Tamaddun Majlish
Encyclopedia
Tamaddun Majlish (Bangla
: তমদ্দুন মজলিশ) is an Islamic cultural organization in Bangladesh
, established in 1947 by Principal Abul Kashem in erstwhile East Pakistan
. Tamaddun Majlish founded the Bengali Language Movement.
Tamaddun Majlish was established in Dhaka
immediately after the partition of India
on September 1, 1947, by Principal Abul Kashem, a professor in the physics department of Dhaka University. At first it was very active, playing a vital role at the start of the Bengali Language Movement.
The members of the organization were strongly influenced by the mentality of the East Pakistan Renaissance Society
. After the partition, they realized that Pakistan
was no longer governed with the idealism that had been promised. This led most of the members of the Tamuddun Majlish to drift away from the Muslim League
.
-speaking Muslim population of East Pakistan
that the demand to adopt Bengali as one of the state languages was "not at all motivated by the anti-state elements and communists of East Bengal." On September 15, 1947, Tamuddun Majlish issued a pamphlet titled Pakistaner Rashtra Bhasha: Bangla Na Urdu?
("Pakistan’s State Language: Bengali or Urdu
?"). The authors, Kazi Motahar Hossain, Abul Mansur Ahmed
and Principal Abul Kashem (General Secretary of Tamuddun Majlish), made a strong case for introducing Bengali as the only language of instruction, offices and courts of East Bengal
. They also forcefully articulated the demand for Bengali to be one of the State languages of Pakistan. The seminal booklet also contained a succinct proposal, authored by Principal Abul Kashem in favor of the Bengali language, the gist of which is:
Aimed at providing organized resistance against the anti-Bengali policies of the central government of Pakistan and to protest against comments about the Bengali language and script made by Fazlur Rahman, the Central Education Minister, the Tamuddun Majlish took the lead in the formation of the first Rastrabhasa Sangram Parishad
("State Language Movement Council") in October 1947. While Professor Nurul Huque Bhuyain of Dhaka University was elected to be the Convenor of the first Rastrabhasa Sangram Parishad, Professor Abul Kashem, the General Secretary of Tamudhun Majlish, played a key role in the early stages of the Bengali Language Movement by garnering widespread support for adopting Bengali as one of the state languages of Pakistan. He succeeded in enlisting the younger generations, and in particular the teachers and students of Dhaka University and other educational institutions. Thus, the first Rastrabhasa Sangram Parishad provided the organizational structure needed to launch the language movement in the latter part of 1947 and the early months of 1948.
The first protest meeting was convened on the campus of Dhaka University on December 6, 1947, under the auspices of Rastrabhasa Sangram Parishad, to protest the unilateral decision of the National Education Conference in Karachi
to adopt Urdu as the only state language of Pakistan. The protest meeting attracted a large number of students, teachers and others from Dhaka University and other educational institutions. Professor Abul Kashem
presided over the protest meeting, and a number of students and teachers including Munir Choudhury, Abdur Rahman, Kallayan Dasgupta, A.K.M. Ahsan, S. Ahmed, and Farid Ahmed, the Vice President of Dhaka University Central Students Union (DUCSU), addressed the meeting.
The position of Tamuddun Majlish regarding the Bengali Language Movement also reflected the aspirations of the common people of East Bengal.
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
: তমদ্দুন মজলিশ) is an Islamic cultural organization in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, established in 1947 by Principal Abul Kashem in erstwhile East Pakistan
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...
. Tamaddun Majlish founded the Bengali Language Movement.
Establishment and ideological backgrownd
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
immediately after the partition of India
Partition of India
The Partition of India was the partition of British India on the basis of religious demographics that led to the creation of the sovereign states of the Dominion of Pakistan and the Union of India on 14 and 15...
on September 1, 1947, by Principal Abul Kashem, a professor in the physics department of Dhaka University. At first it was very active, playing a vital role at the start of the Bengali Language Movement.
The members of the organization were strongly influenced by the mentality of the East Pakistan Renaissance Society
East Pakistan Renaissance Society
The East Pakistan Renaissance Society was a political organisation formed to articulate and promote culturally and intellectually the idea for a separate Muslim state for Indian Muslims and specifically for the Muslims of Bengal...
. After the partition, they realized that Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
was no longer governed with the idealism that had been promised. This led most of the members of the Tamuddun Majlish to drift away from the Muslim League
Muslim League (Pakistan)
Muslim League was the original successor of All India Muslim League that led the Pakistan Movement achieving an independent nation. After formation of Pakistan, the party was renamed to Muslim League which came to an end soon after Qaid-e-Azam's death on the first marshal law in 1958.-History:On...
.
Involvement in the Bengali Language Movement
Although the main intent of Tamaddun Majlish was to invigorate the Islamic spirit and culture of the new nation of Pakistan, the vigorous role played by this pro-Islamic organization made it clear to the BengaliBengali
Bengali may refer to something of, from, or related to Bengal, the region roughly divided between West Bengal, Tripura and Bangladesh.* Bengali people, a major linguistic group in South Asia* Bengali Hindu people, the ethnic group native to eastern India....
-speaking Muslim population of East Pakistan
East Pakistan
East Pakistan was a provincial state of Pakistan established in 14 August 1947. The provincial state existed until its declaration of independence on 26 March 1971 as the independent nation of Bangladesh. Pakistan recognized the new nation on 16 December 1971. East Pakistan was created from Bengal...
that the demand to adopt Bengali as one of the state languages was "not at all motivated by the anti-state elements and communists of East Bengal." On September 15, 1947, Tamuddun Majlish issued a pamphlet titled Pakistaner Rashtra Bhasha: Bangla Na Urdu?
Pakistaner Rashtra Bhasha: Bangla Na Urdu?
"Pakistaner Rashtra Bhasha: Bangla Na Urdu?" is a small book that published on September 15, 1947 by Bengali language movement pioneer Principal Abul Kashem on behalf of Tamaddun Majlish. Within one month of Pakistan's Independent by publishing this book, it demanded introduction of Bengali as one...
("Pakistan’s State Language: Bengali or Urdu
Urdu
Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...
?"). The authors, Kazi Motahar Hossain, Abul Mansur Ahmed
Abul Mansur Ahmed
Abul Mansur Ahmed was a Bangladeshi littérateur. Was also a politician and journalist. He was born in Mymensingh. Renowned journalist and editor of The Daily Star Mahfuz Anam is his son.-Student life:...
and Principal Abul Kashem (General Secretary of Tamuddun Majlish), made a strong case for introducing Bengali as the only language of instruction, offices and courts of East Bengal
East Bengal
East Bengal was the name used during two periods in the 20th century for a territory that roughly corresponded to the modern state of Bangladesh. Both instances involved a violent partition of Bengal....
. They also forcefully articulated the demand for Bengali to be one of the State languages of Pakistan. The seminal booklet also contained a succinct proposal, authored by Principal Abul Kashem in favor of the Bengali language, the gist of which is:
- Bengali should be:
- the medium of instruction in East Pakistan;
- the court language of East Pakistan; and
- the official language of East Pakistan.
- Urdu and Bengali should be the two official languages of the central government of Pakistan.
- Bengali should be the first language for the purpose of education in East Pakistan, to be learned by all the people;
- Urdu may be treated as the second language or inter-province language in East Pakistan, which can be taught as a second language to those people who will be working in West PakistanWest PakistanWest Pakistan , common name West-Pakistan , in the period between its establishment on 22 November 1955 to disintegration on December 16, 1971. This period, during which, Pakistan was divided, ended when East-Pakistan was disintegrated and succeeded to become which is now what is known as Bangladesh...
. It will be more than adequate if Urdu is learned by only 5% to 10% of population of East Pakistan. Urdu may be taught in higher classes at the secondary school level in East Pakistan; and - English should be the third or international language of East Pakistan.
- Urdu may be treated as the second language or inter-province language in East Pakistan, which can be taught as a second language to those people who will be working in West Pakistan
- Both English and Bengali should be used for a few years as the official languages in East Pakistan."
Aimed at providing organized resistance against the anti-Bengali policies of the central government of Pakistan and to protest against comments about the Bengali language and script made by Fazlur Rahman, the Central Education Minister, the Tamuddun Majlish took the lead in the formation of the first Rastrabhasa Sangram Parishad
Rastrabhasa Sangram Parishad
The Rastrabhasa Sangram Parishad was an organisation founded by Bengali politicians and intellectuals to agitate for the recognition of the Bengali language by the Government of Pakistan...
("State Language Movement Council") in October 1947. While Professor Nurul Huque Bhuyain of Dhaka University was elected to be the Convenor of the first Rastrabhasa Sangram Parishad, Professor Abul Kashem, the General Secretary of Tamudhun Majlish, played a key role in the early stages of the Bengali Language Movement by garnering widespread support for adopting Bengali as one of the state languages of Pakistan. He succeeded in enlisting the younger generations, and in particular the teachers and students of Dhaka University and other educational institutions. Thus, the first Rastrabhasa Sangram Parishad provided the organizational structure needed to launch the language movement in the latter part of 1947 and the early months of 1948.
The first protest meeting was convened on the campus of Dhaka University on December 6, 1947, under the auspices of Rastrabhasa Sangram Parishad, to protest the unilateral decision of the National Education Conference in Karachi
Karachi
Karachi is the largest city, main seaport and the main financial centre of Pakistan, as well as the capital of the province of Sindh. The city has an estimated population of 13 to 15 million, while the total metropolitan area has a population of over 18 million...
to adopt Urdu as the only state language of Pakistan. The protest meeting attracted a large number of students, teachers and others from Dhaka University and other educational institutions. Professor Abul Kashem
Abul Kashem
Mohammad Abul Kashem is generally considered as a pioneer and the architect of the historic Language Movement of Bangladesh...
presided over the protest meeting, and a number of students and teachers including Munir Choudhury, Abdur Rahman, Kallayan Dasgupta, A.K.M. Ahsan, S. Ahmed, and Farid Ahmed, the Vice President of Dhaka University Central Students Union (DUCSU), addressed the meeting.
The position of Tamuddun Majlish regarding the Bengali Language Movement also reflected the aspirations of the common people of East Bengal.
Publication: Weekly Shainik
Tamuddun Majlish published a weekly named Shaptahik Shainik from 1948 to 1961, as a mouthpiece of the Bengali Language Movement.Noteworthy members
Some noteworthy members of the organization were:- Principal Abul Kashem
- Abul HashimAbul HashimAbul Hashim was a politician. He was born in the village of Kashiara in Burdwan district of West Bengal.-Early life and political carrier:...
- Dewan Mohammad AzrafDewan Mohammad AzrafDewan Mohammad Azraf was a teacher, author, politician, journalist, philosopher and advocate of women's progress in East Bengal. In 1993, he was honored as a National Professor in Bangladesh. He was also a supporter of the Bengali Language Movement...
- Shahed AliShahed AliShahed Ali was one of the leading short story writers of Bangladesh and is considered to be one of the literary giants of his time in the realm of Bengali literature...
- Nurul Huq BhuiyanNurul Huq BhuiyanA.S.M Nurul Haque Bhuiyan was a Chemistry professor and politician who was a senior leader of the Tamaddun Majlish and the first convener of the Rastrabhasa Sangram Parishad during the Language Movement....
- Shawkat AliShawkat AliShawkat Ali , , politician and a leader of the Bengali Language Movement. He was one of the founders of Awami Muslim League - which later became Awami League and is now the Bangladesh Awami League. He was a member of all three Rastrabhasa Sangram Parishad. He was also the Chief Organizer of Dhaka...
- Kabi M.A.N Shahidullah shahittarotno
- Abdul Gafur
- Sanaullah Nuri