nawabganj upazila of Dhaka district. His father, Abdul Ali was a police officer. After his Matriculation from the Government Muslim High School, Dhaka and Intermediate of Arts from Dhaka College, he was admitted to the Department of Political Economy at the University of Dhaka in 1931. In 1936, he passed MA in the first class and joined as a lecturer in the same department. When the Department of Political Economy was bisected, he chose the department of Political Science. After the Second World War, Abdur Razzak went to London, UK to study under Harold Laski at London School of Economics. He returned home without any formal degree after Harold Laski had died in 1950 and carried on teaching in the department of Political Science at the University of Dhaka until 1975. He also taught in the departments of Economics and International Relations. As a teacher, he gained legendary status. His admirers "called him reverently a teacher of teachers".[1]
Abdur Razzaq's political ideas influenced anti-Ayub-government movements during the 1960s; to get rid of his influence, the Ayub regime tried to "dismiss him from his teaching position at Dhaka University on the allegation that he was not mindful of his duties as a teacher, but which the government failed to establish in the court".[1] During the Bangladesh Liberation War, he witnessed the March 1971 Dhaka University massacre. The Pakistanis came to arrest him at his home, but alerted by their kicking at his door, he escaped out the back. The Yahya Khan-government sentenced him in absentia to a fourteen-year rigorous imprisonment, accusing him of "treasonable" acts.[1][2]
Though Abdur Razzaq, apart from some essays and lectures, has no published works, many intellectuals have admitted his influence on their published works. Ahmed Sofa wrote his book: যদ্যপি আমার গুরু on Abdur Razzaq. Sardar Fazlul Karim published a book: ঢাকা বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় ও পূর্ববঙ্গীয় সমাজঃ অধ্যাপক আব্দুর রাজ্জাক-এর আলাপচারিতা based on his interviews of Abdur Razzaq. Salimullah Khan wrote a book on his famous lecture ‘’Bangladesh: State of the Nation’’. Muntassir Mamoon, Humayun Azad and many others reminisced about him and praised him highly in their many books.[1] He claimed to have had as his students more than 70 members of Parliament, among whom Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is the most notable.[1][2]
To acknowledge his unique status as a teacher, the Government of Bangladesh honored him with the distinction of National Professor in 1975. In 1973, the University of Delhi honored him with a Ph D.
References
- ^ a b c d e f Mahmuduzzaman, Mohammed (2012). "Razzaq, Abdur1". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
- ^ a b Singh, Khushwant (26 January 1975). "The international basket case". The New York Times Magazine. pp. 48, 62.
External links
- বিডিনিউজ টুয়েন্টিফোর ডটকমঃ সাক্ষাৎকারে সরদার ফজলুল করিম,বিষয়: অধ্যাপক আবদুর রাজ্জাক
- Ahrar Ahmad (20 August 2011). "Prof. Razzak: Anti-hero, mentor". The Daily Star.