Abul Kashem

Infobox revolution biography
name= Mohammad Abul Kashem
মোহাম্মদ আবুল কাশেম
lived=June 28 1920 – March 11 1991


placeofbirth= Chittagong District, Bengal
placeofdeath= Dhaka, Bangladesh
spouse = Momtaj Kashem
religion = Sunni Islam

Mohammad Abul Kashem (Bengali: মোহাম্মদ আবুল কাশেম)(commonly known as Principal Abul Kashem) (28 June 1920 - 11 March 1991) is a Bangladeshi politician, author and an eminent educationist. He was also an activist of the Language Movement. [cite news
title =Principal Abul Kashem’s death anniversary to day
language =Bengali
work =The Bangladesh Observer
date =March 11 2005 ]

Early life

Principal Abul Kashem was born on June 28, 1920 at village Chebandi in Patia Thana of Chittagong district. [ittefaq rerport, Principal Abul Kashemer intekal. The Daily Ittefaq, March 12 1991.] Principal Abul Kashem passed Matriculation Examination from Borma High School in 1939 with first class and Government district scholarship. He passed Isc from Chittagong government Collage in 1941 with first class. He also obtained Bachelors of Science (honors) and Masters of Science degree in Physics from Dhaka University in 1944 and 1945 respectively with first class. [Mahmud, Akif bin, Principal Abul Kashem: Matrivashake gire je full bekoseto. The Weekly Bangla Patrika, Friday March 24, 2006]

Involvement in Language Movement

Principal Abul Kashem was associated with the literary and cultural activities of the country for five decades. He contributed in the movement for recognition of Bengali as one of the state languages of Pakistan soon after the independence of Pakistan in 1947. On September 1, 1947 he founded the Pakistan Tamaddun Majlish as a non-political cultural organization to mobilize students, intellectuals and the people in general for the Bengali language. On September 15, 1947 he published a booklet entitled, Pakistaner Rashrobasha- Bangla Na Urdu (Pakistan’s state language: Bengali or Urdu) demanding introduction of Bengali as one of the state language of whole Pakistan. [Mukul, M.R. Aktar, Vhasa Andoloner jinni suchona kore chilan. Daily Bangla , March 10, 1993] This booklet also strongly advocated for Bengali as the medium of education, court language and for its use in the offices in East Pakistan. Also his untiring efforts let to the formation of the first Rashtrabhasa Sangram Parishad (State Language Committee of Action) on October 1, 1947 with Nurul Huq Bhuiyan as the convener and he himself as the treasurer. On December 6, 1947, a meeting was held under the president-ship of Principal Abul Kashem in Dhaka University campus which protested the resolution of the education week held in Karachi suggesting Urdu as the state language and the lingua franca of Pakistan. A protest procession was brought out from the meeting, which met Khawaja Nazimuddin, the provincial Chief Minister, and other ministers. Khawaja Nazimuddin gave a written assurance to the Action Committee that he would do the needful to introduce Bengali as one of the state language of Pakistan. Principal Abul Kashem actively participated in organizing a countrywide strike on March 11, 1948, to press for the language demand. As the outcome of the strike, on the eve of the impending visit of Mohammad Ali Jinnah (the founder of Pakistan) to Dhaka, the then Provincial Government had no other alternative but to sign an agreement with the action committee on March 15, 1948 for introducing Bengali as one of the state language of Pakistan.

Career

Principal Abul Kashem began his career as a lecturer in the Physics department at the Dhaka University in 1946. As a lecturer, he was the first person who delivered lectures in the Bengali at the Dhaka University. He held his lecturer position until 1953. [cite news
title =Death anniversary of Principal Abul Kashem today.
language =English
work =The New Nation
date =March 11 2005 ]

Principal Abul Kashem was actively associated with politics. He was one of the founders of the Khilafat-e-Rabbani Party in 1952. He was a member of the provincial assembly as a United Front nominee in 1954 from the Pattia-Boalkhali constituency in Chittagong. While a member of the Legislative Assembly, he moved a resolution for introduction of Bengali as the medium of education at all levels. On September 30, 1956, he proposed Bangla as the state-language and it was approved unanimously and thus, Bengali received constitutional recognition as one of the State language of Pakistan. He was the founding editor of the weekly Sainik at th 1948, which was the organ of the Tamaddun Majlish and also published the news of the language movement regularly. It was published till 1961.

He felt the need of introducing Bangla as medium of higher education in colleges and universities. With his dream, he established the Bangla College at Mirpur, Dhaka in 1962 and served the college as Principal till 1981. He devised a model for the reorientation of spelling of Bengali words and the pattern of Bengali scripts. [cite news
title =Death anniversary of Principal Abul Kashem today.
language =English
work =The New Nation
date =March 11 2005 ] ,After receiving Ekushey Padak.]

A prolific writer, Principal Abul Kashem authored nearly 100 books including textbooks on science for postgraduate student and on education, Islam, culture and politics. These include 40 textbooks on physics and other science subjects for collage and University levels. Some of his well-know books are- Ekush daffer Rupaon, Pakistaner Rastrobasha Bangla Na Urdu?, Ghosona, Vibartanbad, Dooti Prosno, Sangathan, Islami rustraneeti, Adhunik Chintadhara, Shristi Tatta O Allahr Astitta, Biggan Samaj O Darmo, Quranic Arthoniti, Biggan Bastubad O Allahr Astitta, Islam Science & Modern Theory, Universal Ideology in the Light of Modern Thought, and Sreni Sangram. [Mahmud, Akif Bin, Vasha Andolon O Principal Abul Kashem. the Daily Dinkal, February 21, 2006.]

Principal Abul Kashem receive a number of national and social awards which includes Independence Day Award in 1993, Ekushey Padak in 1987, Bangla Academy Award (for his book Biggan Somaj O Darmo) in 1982, Islamic foundation Award in 1988, Pakistan Writers guild award in 1964 etc. He was accorded a national reception in Dhaka in 1989 which was attended by eminent scholars and litterateurs of Bangladesh and India. [Mahmud, Akif, Dui Banglar Shudijoner drestite Principal Abul Kashem. Weekly Thikana, June 30, 2006]

Principal Abul Kashem died at the Suhrawardy Hospital in Dhaka, Monday, March 11, 1991.

References

External links

* [http://www.banglapedia.org/HTB/100314.htm Principal Abul Kashem at Banglapedia (Bengali)]
* [http://www.banglapedia.org/HT/Q_0013.HTM Principal Abul Kashem at Banglapedia (English)]
* [http://www.cabinet.gov.bd/view_award.php?lang=en&award_person_id=47 Principal Abul Kashem's Biography at Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh Cabinet Division Webpage (Bengali)]
* [http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-20647980_ITM Principal Abul Kashem's death anniversary news at accessmylibrary.com]
* [http://banglapedia.net/HT/L_0063.HTM History of Language Movement at Banglapedia]
* [http://www.mukto-mona.com/new_site/mukto-mona/bengali_heritage/bangla_language_movement.htm Bangla language movement]
* [http://www.bssnews.net/about_language_movement.php History of Language movement at BSS]
* [http://www.discoverybangladesh.com/history.html History of Bangladesh]
* [http://www.virtualbangladesh.com/history/ekushe.html Language movement at Virtual Bangladesh]