Syed Sajjad Hussain


Syed Sajjad Hussain was a Bangladeshi academic and writer. He served as the 4th Vice-chancellor of the University of Rajshahi.

Early life and education

Hussain was born in Alokdia village in Magura District in 1920. He earned his master's in English from the University of Dhaka in 1942. He obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Nottingham in 1952.

Career

Hussain debuted his teaching career at Calcutta Islamic College in 1944. He was a professor at Department of English of the University of Dhaka during 1948–1969. He was then appointed the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Rajshahi in 1969.
Hussain worked as a professor of English at Umm al-Qura University in Mecca, Saudia Arabia during 1975–1985. He moved back to Bangladesh in the late 1980s and lived in Dhaka until his death.

Controversy

Hussain took stance against the separation of East Pakistan as an independent country during the Bangladesh Liberation War. In March 1971, the then Vice-chancellor of the University of Dhaka, Justice Abu Sayed Chowdhury resigned from the post protesting the killing of two students by Pakistani Army. Pakistani Government immediately put Hussain in the vacant position. He was imprisoned after the independence of Bangladesh. While in prison, he wrote his memoir which was later published in 1995 titled "The Wastes of Time: Reflections on the Decline and Fall of East Pakistan". On his release, he moved to England.

Works