Meerza Delawar Hosaen Ahmed was the first Muslim graduate from the University of Kolkata. He is believed to the first Muslim graduate in India. He served as a civil servant and was awarded the title of Khan Bahadur. He was known for his progressive outlook and support for intellectual and cultural awakening of Bengali Muslims.

Early life

Ahmed was born in 1840 in Baubnam in Pargana Arshah, Hooghly district,

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William and later Bengal Province, was a subdivision of the British Empire in India. At the height of its territorial jurisdiction, it covered large parts of what is now South Asia and ...

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. He graduated from the University of Kolkata, the first Muslim graduate of the college.

Career

Ahmed joined the Indian Civil Service. He retired from the service with the rank of deputy magistrate in 1894. He was loyal to the British crown and was an advocate of British rule in India. He was given by the title of Khan Bahadur after retiring. After retiring, Ahmed wrote in ''

The Moslem Chronicle ''The Moslem Chronicle'' was a short lived weekly English language newspaper in the late 19th century published from Kolkata. The newspaper represented the views of a Europeanised Muslim Bengali community. History ''The Moslem Chronicle'' started ...

'', a progressive English-language weekly. He also wrote for The Mussalman. He wrote in the English language and avoided writing in his native Bengali. He published ''Essays on Mohmmedan Social Reform'', a two volume book, by Thacker Spink and Co from Calcutta in 1889.

Death

Ahmed died in 1913.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmed 1840 deaths 1913 deaths People from Hooghly district University of Calcutta alumni