Anisuzzaman

Early life and education

Abu Tayyab Muhammad Anisuzzaman was born on 18 February 1937 to a Bengali family of Muslim Sheikhs in Basirhat, 24 Parganas, Bengal Presidency. Along with his family, he moved to Khulna after the 1947 partition. After about a year they moved to Dhaka. His father, ATM Moazzem, was a homeopathy practitioner and his grandfather, Sheikh Abdur Rahim, was a journalist and writer. His first piece of writing, a story, was published in Nowbahar, a literary magazine, in 1950. He completed his HSC at Jagannath College. He obtained his bachelor's in 1956 and his master's in 1957 in Bengali from the University of Dhaka. At the university, he worked with Muhammad Shahidullah, Muhammad Abdul Hye and Munier Chowdhury. He completed his Ph.D. in 1962 at the age of 25 at the same university. He was a post-doctoral fellow at the University of Chicago during 1964–65 and a Commonwealth Academic Staff fellow at the University of London (1974–75).

Career

Anisuzzaman served as a faculty member at the University of Dhaka during 1959–69, 1985–2003 and 2005–08. He taught Bengali at the University of Chittagong during 1969–85. From 1978 to 1983, he was associated with research projects at the United Nations University. He was a visiting fellow at the University of Paris (1994), North Carolina State University (1995) and the University of Calcutta (2010), and a visiting professor at the Visva-Bharati (2008–09, 2011).

Anisuzzaman was a member of the Planning Commission of the Government of Bangladesh during the Bangladesh liberation war and a member of the National Education Commission set up by the government after liberation. He was responsible for the Bengali language part of the Constitution of Bangladesh adopted in November 1972. He served as Chairman of the Trustee Board of the Nazrul Institute and has been the president of the Bangla Academy since 2011.

Activism

Anisuzzaman took part in the Language Movement (1952), participated in the Mass Uprising (1969), took part in the War of Liberation (1971) and was the secretary of the Bangladesh Teachers' Association in 1971. He was involved in the anti-autocracy movement (1990).

In 2015, Anisuzzaman received death threats from Islamic extremists.

Literary works

• Muslim Manos O Bangla Sahitya (1964)
• Munir Chowdhury (1975)
• Swaruper Sandhane (1976)
• Adharo Sotoker Bangla Cithi (1983)
• Purono Bangla Gadya (1984)
• Aamar Ekattor (1997)
• Muktijudho Ebong Tarpor (1998)
• Aamar Chokh (1999)
• Bangali Nari : Sahittye o Somaje (2000)
• Kaal Nirobodhi (2003)
• Factory correspondence and other Bengali Documents in the India office Library and Records (1981)
• Creativity, Identity and Reality (1991)
• Cultural Pluralism (1993)
• Identity, Religion and Recent history (1995)

Awards

• Bangla Academy Literary Award for research (1970)
• Ekushey Padak, an award given by the State, for his contribution to education (1985)
• Ananda Puraskar for publishing a series of 14 cassettes titled Oitijjher Ongikar (1994)
• Honorary D.Lit, Rabindra Bharati University, Calcutta (2005)
• Sarojini Basu Award, University of Calcutta (2008)
• Pandit Iswarchandra Vidyasagar Gold Plaque, Asiatic Society of Kolkata (2011)
• Padma Bhushan, on contribution of literature and education (2014)
• Independence Day Award for literature in 2015 by the Government of Bangladesh
• Nilkanta Sarkar Gold Medal, University of Dhaka
• Dawood Prize for literature, Pakistan Writers' Guild
• Star Lifetime Award (2016)
• Ananda Puraskar for his autobiography Bipula Prithibi (The Vast World) (2017)
• Jagattarini Medal, The University of Calcutta
• Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah Gold Medal 2018
• SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Literature Award 2019

Personal life

Anisuzzaman was married to Siddiqua Zaman. He was an secular humanist, having lost faith in organised religion during his youth.

Death

Anisuzzaman died from multi organ failure at Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka on 14 May 2020. He was admitted to Universal Medical College Hospital after falling sick about three weeks prior to his death. Later he was shifted to CMH as his condition was not improving. Sample was collected for COVID-19 test after his death and it came positive. He is buried at Azimpur Graveyard in Dhaka in line with the guidelines for the burial of COVID-19 patients during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh.

References

References

1. (2017-02-18). "Prof Anisuzzaman a lighthouse". The Daily Star.
2. (2012-02-19). "Dr Anisuzzaman honoured on his 75th birth anniversary". Priyo.
3. (2018-06-20). "3 educationists become national professors". The Daily Star.
4. (2020-01-28). "Anisuzzaman made Bangla Academy president for 4th time".
5. (2020-06-29). "Shamsuzzaman Khan becomes Bangla Academy president". New Age.
6. link
7. {{cite Banglapedia. Ahmed, Sabbir
8. (2014-02-14). "The Pundit's Tale". The Daily Star.
9. (2017-11-13). "Professor Anisuzzaman: The man and the academic". The Daily Star.
10. (2017-02-21). "Professor Anisuzzaman, language and Bangladesh Constitution". The Daily Star.
11. (2015-11-11). "Anisuzzaman threatened with death". The Daily Star.
12. "President – Banglaacademy".
13. (2014-12-15). "Anisuzzaman's Autobiography: Kaal Nirobodhi and Amar Ekattor". The Daily Star.
14. Majumdar, Pinaki. (28 December 2004). "Tie-up Boost to Bangla Literature". ABP Limited.
15. (2008-09-24). "Sarojini Basu Award for Prof Anisuzzaman". The Daily Star.
16. (2011-05-04). "Dr Anisuzzaman honoured". The Daily Star.
17. "Full List of Padma Awards".
18. (2015-03-25). "7 get Independence Award 2015". The Daily Star.
19. (2016-02-05). "Prof. Anisuzzaman". The Daily Star.
20. (2017-04-30). "Literature can lead the way". The Daily Star.
21. (2018-01-12). "Prof Anisuzzaman bestowed with Jagattarini Medal". The Daily Star.
22. (1 December 2019). "Prof Anisuzzaman awarded Ahsanullah Gold Medal". The Daily Star.
23. (6 May 2019). "Prof Anisuzzaman gets SAARC Literature Award 2019". New Age.
24. (2003). "Kal Nirobodhi". Sahitya Prakash.
25. (2020-05-14). "National Professor Anisuzzaman no more; test result shows he was Covid-19 positive". [[The Daily Star (Bangladesh).
26. "Prof Anisuzzaman had COVID-19, son says as test result comes after death". bdnews24.com.
27. (2020-05-15). "National Professor Anisuzzaman buried at Azimpur graveyard". bdnews24.com.