Abul Kalam Shamsuddin (3 November 18974 March 1978) was a journalist, politician and littérateur. He was born at
Trishal
Trishal ( bn, ত্রিশাল) is an upazila of Mymensingh District in the Division of Mymensingh, Bangladesh. The famous Bengali poet Kazi Nazrul Islam attended a school here.
Demographics
According to the 2011 Bangladesh census, Trishal ...
of
Mymensingh
Mymensingh ( bn, ময়মনসিংহ) is the capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center and educational hub of north ...
.
Early life
Shamsuddin passed HSC from
Dhaka College
Dhaka College ( bn, ঢাকা কলেজ also known as DC) is the oldest secular educational institution of Bangladesh located in Dhaka. It offers higher secondary education ( HSC). It has Honours and Masters programs as well which are aff ...
Surendranath College
Surendranath College is an undergraduate college affiliated to the University of Calcutta, in Kolkata, India. It was founded in 1884 by the nationalist leader and scholar Surendranath Banerjee.
The Women's section of the college was founded ...
) of Kolkata to gain higher studies. In 1921 he took the Upadhi examination from Gudiya Suvama Vidyayatan. He participated in
Khilafat
A caliphate or khilāfah ( ar, خِلَافَة, ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with the title of caliph (; ar, خَلِيفَة , ), a person considered a political-religious successor to th ...
and
Non-Cooperation Movement
The Non-cooperation movement was a political campaign launched on 4 September 1920, by Mahatma Gandhi to have Indians revoke their cooperation from the British government, with the aim of persuading them to grant self-governance.
as a student.
Journalism
In 1922, Shamsuddin joined the daily '' Mohammadi'' as assistant editor. He also edited the weekly ''Moslem Jagat'', '' The Musalman'', the ''Daily Soltan'', the weekly ''Mohammadi'' and ''Mashik Mohammadi''. He joined the daily newspaper called ''
The Azad
''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' in 1936. He worked as the editor of the daily from 1940 to 1962. He also was the editor of ''
Daily Pakistan
The ''Daily Pakistan'' ( ur, ) is a daily newspaper in Pakistan, published both in Urdu language and in English. Mujeeb-ur-Rehman Shami is its chief editor.
Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...
. He was inspired by
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
and joined the
Indian National Congress
The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British Em ...
. In 1927 he joined the
Muslim League Muslim League may refer to:
Political parties Subcontinent
; British India
*All-India Muslim League, Mohammed Ali Jinah, led the demand for the partition of India resulting in the creation of Pakistan.
**Punjab Muslim League, a branch of the organ ...
. He also took part in the
Pakistan Movement
The Pakistan Movement ( ur, , translit=Teḥrīk-e-Pākistān) was a political movement in the first half of the 20th century that aimed for the creation of Pakistan from the Muslim-majority areas of British India. It was connected to the pe ...
after becoming the president of East Pakistan Renaissance Society. He also was the chairman of the Reception Committee of the Renaissance Society Summit at Kolkata in 1944. In 1946 he was elected to the Central Legislative Council. Shamsuddin became a member of Language Committee of East Pakistan Government in 1949.
Involvement in Language Movement
Shamsuddin played an important role during the Language Movement. At that time he was the editor of the leading daily ''The Azad'' which supplied true news about the movement. On 22 February 1952 he resigned from the East Bengal Legislative Assembly to protest the police firing of the previous day. Azad also published a special evening edition on that day. According to him the editorial that he wrote to criticize the police firing created massive excitement among the youths.
Literatures
Shamsuddin wrote a number of books. He along with some other writer formed a domestic literature society named Raonok. Shamsuddin was the secretary of this 21 member society of Islamist writers.Rahman, Saeed-ur. Purbo-Banglar Shangskritik Andolon. pp.37-38 Amongst them his autobiography Atit Jiboner Smriti is considered as his masterpiece. His other works are:
*''Podojomi Ba Anabadi Jami'' (1938)
*''Trisrota'' (1939)
*''Kharataranga'' (1953)
*''Drishtikon'' (1961)
*''Natun Chin Natun Desh'' (1965)
*''Digvijayi Taimur'' (1965),
*''Iliad'' (1967),
*''Palashi Theke Pakistan'' (1968),
*''Atit Diner Smriti'' (1968)
Awards
Shamsuddin was awarded a number of awards in Pakistan and Bangladesh. In Pakistan he was awarded the Sitara-i-Khidmat in 1961 and
Sitara-i-Imtiaz
The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the ...
in 1967. In 1969 during the revolution of people he protested against the government and refused his awards for the cause. He received the
Bangla Academy Literary Award
The Bangla Academy Literary Award ( bn, বাংলা একাডেমি সাহিত্য পুরস্কার; ''Bangla Academy Shahitya Puroshkar''), is given by the Bangla Academy of Bangladesh in recognition of creative genius i ...
in 1970. After the independence of Bangladesh, he was honored with the Bangladesh's highest honour
Ekushey Padak
Ekushey Padak ( bn, একুশে পদক; lit. "Twentyfirst Award") is the second highest civilian award in Bangladesh, introduced in memory of the martyrs of the Bengali Language Movement of 1952. The award is given to recognize contribut ...