| Mohammad Abul Kashem | |
| Native Name: | মোহাম্মদ আবুল কাশেম |
| Native Name Lang: | bn |
| Birth Date: | 28 June 1920 |
| Birth Place: | Chittagong District, Bengal, British India |
| Death Place: | Dhaka, Bangladesh |
Mohammad Abul Kashem (known as Principal Abul Kashem, 28 June 1920 – 11 March 1991) is generally considered as a pioneer and the architect of the historic Language Movement of Bangladesh. He was also a politician, author and an eminent educationist.[1] [2] He founded the Islamic-oriented Bengali cultural organisation Tamaddun Majlish.
Kashem was born on 28 June 1920 at a village Cheebandy-Barama under Chandanaish Upazila of district of Chittagong.[3] In 1939, Kashem obtained his Matriculation Examination from Boroma Trahi Menka High School with first class and Government district scholarship. He passed Isc from Chittagong government College in 1941 with first class. From Dhaka University, he obtained a Bachelor of Science (honors) in Physics in 1944 and a Master of Science degree in physics in 1945. He completed his master's thesis under the supervision of the famous mathematician and physicist Satyendra Nath Bose.[2] [4]
Kashem was associated with the literary and cultural activities of Bangladesh for five decades. He contributed in the movement for recognition of Bengali as one of the state languages of Pakistan soon after the independence of Pakistan in 1947. On 1 September 1947 he founded the Pakistan Tamaddun Majlish as a non-political cultural organisation to mobilise students, intellectuals and the people in general for the Bengali language. On 15 September 1947 he published a booklet entitled, (Pakistan's state language: Bengali or Urdu?) demanding introduction of Bengali as one of the state language of whole Pakistan.[5] This booklet also strongly advocated for Bengali as the medium of education, court language and for its use in the offices in East Pakistan. Also his untiring efforts let to the formation of the first Rashtrabhasa Sangram Parishad (State Language Committee of Action) on 1 October 1947 with Nurul Huq Bhuiyan as the convener and he himself as the treasurer. On 6 December 1947, a meeting was held under the president-ship of Kashem in Dhaka University campus which protested the resolution of the education week held in Karachi suggesting Urdu as the state language and the lingua franca of Pakistan. A protest procession was brought out from the meeting, which met Khawaja Nazimuddin, the provincial Chief Minister, and other ministers. Khawaja Nazimuddin gave a written assurance to the Action Committee that he would do the needful to introduce Bengali as one of the state language of Pakistan. Kashem actively participated in organising a countrywide strike on 11 March 1948, to press for the language demand. As the outcome of the strike, on the eve of the impending visit of Mohammad Ali Jinnah (the founder of Pakistan) to Dhaka, the then Provincial Government had no other alternative but to sign an agreement with the action committee on 15 March 1948 for introducing Bengali as one of the state language of Pakistan.[2] [4]
Kashem began his career as a lecturer in the Physics department at Dhaka University in 1946. As a lecturer, he was the first person who delivered lectures in the Bengali at Dhaka University. He held his lecturer position until 1953.[6]
Kashem was actively associated with politics. He was co-founders of the Khilafat-e-Rabbani Party in 1952. He was a member of the provincial assembly as a United Front nominee in 1954 from the Patia-Boalkhali constituency in Chittagong. While a member of the Legislative Assembly, he moved a resolution for introduction of Bengali as the medium of education at all levels. On 30 September 1956, he proposed Bengali as the state-language and it was approved unanimously and thus, Bengali received constitutional recognition as one of the State language of Pakistan. He founded the weekly Sainik in 1948, which acted as a mouthpiece of the historic Language Movement.
He felt the need of introducing Bengali as medium of higher education in colleges and universities. With his dream, he established the Bangla College at Mirpur, Dhaka in 1962 and served the college as Principal until 1981. He was the forerunner in introducing textbooks in Bengali for higher education and contributed much in initiating the Bengali version of the question papers for higher education.[6] Kashem received a number of national and social awards, including Independence Day Award in 1993, Ekushey Padak in 1987, Bangla Academy Literary Award (for his book Biggan Somaj O Dhormo) in 1982, Islamic foundation Award in 1988, Pakistan Writers guild award in 1964 etc. He was accorded a national reception in Dhaka in 1989 which was attended by eminent scholars and litterateurs of Bangladesh and India. In 2007, Dhaka City Corporation named the former Darussalam Road of Mirpur-1 as Bhasha Sainik Principal Abul Kashem Road for his contribution to historic Language Movement.[7]
Kashem died at the Suhrawardy Hospital in Dhaka on Monday 11 March 1991.
A prolific writer, Kashem authored nearly 100 books including textbooks on science for postgraduate student and on education, Islam, culture and politics. These include 40 textbooks on physics and other science subjects for college and university levels. Some of his well-known books are:
| Islam | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Islam Ki Diyeche O Ki Dite Pare | 1952 | |
| Buje Namaz Poro | 1968 | |
| Islamer Rashtio Adorsho | 1980 | |
| Islami Manifesto | 1952 | |
| Akmatro Path | 1949 | |
| Ghoshona | 1952 | |
| Islam & Science | |||
| Oadunik Chintadhara | 1968 | |
| Biggan Bostubadh O Allahor Ostitto | 1968 | |
| Bibortonbadh Sristitotto O Allahor Ostitto | 1969 | |
| Biggan Shomaz Dhormo | 1982 | |
| Economics | |||
| Quranic Orthoniti | 1971 | |
| Pakistaner Orthoniti | 1965 | |
| International Politics | |||
| Tritio Block Andolon | 1952 | |
| History | |||
| Pakistan er Rastrobhasha Bangla Na Urdu? | 1947 | |
| Bhasha Andoloner Ithihash | 1952 | |
| Oamader Otit | 1957 | |
| Bangla College Related | |||
| Bangla Colleger Chakurir Niomaboli | 1968 | |
| Bangla College Prosonge | 1968 (2nd Edition) | |
| Bangla College Ki, Keno, Abong Kirup | 1962 | |
| Irsha Bonab Shadona | 1965 | |
| Bangla Colleger Ogrogoti O Bhobishat | 1964 | |
| Others | |||
| Oadunik Chintadhara | 1968 | |
| Boiganik Dhristite Srenisongram | 1952 | |
| Mukti kon Pothe | 1952 | |
| Islami rastroneeti | 1967 | |
| Amader Bhashar Rhup | 1962 | |
| Bnagla Procholoner Koyekti Somosha | 1967 | |
| office-Adaloter O Shikkhar Bahonrupe Bangla Procholoner Somosha | Unknown | |
| Shohoj Bangla | 1974 | |
| Ekush daffer Rupaon | 1953 | |
| Krishok Bhaiyer Jomi Chai | Unknown | |
| Sromik Bhaiyer Jomi Chai | Unknown | |
| Duti Prosno | 1955 | |
| Bhuler Punorabritti | 1953 | |
| Rastrobiggan | 1964 | |
| Songothon | 1952 | |
| Adunik Karbar Poddoti | 1966 | |
| Chatro Andolon | 1951 | |
| Probondho Monzusa | 1989 | |
| Textbooks | |||
| Ucchomaddomik Podarthika 1st part | 1964 | |
| Ucchomaddomik Podarthika 2nd part | 1964 | |
| Ucchomaddomik Laboratory Podarthika | 1964 | |
| Ucchomaddomik Rosayan, 1st part | 1965 | |
| Ucchomaddomik Rosayan, 2nd part | 1965 | |
| Ucchomaddomik Laboratory Rosayan | 1964 | |
| Ucchomaddomik Algebra | 1964 | |
| Ucchomaddomik Calculus | 1966 | |
| Ucchomaddomik Geometry | 1964 | |
| Ucchomaddomik Dynamics | 1968 | |
| Ucchomaddomik Trigonometry | 1964 | |
| Ucchomaddomik Statics | 1967 | |
| Bhiggan Prokash (for 7th and 8th grade) | 1949 | |
| Bhiggan Prokash (for 9th and 10th grade) | 1949 | |
| Maddomik Trigonometry | 1964 | |
| Degree Padarthika | 1971 | |
| Shohoj Padarthika, 1st Part | 1974 | |
| Shohoj Padarthika, 2nd part | 1974 | |
| Shohoj Rosaya, 1st part | 1962 | |
| Shohoj Rosayan, 2nd part | 1962 | |
| Laboratory Roshayan (9th and 10th grade) | 1975 | |
| Laboratory Podarthobiggan (9th and 10th grade) | 1975 | |
| Laboratory Jibobiggan (9th and 10th grade) | 1975 |
| Islam & Science | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | |
| Unknown | |
| Textbooks | ||
| 1970 | |
| 1955 | |
| 1955, 6th Edition 1966 | |
| 1956, 6th Edition 1966 | |
| 1955 | |
| 1955 | |
| 3rd Edition 1970 |