Abdur Rouf Choudhury

Abdur Rouf Choudhury (1929-1996) was a Bengali writer

Choudhury was born on 1 March, 1929, in Habiganj District, Bangladesh (then part of Assam) where his father Azhar Choudhury, a land owner, and his mother Nazmun Nesa Choudhury, a house wife resided.

Contributions

In his contributions to Bengali literature, the writer and philosopher Choudhury depicted a transparent portrait of modern Bangladeshi’s life in abroad. He was a scholar of science, with great intellectual abilities and eloquent of both pen and speech. He had a remarkable openness to modern Western knowledge as well as Eastern knowledge. Choudhury made a lasting contribution to Bengali literature with his novels, travelogue, essays and his introspective autobiographical and epistolary works.

His novels and short stories were often set against an emergent urban background, but more commonly in cities outside Bangladesh such as London, Bedford, Calcutta, Karachi and Kohat; where the majority of immigrant Bangladeshis resided. Choudhury created his characters from highly diverse backgrounds and developed themes that revolved around the twists and turns of events, the conflicts and contradictions prevailing in the social processes. His characters embraced a new change; death of an old social values which were based on the ideas of corruptions, religious, political, economical; and the rise of the self-freedom, birth of a new society, these immediately preceded the social processes of the present day and hence are vital to identifying and understanding contemporary problems.

It is essential to analyses Choudhury’s writings in the light of the social scenario from 60s-90s, when deprivation and degradation were taken for granted in Bangladesh, London and India-Pakistan which were known by some and unknown by others. These realities some times were dedicated and made indelible in the name of religious sermons and social sanctions. Thus his main task was to focus readers' attention, by giving a frame-by-frame picture of the helplessness and inhuman predicament of the victims of injustice. In Porodeshe Porobashi (Life on Distant Shores) Abdur Rouf Chowdhury has not only discovered London, where he stayed with fellow Sylhetis, but also discovered his own homeland. When you are for away, when you are detached from your object of love, your inner eye gets working and you discovery the truth. This discovery is ugly from a close look but is beautiful and lovable when seen from a distance. Most of us who stay in our homeland fail to take a close look at it. But the novelist succeeds in discovering his own land while staying overseas and thinking of it and loving it. Reality and nostalgia get mixed with each other to form a perfect image of the writer's homeland in his mind. Porodeshe Porobashi is a quality work of art by any standard. The writer is a powerful narrator and uses wit and humour quite deftly. He is a skilful user of words. The writer depends on autobiographical elements and has a philosophical outlook. He clearly understood the psyche of Bangladeshis staying abroad. He dips deep into the human mind, as he has written elsewhere about the book, the writer mixes reality with the light and shade of truth. Thus it is a true picture of common life. It is lively and hat at all dull, neither a travelogue nor a memoir, it is a novel with lively characters, a touching story of human suffering and a story of the eternal lonely man. The wide canvas of words and tales of this artist brought out the plight of women in the male-dominated set-up of society. Over and above the Islamic-based code of beliefs of the society; male-domination society pushed woman into complete subjugation, making them property for the use of men, because of such a 'life-style's set-up, economical and social oppression was principally faced by women. This drove women to utter frustration and desperation. Choudhury portrayed women, their plight, and their helplessness in the face of this male-dominated society. On the other hand, he wrote about their sense of humanitarian values, their love, sorrows, their deep longing for a life as normal and beautiful as free women. In the wake of the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, which surged up all over Bangladesh , was recounted in his writing Ekti Jatike Hotay (Legacy of a Nation). Abdur Rouf Choudhury believed that in today’s world men no longer wanted to keep themselves constricted within the sphere of a specified duty. In Choudhury’s time, in a modern society with priest as its advocate and protector, religion lost all its progressivism. It went so far that religion became bogged down in rituals, superstitions and bigotry, while its proponents stank of greed, corruption, even debauchery: even the so-called mullahs could not keep themselves free from this downfall. Almost half the characters in his novels Sampan Crass (St. Pancras) and Aniketon represented the mainstay of the decadent society, while the other half, were absorbed with the emerging thoughts, ideals and values of the new society - humanist and secular in content. Choudhury’s most vividly depicted the unity of Bengal and the articulation of Bengali nationalism in his novel Natun Diganta (New Horizon) vol. 1, 2, 3. Reason and humanity - these are its two eternal pillars. The essence of Choudhury’s thought is a complete faith in the efficiency of these two immeasurable forces. Its most striking characteristic is its insistent association of work, precept and practice. It appeals not to controversial tests, not to any appearance of sweet reasonableness but to trials in the rough and tumble of life, and it will accept no other judgment. Natun Diganta gives warning against: 1) dogma, mysticism, ceremonial, hypnotism, the binding of the mind and will by oaths, and other inventions of external authority in religion and politics, 2) participation in violence, individual or social, and organisation’s dependence on violence, 3) exploitation, luxury and material property, 4) self-degradation and 5) devotion to self-sacrifice. In Choudhury’s short-stories the write portrays the changes of village life brought by the time. He is very much in love with his motherland, the rivers and paddy fields. He portrays the London life of people from Sylhet quite faithfully and in great detail. Researchers will find his works useful in the future. Abdur Rouf Choudhury handles a lot of characters and a wide range of time. Most of the writings are perfect picture of our society, and it has a lovely appearance also. In some of his short stories the writer gives a lot of importance to the physical state of human existence, society should get rid of its negative forces, and build strength on human body and its soul, both of which are deeply linked, and hence both are very important for human beings. He was an understanding revolutionary in his own right, ploughing alone a firm held furrow. He carried on his revolution through revealing revelations of all surviving social practices and norms. Unlike many others of his stature, Choudhury as a man, towers far above Choudhury as a writer, though he carved out a place for himself amongst the galaxy of contemporary novelists.

Works

Novels
* Nuton Diganta (New Horizon), vol 1, 1992.
* Shampan Cross (St. Pancras), 1993.
* Nuton Diganta (New Horizon), vol 2, 1994.
* Porodeshe Porpashi (Life on Distant Shores), Dhaka 2003.
* Nuton Diganta Samagra (New Horizon), Vol 1, 2, 3, Dhaka , 2005.
* Aniketan, Dhaka 2007.
* Nam Mucha Jai Na, Dhaka , 1989.

A Collection of Short-Stories
* Golpo-samvar, Vol.1, Dhaka, 1995.
* Bideshi Bristi, Vol.2, Dhaka, 2001.
* Golpa-salpa, Vol.3, Dhaka, 2005.

Essays
* Ekti Jatike Hotay, Dhaka, 2003.
* Rabindra and Nazrul, Dhaka, 2000.
* Nazruler Sangeet Jagat, Dhaka, 2000.
* Rabindrer Sangeet Jagat, Dhaka, 2000.
* Joge Joge Bangladesh (History of Bengal), Dhaka , 2003.
* Mohan Ekushe, Dhaka, 2008.
* Islamer Nabi, Dhaka, 1990.
* Bible and Mohammed, Dhaka , 1991.
* Dhormer Nirjash (Final words on Religion), Dhaka , 2000.
* Mohammed (Prophet of Islam), Dhaka, 2004.
* Je Kotha Bola Jai Na, Dhaka, 2007.

A Collection of poem
* 1971, London 1971.

Chronology

*1934, entered 'Khanjanpur' Primary School.
*1936, entered 'Sherpur' English School at class three.
*1938, entered 'Shadhuhati' Middle English School and in 1939 sat for M.E. final exam and received first division.
*1940, completed F.E final and received first division.
*Mid 1943, his father Azhar Choudhury died.
*Late 1943, entered 'Habiganj Brindabon' College. Completed his IA in 1945 and BA in 1947.
*Late 1947, left college to work in Silchor. Started work in a shop as a bookkeeper.
*1948, left Silchor and started teaching at 'Aaushkandi' High School.
*1949, joined Pakistan Air Force.
*1950, sent to Kawrangi Creek for one year further training.
*1951, got married to Shirin Choudhury.
*1955-56, was an external candidate of University of Dhaka, reg no P-64.
*End of 1956, went for a journey by ship with his wife to Calcutta, Colombo and Karachi. Later moved to Kuhat with his wife.
*1961, applied to come to Great Britain for Further Training as a Pakistan Air Force's Serviceman.
*1962, first came to Bedford to work for Royal Aircraft Establishment, Ministry of Aviation.
*1963, founded the Bedford Pakistan Association and became the General Secretary. Started writing 'A name cannot be deleted', a research book to combat non-Muslims misinterpretation of Islam.
*1964, became the member of Bedford constituency Labour Party. Started writing 'Bible and Mohammed', another research book to combat non-Muslims misinterpretation of Islam.
*1965, started making regular donations to Pakistan Relief Fund. Started writing 'Final words on Religion', another research book to combat Muslims misinterpretation of Islam.
*1966, became a member of the Election Commission of the National Federation of Pakistan Association of Great Britain. Left Ministry of Aviation and returned to Bangladesh.
*1968, started writing on reform policy of the Madrassaha Education of Pakistan. The President of Pakistan appreciated Choudhury’s reform policy and wrote '...attempts are being made to reform Madrassaha education...the process of the change has to be gradual' [a letter written to Pakistan's Education Minister, 1968] . Returned to England and joined Illist Automation, St Albans. Lived there for several years. Founded St Albans Pakistan Association, and was the first President of the Association. Started writing 'Jesus', a research book.
*1971, founded the Bangladesh Action Committee, St Albans, and sent regular donations to Bangladesh Aid Committee and the Bangladesh Fund. He received much correspondence from the Head of the Mission of the People’s republic of Bangladesh (Calcutta and London), and the High Commissioner (Calcutta), Shirley Williams MP, Nigel Fisher MC MP, Mervyn Pike MP, Victor Goodhew MP, Peter Shore MP and many others.
*1971, joined 'Janomot', a Bengali Newspaper, as a regular columnist and expressed his own frustration in written outbursts against the Pakistan's attack on Bangladesh. These writings were later incorporated in his book 'Blood Legacy of a Nation'.
*1972, 18 February, received a letter from the Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman after returning to Bangladesh.
*1972, visited Moscow. Started writing essays on conflicts and contradictions prevailing in the social processes of the Bengali society. Later a few of these have been included in the collection of eassys.
*1972, joined The Post Office and moved to London.
*1974, founded Mukimpur Primary School.
*1979, started writing his autobiography, 'My life'. End of the same year he lost his mother Nazmun Nesa Choudhury.
*1983, Shirin Choudhury moved to Britain with their third and fourth children. Started rewriting 'New Horizon', his first novel.
*1987, founded the King’s Cross Mosque and Islamic Centre and became the Chair. Started writing 'St Pancras', his second novel.
*1988, started translating 'Prophet of Islam' by K S R Rao.
*1989, retired from The Post Office and returned with his wife to Bangladesh.
*1989-1996, wrote and published many of his work.
*1990, founded Habiganj Islamic Orphans School and became Treasurer of Islamic Foundation, Habiganj.
*1993, received Life Membership of Bangla Academy, Dhaka.
*1993, founder and Vice President of Habiganj Shahitya Parishod. Patron of Khela Ghor, Payra, Shet Payra, Shurja Shiri, Pithua Girls' School and Mukimpur Madrasha.
*1994, founder and President of literary society 'Sangjojan', Habiganj.
*1995, received Book Award.
*1996, 23 February collapsed at the Literary Society's lecture, died at Red Cross Building, Habiganj at 11.30am.

Rouf Award

Following Bengali writers and free-thinkers received Drouhee Kotha-shahitayk Abdur Rouf Choudhury Award:
* Partho Sharati Choudhury (Poet)
* Shamshuzaman Khan (Folklorist)
* Razia Khan (Novelist)
* Shirajul Islam Choudhury (Free-thinker)
* Shah Abdul Karim (Baul)
* Hasan Azizul Huq (Writer)
* Barun Ray (Free-thinker)

References

* Abdul Mannan Syed, New Horizon: A new direction for Bengali novels, 2004.
* Biplob Maji, A new style for the world of Bengali novels, Amritalok:106, 2006.
* Ketoki Dyson, Life on Distant Shores by A R Choudhury, Feb 2005.
* Syed Mojurul Islam, New Horizan for Bengali, Feb 2005.
* Shirajul Islam Choudhury, A R Choudhury's works, 2001.
* Hasan Azizul Huq, A free-thinker, 2003.
* Selina Hussain, Women in Choudhury's writings, 1997.
* Shamshuzaman Khan, Folk culture in Choudhury's works, 1998.
* Jibani Granthamala: A Series of Literary biographies, Bangla Academy, Dhaka, Feb 1991.
* Biletey Bish Shotoker Bangla Kobi,Rabbani Choudhury, Agamee Prakashani, Dhaka, Feb 2000.
* Silver Jubilee Commemorative Volume of Bangladesh Independence, The Committee to Celebrate the Silver Jubilee of Bangladesh Independence, London, 1997.
* Brihattar Syleter Itihas (History of Greater Sylhet) Vol.1, Brihattar Sylheter Itihas Pranayan Parished, November 1997.
* Shoto Bochorer Sangbadikota, Sylhet Itihas Pranayan Parished, Jan 1998.
* Habiganj Porikroma, Habiganj Etihash Pronoyan Parished, Bangladesh, October 1994.
* Protayo, Shahitya Porishad, 1993.
* Habiganj-er Muslim Manosh, Habiganj.
* Habiganj-er Shahitoyang, Nandalal Sharma, Jhalabad Lokashahitya Porishad, Bangladesh, December 1992.
* Aajo Onek Rohoshya, London, 1997.
* Sharak 1 (Dhaka, 1997), Sharak 2 (Dhaka, 1998), Sharak 3, (Dhaka, 1999).