M Harunur Rashid


M Harunur Rashid is a distinguished teacher of English literature and language, a notable educational administrator, editor and translator of modern poetry and prose, in Bangladesh, a noted writer of Sufism and Sufi literature and a commentator of social, political, cultural scene and literary texts.

Early life and education

Rashid was born in Tinsukia, Assam in British India on 28 December 1939.
On the eve of the Second World War, his father late Rahimuddin Ahmed, an employee of the Assam Bengal Railway was transferred to Chittagong. He spent his early childhood in the idyllic environment of the Pahartali and Chittagong hills. When the Japanese bombed Chittagong, his father sent them to his village home in Nabinagar, Brahmanbaria. His village home at Meratali stands on the river Titas and his stay in pastoral surrounding nourished his sensibilities. His early education started with his mother, Salema Khatoon, who was the only literate woman in the village. Later a Maulana was hired for the village boys and he always remembers him with profound love and respect.
His family moved to Pahartali and he read in the Pahartali Railway High School in 1947.
Next year the family moved to Chittagong and he got himself admitted to Chittagong Collegiate School.
Here he read up to class nine and on his father's retirement moved to Brahmanbaria town. He passed his matriculation examination from Annada Model High School in 1955. He got himself admitted to Brahmanbaria College, and passed his Intermediate in Arts examination under Dhaka University standing 5th in the merit list.
He did his BA honours and MA from Dhaka University. He later went to University of Cambridge, UK and obtained his B A honours and M A. In the mid-seventies he went to the East West Centre, Hawaii and did his ESOL training which included a visit to the mainland to see some of the important language schools in the States.

Professional career

He started his teaching career as a lecturer at Brahmanbaria College in late 1961. He joined EPJES on 4 February 1962 and started teaching at Islamic Intermediate College. He obtained a government scholarship and proceeded to Cambridge for higher studies. He did his Tripos in English and obtained a B A with honours in 1966. On his return, he was appointed a lecturer at Dhaka College. He was promoted to assistant professor on 6 May 1968. He joined Jinnah College and taught there until his selection as a member of the East Pakistan Senior Education Service. He joined M C College, Sylhet as an associate professor on 3 July 1972. He then resigned his government service and joined Chittagong University as an associate professor on 2 October 1973. He was made a professor of English on 24 July 1981. He taught at the University of Anaba, Algeria between 1979 and 1980. He resigned his job at the Chittagong University on 14 May 1985 and joined Jahangirnagar University, on the following day.
During the interregnum of Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed he was appointed Director General of Bangla Academy on 7 February 1991. After a stint of four years he went back to Jahangirnagar University. He went on voluntary retirement in 1998. He took a break from teaching and became the chief editor of Dhaka Courier, a national English-language newsweekly. But his journalistic career was short-lived and he joined North South University as an adjunct professor of English. He taught there for 8 years and terminated his contract in December 2008. He then joined Darul Ihsan University as an adviser and professor of English. He taught at International Islamic University Chittagong at its Dhaka branch until 28 February 2015.

Personal life

Rashid married his cousin Murshida Begum when he was 24. He had two sons and a daughter by her. Murshida died of cancer in 1985. He married Shireen Yasmin Khan in the following year. He has no children by her.

Bangla Academy

His appointment as the director general of the Bangla Academy is a landmark in his career as an educational administrator. This was a challenge which he took with great zeal. At the universities he proved his merit as the provosts of A F Rahman Hall, CU, Shahjalal Hall CU and M H Hall, JU. But Bangla Academy was a vast field for creative activities of national interest. He insisted on its research activities – chiefly the dictionaries which needed editing and branding. He published the Bangla Academy English–Bengali Dictionary and devised such marketing policies as made it an instant best seller. The cover design was made by artist and painter Qayyum Chowdhury and all the dictionaries had the same design with change of colour. He commissioned three dictionaries during his tenure and published them. He himself edited one pocket dictionary. The other thing he emphasized was the publication of complete works of literary celebrities including Dr Muhammad Shahidullah, Kaykobad, Farrukh Ahmed and most importantly the complete works of Kazi Nazrul Islam,. During his time, Ananda literary Award was given to Bangla Academy which the Council of the Academy politely refused. The Bangla Academy Press bought two brand new Heidelberg Printing machines and it was during his tenure that the Press employees came under govt. pension scheme. A new project for young writers ‘Tarun Lekhak Prakalpo’ was started during his tenure.

President of autonomous bodies and NGO

He was elected the president of World University Service International, Geneva in 1984 at the General Assembly held in Nantes, France. Only two South Asian personalities held this post before him – Dr Zakir Husain, former President of India and Dr I H Qureshi, education minister of Pakistan. He led the delegation of the WUS to the 42nd session of the United Nations Human Rights Commission.
He was elected president of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh in 1998 for two years. In February 2007, he was made the president of Bangla Academy for two years. He was unanimously elected Chairman of on 5 August 2015.

Visiting countries on Government invitation

He was invited by the US government to visit some North American universities under the International Visitor's Programme in 1988. When he was president Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran invited him and two of his colleagues to visit the Encyclopedia programmes of the country in 1999.

Important seminars attended and lectures delivered

A significant event in his life was his meeting a Sufi saint, Syed Rashid Ahmed Jaunpuri, a grandson of Shah Karamat Ali Jaunpuri, who preached Islam in Bengal and Assam in the 19th century. He accepted him as his Guru and followed him taking notes of his lectures. He learnt the principles of Sufism sitting at his feet and practiced the basics of Ma'refat without which, the Guru emphasized, Islam could not be seen its wholeness, beauty and excellence. Later the notes came in handy in writing about his teachings. He wrote a total of five books on his lectures which were published during his lifetime. He was with him for 13 years until his passing away in 2001. He published his collected lectures under the title Sanglap Samagra. Nearly 12 years after his Shaykh's death he published a magnum opus Syed Rashid Ahmed Jaunpuri Smarak Grantha

Works

Rashid's contribution is primarily on literature, specially on poetry, translation and also on sufism.
;As Author
;Books dedicated to him