A Mystic Soul
Mohammed Monsooruddin (1904 –1987) was an eminent Bengali author, lyricist, essayist and literary critic. He was also a renowned collector of Bengali folk literature and mystic art. His lifelong effort to preserve folk literature saved one of the most resourceful parts of Bengali literature from going into total oblivion. We remember this great scholar on his 27th death anniversary.
Monsooruddin was born on January 31, 1904 in Muraripur, Shujanagar of Pabna district
His education started in the rural schools of his village
He graduated from Rajshahi College in 1926
He studied in the department of Indian Vernacular of the Calcutta University from where he secured Masters degree with a First Class in 1928
Monsooruddin taught Bengali language and literature in all the prominent educational institutions of Bangladesh
He was also a faculty member of the Bengali department of Dhaka University
Besides collecting folk literature, Monsooruddin wrote literary essays and fiction all through his life
He collected more than six thousands folk songs from different rural areas of Bengal
He published his collected folk songs in a 13 volume anthology titled as Haramoni
Rabindranath Tagore wrote the preface of the book when its first volume was published in 1931
Monsooruddin wrote two novels Pohela July (1932) and Shatashe March (1958)
He produced three volumes of folktales, namely, Shirni (1932), Agar baati (1935) and Shiropa (1938)
One of his notable works is Muslim Contribution in Bengali Literature was published in 3 volumes between 1960 and 1981
He wrote several biography books including biography of prophet Muhammad (Peace be Upon Him) titled Hazrat Muhammader Jiboni O Sadhona
He compiled a dictionary of Bengali idioms under the title Hashir Ovidhan in 1957
His essays titled as Conflict between the Hindus and the Mussalmans (1981) and Vaishnab Kabita by Muslim composers (1942) are also highly acclaimed for their originality
In 1987 Rabindra Bharati University, India awarded him D.Litt. honoris causa for his lifelong contribution to folklore collection
He was awarded with Ekushay Padak in 1983 and Independence day award in 1984
Monsooruddin was a humble person and led a very simple life
This great scholar died on September 19, 1987 aged 83
Comments