Friday 29th of March 2024
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   Op-ed
Nawab Sir Salimullah: A Life, A History
  Date : 29-03-2024
M. Golam Mostafa Bhuiyan: Nawab Sir Salimullah, a brilliant figure in our history, a pioneer and shining star in the struggle for the independence of the subcontinent and the establishment of the rights of the backward Muslims. He was a Muslim nationalist leader, politician, educator and social worker. Although nowadays we don`t want to remember his name anymore. Why nowadays we want to forget or erase the achievements of many. As a result, Nawab Sir Salimullah seems to be leaving behind a lot. Education, society, public welfare work and various cultural thoughts and activities in this region were an essential part of the life of Nawab Sir Salimullah. As a result of his patronage, from the late nineteenth century to almost a decade and a half of the twentieth century, the Nawab`s house in Shahbag became not only a political or social workplace, but also a center of drama, music, painting, sports and major cultural activities of the country. Nawab Sir Salimullah was the one who took the helm of leadership at the beginning of the twentieth century in realizing the rights and interests of the people of East Bengal. Who was born on 7 June 1871. His father was Nawab Sir Ahsanullah (1847-1901) and his grandfather was Nawab Sir Abdul Gani (1813-1898). As a zamindar family, the name of this family of East Bengal was prominent. After the death of Nawab Ahsanullah, son of Nawab Abdul Gani of Dhaka, his eldest son Khwaja Salimullah, 30, succeeded him as Nawab. This pragmatic young Nawab rightly realized that economic and social emancipation would not come if the backward and poor Muslims of East Bengal could not be educated. His first step as the Nawab of Dhaka was to establish night schools in the mahallas. This shows how much he was focused on spreading education. Nawab Sir Salimullah got involved in politics in 1903-04 while giving his opinion on the plan of partition of Bengal by the British government. He held a meeting with the Hindu-Muslim leaders of East Bengal at Ahsan Manzil on 11 January 1904 and opposed some aspects of the government`s plan for the partition of Bengal. He also proposed an alternative to form a larger province with Dhaka as its capital for the convenience of the people of East Bengal. Viceroy Lord Curzon visited East Bengal and received Nawab Salimullah in Dhaka on 18-19 February 1904. As a result of the discussion between them at that time, some changes came in the plan of Bengal division. After the partition of Bengal on 16 October 1905, Dhaka became the capital of the new provinces of East Bengal and Assam. He played an important role in organizing public opinion in favor of maintaining the partition of Bengal in the face of opposition from the Congress. On the day of the establishment of the new province, a meeting of the leading Muslims of East Bengal was held at Northbrook Hall in Dhaka under his chairmanship. From this meeting a political association called ‘Mohammedan Provincial Union’ was formed. At that time this association served as an important political platform for Bengali Muslims. Sir Salimullah and his associates held meetings in different Mofasbal towns of the country and created public opinion in favor of the new province. On the other hand, it formed a movement against the Congress. In 1906, Sir Salimullah formed the `East Bengal and Assam Provincial Education Committee`. He was elected its president at the first session of the association held at Shahbagh in Dhaka on 14 and 15 April of the same year. In 1906, Sir Salimullah planned to form an all-India political party called the Muslim All India Confederacy. His plan was sent to various leaders and associations of the subcontinent for consideration and was published in newspapers. On the other hand, at the request of the leaders associated with the Aligarh movement, he arranged for the 20th session of the All India Mohammedan Educational Conference to be held in Dhaka at his own expense. From 26 to 30 December 1908, more than two thousand dignitaries, including all-India Muslim leaders, joined the Nawab`s family garden at Shahbag. On the last day of the session, the All India Muslim League was formed on 30 December at the suggestion of Nawab Salimullah. He was nominated its vice-president and a member of the constitution-making committee. In 1906 Nawab Salimullah held public meetings in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Chittagong, Mymensingh, Pabna, Comilla and other places to establish branches of the organization. Such a meeting at Comilla on 4 March 1906 was obstructed by the opponents of the Partition of Bengal, but Nawab Salimullah continued his activities. In the same year, the All Bengal Muslim League was formed at a meeting of the Muslim leaders of both Bengals in Calcutta and he was nominated its president. In June 1906, he formed the East Bengal and Assam Provincial Muslim League and became its secretary. On 22 December of the same year, the 22nd meeting of the All India Muslim Education Society was held in Amritsar under the chairmanship of Nawab Salimullah. At a meeting of the All India Muslim League held there on December 30-31, he demanded separate elections for Muslims and called on those concerned to allow political dialogue in educational institutions. In order to maintain good relations between Hindus and Muslims in the new province, he formed the `Imperial League of Eastern Bengal and Assam` on 21 March 1909 with wealthy and influential people from both the communities. In the same year he reorganized the Provincial Muslim League and became its president.
 
On 2 March 1912, a meeting of the Muslim leaders of United Bengal was held at the Dalhousie Institute in Calcutta under the chairmanship of Nawab Salimullah. On the basis of his proposal at that meeting, the `Presidency Muslim League` was formed by uniting the two separate leagues of both Bengal and he was elected its president. At that meeting, similarly, the two Muslim associations of both Bengals formed the `Bengal Presidency Muslim Association`. He also became the president of this organization. In his speech at the meeting of the All India Muslim League held in Calcutta on 3-4 March 1912, he refuted the arguments of the opponents of the establishment of Dhaka University in East Bengal. He explained the need for separate elections for Muslims and demanded that quotas be set in proportion to their numbers in government service. On 11-12 April 1914 he convened a session of the Muslim Education Association of United Bengal in Dhaka and on 13 April a session of the Presidency Muslim League. He then virtually retired from the workplace. Sir Salimullah had a special interest in Muslim education. In a short span of time, Fuller Hostels were set up for Muslim students in Dhaka, Barisal, Rajshahi and other cities. One of the examples of Aligarh College-Boarding House was the decision to build a `Mohammedan Hall` next to the college for the students of Dhaka College. The abolition of the Partition of Bengal and the abolition of the newly formed provinces of East Bengal and Assam caused a great deal of frustration among the Muslim masses in the region. It can be said that if the partition of Bengal was not abolished, just as the establishment of a university in Dhaka was inevitable, so the establishment of that university became inevitable even after the abrogation of the partition of Bengal. So it can be said that first of all the partition of Bengal and its abolition necessitated the establishment of a university in Dhaka. It can also be said that if the partition of Bengal had not taken place, Dhaka University might not have been established immediately. The establishment of a university in Dhaka was one of the few demands that gained popularity among the people of Muslim-populated East Bengal in the second decade of the twentieth century after the abolition of the Partition of Bengal. After the partition of Bengal, the `All India Muslim Education Conference` and the `East Bengal and Assam Provincial Education Association` conference were held in Dhaka. These conferences aroused response. Barrister Sahebzada Aftab Ahmad Khan, the Honorary Joint Secretary of the Mohammedan Educational Conference, was the first to raise the voice of establishing a university in East Bengal. At a conference in Dhaka in 1906, he said, "My first proposal for higher education in Muslim-majority East Bengal was to establish an independent university in the province." The abolition of the Partition of Bengal and the abolition of the newly formed provinces of East Bengal and Assam caused a great deal of frustration among the Muslim masses in the region. It can be said that if the partition of Bengal was not abolished, just as the establishment of a university in Dhaka was inevitable, so the establishment of that university became inevitable even after the abrogation of the partition of Bengal. So it can be said that first of all the partition of Bengal and its abolition necessitated the establishment of a university in Dhaka. It can also be said that if the partition of Bengal had not taken place, Dhaka University might not have been established immediately. The establishment of a university in Dhaka was one of the few demands that gained popularity among the people of Muslim-populated East Bengal in the second decade of the twentieth century after the abolition of the Partition of Bengal. After the partition of Bengal, the `All India Muslim Education Conference` and the `East Bengal and Assam Provincial Education Association` conference were held in Dhaka. These conferences aroused response. Barrister Sahebzada Aftab Ahmad Khan, the Honorary Joint Secretary of the Mohammedan Educational Conference, was the first to raise the voice of establishing a university in East Bengal. At a conference in Dhaka in 1906, he said, "My first proposal for higher education in Muslim-majority East Bengal was to establish an independent university in the province." The abolition of the Partition of Bengal and the abolition of the newly formed provinces of East Bengal and Assam caused a great deal of frustration among the Muslim masses in the region. It can be said that if the partition of Bengal was not abolished, just as the establishment of a university in Dhaka was inevitable, so the establishment of that university became inevitable even after the abrogation of the partition of Bengal. So it can be said that first of all the partition of Bengal and its abolition necessitated the establishment of a university in Dhaka. It can also be said that if the partition of Bengal had not taken place, Dhaka University might not have been established immediately. The establishment of a university in Dhaka was one of the few demands that gained popularity among the people of Muslim-populated East Bengal in the second decade of the twentieth century after the abolition of the Partition of Bengal. After the partition of Bengal, the `All India Muslim Education Conference` and the `East Bengal and Assam Provincial Education Association` conference were held in Dhaka. These conferences aroused response. Barrister Sahebzada Aftab Ahmad Khan, the Honorary Joint Secretary of the Mohammedan Educational Conference, was the first to raise the voice of establishing a university in East Bengal. At a conference in Dhaka in 1906, he said, "My first proposal for higher education in Muslim-majority East Bengal was to establish an independent university in the province."
 
Considering that education was the only way to liberate the Muslims, Nawab Salimullah recommended to the Secretary of State for the establishment of a university in Dhaka. Accordingly, in a proclamation dated 22 February 1912, the Government of India recommended the establishment of the University of Dhaka. Under the Dhaka University Committee, 25 sub-committees were formed for the purpose of compiling the syllabus of the university. Nawab Salimullah was closely involved with the sub-committee on Islamic Studies. The movement under the leadership of Nawab Sir Salimullah to keep the partition of Bengal intact had far-reaching effects on all-India politics. With the abolition of the Partition of Bengal in 1911, the capital of India was shifted from Calcutta to Delhi. Salimullah was very saddened by the abolition of the Partition of Bengal. But instead of clashing with the rulers, he remained on the path of pleading. He was a member of the Executive Council of Undivided Bengal, a member of the Imperial Council and a member of the Executive Council of East Bengal and Assam. After the Partition of Bengal, the British Viceroy, along with Lord Hardinge, expressed frustration over the disgrace of East Bengal and Dhaka. He demanded the establishment of a university in Dhaka with the Muslim leaders of East Bengal including Nawab Ali Chowdhury and AK Fazlul Huq. It is well known that when the government announced its acceptance of this demand in 1912, there was a strong movement against it. However, in the end Dhaka University was established but he could not see its establishment. Nawab Salimullah was a generous man. He used to donate generously for socio-economic development activities. He established the Dhaka Engineering School (now Bangladesh University of Engineering) in 1902 and sanctioned one lakh and twelve thousand rupees as promised by his father. He has also sponsored agriculture, industry, construction of mosques, madrasas, hospitals, dormitories and any other type of social development activities. He used to organize exhibitions for the development of handicrafts in Dhaka. Through his efforts this industry got a new look. He was a member of the committee formed by the government of East Bengal in 1909 for the development of handicrafts. The British government conferred on him the titles of CSI in 1902, Nawab Bahadur in 1903, KCSI in 1909 and GCSI in 1911. His eventful life came to an end on January 17, 1915. He died at his home on 93 Chowrangi Road in Kolkata. The body of Nawab Salimullah was brought to Dhaka on 17 January after Janazah prayers at Wellesley Square Park adjacent to Alia Madrasa in Calcutta at 4 pm on 16 January. After two Janazas in Dhaka, the Nawab was buried in the Begum Bazar Family Cemetery. There are many curiosities, many questions, many speculations about his untimely death. Investigators are still searching for the cause of his mysterious death. Why did Sir Salimullah, the best soul of the Bengali nation, the messenger of liberation, the inspiration of the freedom fighters, die prematurely? I have no hesitation in saying that if the Partition of Bengal in 1905, the formation of the Muslim League in 1906 and the establishment of Dhaka University in 1921 had not existed, the question would have existed whether there would have been anything called today`s independent Bangladesh. Therefore, it is self-evident that the partition of Bengal, the formation of the Muslim League and Nawab Sir Salimullah as the founder of Dhaka University is the dream man of independent Bangladesh. Regarding the death of Nawab Sir Salimullah, historian and poet Farooq Mahmud said that the Nawab had a disagreement with the Baralat over the establishment of a university in Dhaka and a heated exchange took place. At one point the governor spoke insultingly to the Nawab. Which he did not tolerate. The Nawab always had a stick with him. He hit the Nawab Baralat`s table with a stick. With this the extreme oblique debate began. At one point, at the behest of the governor, his bodyguard fired at the Nawab and seriously injured him. Later the Nawab died. The body of the Nawab was brought to Dhaka under guard. His relatives were not allowed to see the body. He was buried under military guard on 16 January 1915 at Begum Bazar. (Sarkar Shahabuddin Ahmed: The First Three Volumes of Suicidal Politics, p. 221) In just 44 years of his life, Salimullah has been able to exert as much influence on the all-India level as none of his descendants and ancestors. He was especially sympathetic to his people and to the territory of East Bengal i.e. Bangladesh. Our people will always remember his sacrifice. Deep tribute on the 106th death anniversary of Nawab Sir Salimullah.
 
Author: M. Golam Mostafa Bhuiyan is a Columnist and Politician and Secretary General of Bangladesh National Awami Party-Bangladesh NAP and Convener of National Peasant-Workers Liberation Movement. He can be reachjed at E-mail: gmbhuiyan@gmail.com
 


  
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