NORTH SOUTH UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY & PHILOSOPHY

HIS103 ASSIGNMENT

COURSE INSTRUCTOR: SADIK HASAN

DATE OF SUBMISSION: 26.12.2020
‘MARTYRED SECTION: 10
INTELLECTUAL OF
DECEMBER 14, 1971’ SUBMITTED BY: Sazia Afreen
ID: 2011191630
“BIOGRAPHY OF Dr. ANM FAIZUL MAHI”
A WALK DOWN THE MEMORY LANE….
The Liberation War of Bangladesh started in opposition to Pakistan on 26th March 1971.
Bangladesh was East Pakistan prior to the war, but the incessant oppression and injustice
towards them from their own country, formerly known as ‘West Pakistan’, compelled millions of
Bangladeshi people to ask for a separated country. This ended up in the Indo-Pakistani War of
1971, and after nine months of continuous, torturous war, Bangladesh won triumphantly. On a
dark day of 14th December 1971 observing the upcoming defeat, Pakistani armies and their
internal associates: Shanti committee, Razakars, Al-Badr and Al-Shams—kidnapped and killed
brutally the fore-front Bengali intellectuals and professionals in order to ruin the new nation’s
growth intellectually. Well-known doctors, engineers, intellectuals, academics, teachers,
journalists, and so many influential personalities were forcefully taken out of their abodes,
blindfolded, and killed mercilessly. Their corpse were found in Rayer bazaar, Mirpur, and other
killing grounds in Dhaka just two days prior to the final announcement of victory of our nation.
Throughout the nine-month’s time of the war, the Pakistani Army, with their internal associates
and their clever planning, brutally tarnished the life of, an estimated 991 teachers, 13 journalists,
49 physicians, 42 lawyers, and 16 writers, artists and engineers. Still, after the ceremonious
ending of the war on 16th December there were news of killings being done by either the armed
Pakistani armies or by their internal associates. During one of these incidents, prominent
filmmaker Jahir Raihan was killed on 30 January 1972 in Mirpur apparently by the armed
Beharis. To remember these intellectual heroes for their constant support and heroism, the
intellectuals who were killed on 14th December 1971 are given an honor on this very day, every
year since the liberation of Bangladesh, and Bangladeshis observe this day as Shaheed
Buddhijibi Dibosh--“Day of the Martyred Intellectuals”.
Prominent intellectuals who were killed from the time period of 25th March to 30th January
1971(since the killings did not stop even after the official ending of the war) in different parts of
the country includes: Dhaka University professors Govinda Chandra Dev (philosophy), Munier
Chowdhury (Bengali literature), Mufazzal Haider Chaudhury (Bengali Literature), Anwar Pasha
(Bengali Literature), Abul Khair (history), Jyotirmoy Guhathakurta (English literature),
Humayun Kabir (English literature), Rashidul Hasan (English literature), Ghyasuddin
Ahmed, Sirajul Haque Khan, Faizul Mahi(assistant professor in Dhaka University) , Santosh
Chandra Bhattacharyya and Saidul Hassan (physics), Rajshahi University professors Hobibur
Rahman (mathematics), Sukhranjan Somaddar (Sanskrit), Mir Abdul Quaiyum (psychology) as
well as Mohammed Fazle Rabbee (cardiologist), AFM Alim Chowdhury(
ophthalmologist), Shahidullah Kaiser (journalist), Nizamuddin Ahmed (journalist), Selina Parvin
(journalist), Altaf Mahmud (lyricist and musician), Jahir Raihan (novelist, journalist, film
director) and ETC.
EARLY YEARS OF Dr. ANM FAIZUL MAHI
ANM Faizul Mahi, a bright star to his family, was born on 10th August 1939 in Feni,
Bangladesh. His father’s name was Mohammad Nurul Islam Choudhury, who was an advocate
by profession. Dr. Faizul Mahi passed SSC examination (Secondary school certificate exam) in
1955 from Feni Government High School. He went to Feni College and got his IA from there in
1957. Then he completed his graduation in 1959 from the same college.
In 1962 he got his B.Ed degree from Dhaka Teachers' Training College and did MEd degree
from Dhaka University on Education and Research. Dr. Faizul Mahi went to the United States of
America to pursue his higher education with government scholarship, this vividly shows how
goal-oriented he was and far-fetched dreams he had. He acquired MA degree in 1965 and Ed.D
(Doctorate of Education) degree on Educational Administration from the Northern Colorado
University, in 1968.

DR. A N M Faizul Mahi

HIS PROFESSIONAL YEARS …

Dr. Faizul Mahi, began his professional life in teaching. In short we can say he devoted his life
for the betterment of others. He clearly wanted to help our nation and its people and enlighten
them with the power of knowledge. In 1962, he started off as a Headmaster of Feni G. A.
Academy High School. He later left his city, Feni and came to Dhaka to join as a Lecturer in the
Education and Research Institute of Dhaka University in 1968. In the same year, Dhaka
University, seeing his zeal as a lecturer, promoted him to the post of Assistant Professor.

HIS CONTRIBUTION TO THE LIBERATION WAR OF 1971

Dr. Faizul Mahi, a man with great knowledge and big dreams, he was always at the frontline in
all the nationalist movements of the country. He was known as a liberal and reforming person to
his friends and close people. He was a man of free thought and as an intellectual he clearly did
not like the oppressing behavior of the West Pakistanis. While the torturous War of Liberation
carried on, Dr. Faizul Mahi was always at the rescue of the homeless and brutally affected people
from the war and also to the heroes of that time, the freedom fighters. He supported them
financially and also in a way gave them the hope for a better life.
According to his colleagues, like them, he was not very vocal but tried his best to help those in
need and the freedom fighters and thus was very much committed to the liberation war of
Bangladesh, which had lasted for excruciating nine months.
He helped the freedom fighters internally, staying out of the scrutinizing eyes of the Pakistani
military, and avoided attracting attention towards him. It was an arduous task, undoubtedly.
Keeping a low profile and helping his countrymen did not go well, since he could not escape
from the sharp-eyed internal associates of Pakistani military gang, and to his misfortune, some of
these people were his colleagues within IER. His colleagues recognized Dr. Faizul Mahi’s face
and soon they listed his name in the people, they planned on killing brutally, to tarnish the future
of the flourishing nation intellectually.

HIS HOBBIES AND OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS

Dr. Faizul Mahi, was very keen about sports. Literature fascinated him quite a bit, and as a
degree holder from international universities, he read a lot of books. He was an artistic man for
sure, since his devotion to songs and music is mentioned in the period of his life. He was well
known among the people with whom he studied and worked internationally, and thus he was a
part of so many research articles which were published in different journals and periodicals from
country and abroad. Still a lot of his articles are available and his biography in Wikipedia has
been translated to different languages too.

THE DEATH OF THIS PURE GEM OF OUR COUNTRY…..

Sensing Dr. Faizul Mahi’s help towards his country’s freedom fighters, the Al-Badr activists put
his name in the people they planned to kill. His degrees from abroad and his charisma in the
teaching field highlighted him as one of Al-Badr’s preys. As per planning, he was forcefully
carried out from the Dhaka University quarters at Fuller Road. While his dreamy eyes sketched
dreams to witness his freed land from the oppressive Pakistanis, just two days prior to the official
announcement of the liberated Bangladesh, his life was snatched away from him. He was
abducted from his quarter on 14th December 1971 and later his dead body was found in the
scaffold at Rayer bazaar, Mirpur. What an ending to this blessed soul! Asking for a freed country
was not too much to ask for, and yet, the Pakistani military and their internal associates did what
they had to. Without second thought slaughtered humans, raped women and killed children just
to show the world their power. In the midst of this war, millions of families lost their dear ones
and Dr. Faizul Mahi’s family was one of those proud yet unfortunate families. Because in the
end they had to lose their precious gem.
RESPECT OFFERED TO DR. FAIZUL MAHI..
To pay a token of gratitude and show respect to Dr. Faizul Mahi, The Postal Department of the
Government of Bangladesh issued a postal stamp in the name of Dr. Faizul Mahi, on the
Martyred Intellectual Day on 14th December 1993. He is called as a “martyred intellectual” to the
nation of Bangladesh for his priceless blood he shed for the liberation of the country. The grave
of Dr. Faizul Mahi is by the side of the Dhaka University Central Mosque, and “martyred
intellectual” is clearly stated on his tomb.

Grave of Dr. Faizul Mahi, by the side of the Dhaka

University central mosque.

JUSTICE GIVEN TO DR. FAIZUL MAHI…

Justice surely comes to the true people and even though it took long years to find the killer of Dr.
Faizul Mahi, Bangladesh Government did found him in the end. Chowdhury Mueen-Uddin, a
Muslim leader living in London, and Ashrafuz Zaman Khan, living in the United States of
America, were sentenced in absentia after the Bangladesh central court found out that they were
both associated in the abduction and brutal killings of 18 people – nine Dhaka University
teachers including Dr. Faizul Mahi, six journalists and three physicians – in 14th December 1971.

FEW WORDS FOR DR. FAIZUL MAHI…

We would not have seen this liberated day today,
We would not have smelled the fresh grass of our country today,
We would not have touched the holy soil that witnessed your blood shed,
We would not have felt the warmth of sunlight in our liberated country today.
Gratitude and millions of respect in your way for giving us this free country.
Thank you for the selfless fight
Thank you for caring for others putting your own life in peril.
The great amount of intellect that you acquired, is sleeping under the ground since 1971.
Someday in the other side of the world, we hope you will enlighten us with your knowledge.
You are a hero, we look forward to,
When life knocks us down, your life story inspire us to fight back till our last breath.
Millions of prayers your way,
Respect to your family for upbringing such a gem.
We would not have made till today, without your guts.
Thank you Dr. ANM Faizul Mahi, Bangladesh would not have been here today without heroes
like you.

(A small tribute to Dr. Faizul Mahi Sir from me)

______QUESTIONS:______

1. Why did you pick him/her?

2. What was his/her contribution?
3. What have you learned from this exercise?

_________ANSWERS:________
Answer 1: Dr. ANM Faizul Mahi was an educationist, he had a vision to make the new
liberated Bangladesh, a place filled with people who has bright and big dreams. He became
an assistant professor in Dhaka University within a year he joined, so this clearly shows how
 dedicated he was to his work. A teacher is someone who not only help you in academics but
also helps you to surf through any difficulties life might throw to you. And Dr. Faizul Mahi,
must be an amazing teacher for sure, for which he escalated in his position, pretty early. I
picked him because his life story inspired me, his heroic contribution during the war of
liberation in 1971 stunned me. His selfless acts of teaching the youth, helping the needy
people during the war, helping the freedom fighters financially keeping a low profile is
praiseworthy. All our martyred intellectuals and freedom fighters, not for a second, thought
about their own family but for our own motherland. All the Bangladeshi people were family
to them and Bangladesh was home. Everyone’s contribution and their loss of life gave us this
beautiful Bangladesh today, and we could not be more grateful.

Answer 2:
If I start off with his contribution to the liberation war of 1971, then I have to say it’s his life. He
gave away his life to make Bangladesh a country with freedom today. But professionally he was
an educationist, a dedicated assistant professor, so he contributed by teaching the youths of
Bangladesh. He was also very much involved in the war of liberation in 1971. He helped the
freedom fighters financially, stood forward to help the people in need. Since it was a war zone, a
lot of people were in distress and many had lost their homes, Dr. Faizul Mahi with his
benevolent character helped those people financially, sure an angel to those people in agony. He
disguised himself so that he could not be recognized by the Al-Badr members while doing his act
of kindness, but sadly to his misfortune some of these members were his colleagues within IER,
and he could not escape the watchful eyes of these Pakistani gangs, thus his life was in jeopardy.
And one dark day of 14th December 1971, he was abducted from the Dhaka University premises
and afterwards his corpse was found in Rayer bazaar, Mirpur. To pay respect to his heroism,
Bangladesh government gave him the title of a “martyred intellectual”.

Answer 3:
We often take our beloved country for granted. We forget the blood shed of these heroes, the
people who lost their loved ones, the babies who lost their lives and the women who were raped.
This days that we are living, free of thought, no sounds of wailing, no war flights and the peace
that prevails in our liberated country, is all due to the Selfless Freedom Fighters and the Martyrs.
We owe this peaceful country of ours, this blissful golden soil, to them. This project lead me to
know deeply about the incidents that has happened during the liberation war, the amount of
agony our people had to endure and the heroic acts our freedom fighters have shown. And thus,
my respect towards my country has increased in ten folds. We do often take the cries of millions
of people during the war, for granted but we should not do so. Also a lot of Al-Badr associates
did not get their adequate punishment for the horrific killings they did. So we must as youths
come forward to bring justice to our motherland. We should educate ourselves and our coming
generation about our history of independence. That is how the love for our motherland will
increase in our hearts and we will give our best to make Bangladesh as one of the well-known
countries in the world. We should alsoy keep our land clean and practice more harmony with the
people of our country and avoid fights and misunderstanding among ourselves. Because our
history says when we become a team, all of the Bangladeshis, we are unbreakable.

Reference:
Hossain, A. Z. (2015). Mohee, ANM Faizul. Retrieved December 28, 2020, from
http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Mohee%2C_ANM_Faizul

N/A, W. (2020, December 14). Faizul Mahi. Retrieved December 28, 2020, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faizul_Mahi

Mumin, S. (2011). BIOGRAPHY OF FAIZUL MAHI. Retrieved December 28, 2020,

from http://www.geocities.ws/nitol_nutton/bio/m/m10.htm