Tribute to Syed Ahmadul Huq
With the sad passing away of Syed Ahmadul Huq recently at the ripe age of 93, Chittagong has lost one of its most illustrious sons. Widely respected as an outstanding civil servant, with many significant accomplishments to his credit, he combined in him the rare qualities of head and heart. A man with exceptional vision and indomitable energy, he has left behind a rich legacy of scholarship, entrepreneurship, spirituality and philanthropy of which he was the unassuming benefactor. His contribution to the promotion of trade, commerce and industry in erstwhile East Pakistan and now independent Bangladesh has been seminal.
The late Syed Ahmadul Huq was a brilliant student, debater and academic who distinguished himself early in his life as an exceptional student of English Literature. In 1939 he represented Calcutta University at the "All Indian inter-University Debate Competition" held in the Vice Regal House in New Delhi and presided over by the then Viceroy of India Lord Linlithgow. He earned his Bachelor of Arts (Hons.) in 1940 from Calcutta University and Master's Degree in English Literature from Dhaka University in 1942. In 1961, he earned a Master's Degree in Public Administration from the American University of Beirut with rare distinction. He also studied in Manchester University in the United Kingdom.
Though Mr. Huq spent a major part of his life as a civil servant, he never gave up his scholarly pursuits. His command over English, Persian and Bengali literature was remarkable. His didactic oratory was an unforgettable treat to savour for his friends and admirers. He also took deep interest in the history of our part of the world, especially Bangladesh and Chittagong. His scholarship found expression in no less than 12 books on history, literary critique and social and economic development of Bengal. He also wrote several volumes of essays and articles on wide ranging subjects and areas, including trade and commerce of Bangladesh with special focus on export promotion from Bangladesh.
Unknown to many today, Syed Ahmadul Huq made a singular contribution in encouraging Bengali entrepreneurs to come forward to seize the immense business opportunities of erstwhile East Pakistan in pre-independence days, and in independent Bangladesh, through his writings, exhortation and active encouragement. He visited different exporting units located in Chittagong on December 17, 1971 to take inventory of the stock available with the units to assess the value of the stock ready for the exports.
He believed that without generating exportable surplus and maintaining the quality required by the international buyers, it would be difficult to sustain the exports. The phenomenal increase in frozen food export from Bangladesh and export of non-traditional items like handicrafts and spices from Bangladesh owes much to the untiring efforts and contribution of Mr. Syed Ahmadul Huq. He was a path-breaking entrepreneur himself, who inspired others to come forward with their entrepreneurial activities in a whole range of new economic areas.
A successful civil servant, Mr. Huq retired from civil service as a director of Export Promotion Bureau in 1980. With retirement he did not, however, pass into oblivion. He remained equally vigorous in many areas of economic enterprises even after his retirement till the final end came. A deeply religious person, he remained profoundly devoted to the Sufi and mystic tradition of Islam. He himself excelled as a Sufi practitioner and teacher, and was a major proponent of Sufi and mystic tradition of Islam in Bangladesh.
He penned several authoritative and interpretative volumes in Bengali and in English on Masnavi by Rumi and works of Sufi masters like Tabrizi, Saadi and others. The Allama Rumi Society in Chittagong established by him in 1992 has become over the years the main centre for promoting Sufi tradition and practices in Bangladesh. In recognition of his contribution in this important area, he was conferred the title of Rumi of Bengal at a national conference on December 17, 2004.
In recognition of his contribution to promoting Persian literature, Sufi tradition and Islamic values of universal humanism, he was also specially honoured by the government of Iran and was invited to visit Iran in 1990. He toured Iran extensively, visiting the holy places and the centres where Sufi tradition flourished over many centuries. Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani also received him on October 1995 during the latter's visit to Chittagong. He was also received in an audience in Chittagong by Turkish President Suleiman Demirel in August 1998, when the Turkish president expressed his profound appreciation of Syed Ahmadul Huq's contribution to the promotion and propagation of the techniques of mysti Sufi Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi.
A person with incomparable intellectual abilities and many accomplishments Mr. Syed Ahmadul Huq was always, however, a man of very simple habits. His simplicity and sublime character, kindness to both old and the young alike and, above all, readiness to help anyone who was in need made him a remarkable person. To the last day of his life, he remained true to high moral standards, deep commitment to humanism and spiritual pursuits for which he was so revered.
The sad passing away of Syed Ahmadul Huq has left a major void for his relatives, admirers and spiritual fellow friends. All of them will continue to remember and love him as the exceptional person he was.
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