Happy Birthday to Abdullah Abu Sayeed!
Educationist and litterateur Abdullah Abu Sayeed turns 87 today. Collected Photo.
Today marks the 87th birthday of educationist and litterateur Abdullah Abu Sayeed. He was born on July 25, 1939, at Park Circus in Kolkata.
Through the establishment of the Bishwo Sahitto Kendro (World Literature Center), he has been working for over four decades to create 'enlightened people' in the country.
Abdullah Abu Sayeed's ancestral home is in Kamargati village of Kachua Upazila in Bagerhat. His father, Azimuddin Ahmed, was a teacher. In 1955, Abdullah Abu Sayeed completed his secondary education from Pabna Zilla School, and in 1957, he completed his higher secondary from Prafulla Chandra College in Bagerhat, after which he enrolled in the Bengali Department at the University of Dhaka.
He earned his bachelor's degree in 1960 and his master's in 1961. In 2004, he received the Ramon Magsaysay Award. In 2005, he was awarded the Ekushey Padak for his contributions to expanding non-formal education in the country. In 2012, he received the Bangla Academy Award for his contributions to essays.
In the 1970s, he gained particular popularity as a television presenter.
Abdullah Abu Sayeed began his teaching career in 1961 as a part-time lecturer at Harganga College in Munshiganj. Later, he taught for some time at Sylhet Women's College. His government service began in 1962 when he joined Rajshahi College as a lecturer. He subsequently taught at what is now Government Science College and Dhaka College.
Realizing the scarcity of libraries in the country, he launched mobile library activities through the Biswa Sahitya Kendra in 1998.
Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed—educationist, litterateur, organizer, television personality, and environmental activist—founded the Biswa Sahitya Kendra in 1978. Primarily through book-reading programs, he has been working to develop reading habits among thousands of students across Bangladesh.
He is a pioneer and one of the most successful figures in presenting entertainment and educational programs on television since the early days of television in Bangladesh. His literary repertoire, comprising poetry, essays, short stories, plays, translations, journals, biographical books, and more, is remarkably rich.
He has always been at the forefront of various social movements, including the anti-dengue campaign and anti-environmental pollution movements. In recognition of his active life, he has received numerous honors, including the Ekushey Padak, the Ramon Magsaysay Award, and the National Television Award, among others.
