জাতীয় অধ্যাপক আনিসুজ্জামান আর নেই

June 29, 2020 12:17 PM

"In the midst of one of the darkest moments in the history of independent Bangladesh, we have lost a guardian and a beacon of hope, Professor Anisuzzaman. The Dhaka University Professor Emeritus, a public intellectual, historian, writer, activist, teacher and researcher, passed away on May 14. From his participation as an activist in the Language Movement in 1952 to his role as a member of the planning commission of the government-in-exile in 1971 as well as a member of the committee drafting the Constitution in Bangla in 1971; from his contribution during the movement for restoration of democracy in Bangladesh in the 1980s to his commitment to the trial of war criminals, he was a moral compass who led the nation through its most challenging transitions for over six decades." (The Daily Star)

Language and the Constitution of Bangladesh–In Memory of Professor Anisuzzaman (Emraan Azad):

Though he was not a member of the Constitution Drafting Committee in the Constituent Assembly, Professor Anisuzzaman with his knowledge of language and literature apolitically contributed by producing a Bangla text of the Constitution. During the making of the Constitution, he used to teach in the Department of Bangla, Chittagong University. He was then requested by Dr. Kamal Hossain, the Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee, to take the responsibility of drafting the Constitution in Bangla which subsequently adopted as an official version of the Constitution on November 4, 1972.

For writing the Bangla version of the Constitution, Professor Anisuzzaman used to attend the debates of the Constituent Assembly and take help from Dr. Kamal Hossain to understand the meaning and usage of complicated constitutional law jargons. Basically, he used to translate constitutional provisions from English to Bangla. In order to ensure legitimacy of his translation work, he always felt the necessity of official recognition for the translation team. When he raised this issue to the Constitution Drafting Committee, Dr. Kamal Hossain formed the ‘Language Expert Committee’ after receiving approval of the Drafting Committee. Professor Anisuzzaman was the Convener of this Committee, while Poet Syed Ali Ahsan and Director General of Bangla Academy Majharul Islam were appointed as members of the Committee. Their terms of reference included mainly translating the Constitution and ensuring linguistic perfection as well as harmony.

Timeline Anisuzzaman: A man of living history (Toriqul Islam, Prothom Alo)

posted by Not A Thing (5 comments total)

More information on the Language Movement of Bangladesh, which is commemorated internationally in the choice of February 21 as International Mother Language Day.
posted by Not A Thing at 1:51 PM on June 29, 2020 [2 favorites]

There is so much here that I am pretty much ignorant of. Thanks!
posted by GenjiandProust at 4:08 PM on June 29, 2020 [2 favorites]

Wow, what an amazing list of accomplishments.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 4:35 PM on June 29, 2020 [1 favorite]

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Wow, that's a long life in public service, and he was able to have a huge impact in different ways. And thanks for all the context, Not A Thing!
posted by kaelynski at 5:56 PM on June 29, 2020 [1 favorite]

Wow... suuuper rare to see anything about the my country of origin on MeFi. Thanks Not A Thing!
posted by unicorn chaser at 9:29 AM on June 30, 2020 [3 favorites]