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Aroj Ali Matubbar

Aroj Ali Matubbar (Bengali: আরজ আলী মাত র; 17 December 1900 – 15
Aroj Ali Matubbar
March 1985) was a self-taught philosopher and rationalist from Bangladesh.[1]

Contents
Early life and education
Philosophy
Career
Death
Writings and publications
Books
Recognition and awards
References

Early life and education

He was born in the village of Charbaria Lamchari, about 11 kilometres (6.8 mi)
Born 17 December 1900
from Barisal town in British India, currently in Bangladesh.[1] His original
Charbaria Lamchari,
name was Aroj Ali, and he only acquired the name 'Matubbar' (meaning 'local
Barisal District,
landlord') later. He was born to a poor farming family. He studied for only a Bangladesh
few months at the village maqtab, however this brief dabble in institutional
Died 15 March 1985
education centered only on the Quran and other Islam studies. He gathered
(aged 84)
most of his knowledge on varied subjects, including science and philosophy, Barisal, Bangladesh
through his own readings and research.
Occupation Rationalist, self-
taught philosopher
Matubbar lost his father at an early age. When he was 12 years old, his
and apostate, and
inherited property of 2 acres (8,100 m2) of land was auctioned off because, as a
writer
minor, he was unable to pay land tax. The landless boy faced an even more
Language Bengali
critical crisis when a local usurer called him out of his ancestral homestead.
Destitute, Matubbar grew up somehow on the charity of others and by working
Nationality Bangladeshi
as a farm laborer. Due to his poverty, he could not attend school and had to Citizenship Bangladesh
rely on the free maqtab religious education provided by a local mosque. Education No formal institutional
However he did not accept the rigid methods of learning there, and left it. A degree
kindhearted man helped him finish the Bengali Primers. Persevering as he was, Genre Rationalism,
he kept on reading more and more. To satisfy his thirst for knowledge he Philosophy essays
studied all the Bengali books in Barisal Public Library like a serious student. Notable Shotter
Philosophy as a subject interested him most, but there were not enough books works Shondhaney · Sristir
in the collection there. A teacher of philosophy at the B M College, Kazi Rahasya
Notable Life Member of
awards Bangla Academy ·

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Ghulam Quadir, was impressed by his depth of knowledge and understanding, Humayun Kabir
so he helped him borrow books from the college library. This was how his mind Smriti Puraskar ·
was shaped. Award of Honour by
the Barisal branch of
Udichi Shilpigoshti
Philosophy
Matubbar developed a very progressive approach and wrote against ignorance, superstition, and religious
fundamentalism. He came to be considered an iconoclast for writing against established religious ideologies. For example,
he questioned Islamic law of inheritance, as he failed to reconcile the suggested mode of sharing of inherited property.

Aroj Ali wrote several books, in spite of his lack of formal schooling. His writings reflect his controversial philosophy about
life and the world. He also befriended a number of communist politicians and academics of Barisal town, including
Professor Kazi Golam Kadir and Professor Muhammad Shamsul Haque. His books were always in danger of being banned
by the government, since they contained certain claims that disagreed with the religious beliefs of the majority. Matubbar
was arrested and taken into police custody for his book, Sotyer Shondhaney (The Quest for Truth).[2] He was, in fact,
subjected to harassment and threats throughout his life, due to his writings, as many of them challenged religious
statements and claims.[2]

Career
Due to financial constraints, Matubbar could not pursue any academic course or attain a formal institutional degree. He
lived mostly on subsistence farming. He learned surveying techniques and began his life as a private land surveyor in his
locality. This enabled him to accumulate some capital and he could own some land to start farming.

Death
He died on 15 March 1985 (1st Chaitra of the Bengali year 1392 ) in Barisal, Bangladesh. He donated his eyes for
transplantation after his death.[1] He donated his body which was received by the Anatomy Department of Sher-e-Bangla
Medical College and used for dissection by the medical students. After his death in 1985, Aroj Ali Matubbar came to be
regarded as one of the most prolific thinkers that rural Bangladesh ever produced, and an iconoclast who was not afraid of
speaking out against entrenched beliefs and superstitions.[2]

Writings and publications

Matubbar had to take a lot of trouble in order to publish his books. He himself drew the cover of his first book, which was
written in 1952 and published twenty one years later in 1973, under the title Satyer Sandhane. This book gained him a
reputation in the locality as a "learned man". In the preface he wrote:

“I was thinking of many things, my mind was full of questions, but haphazardly. I then started jotting down questions, not
for writing a book, but only to remember these questions later. Those questions were driving my mind towards an endless
ocean and I was gradually drifting away from the fold of religion.”

He made six propositions in this book, which reflected the nature of his philosophical questions. These are:

Proposition 1 : dealt with the soul, containing 8 questions

Proposition 2 : dealt with God, containing as many as 11 questions
Proposition 3 : dealt with the after-world, containing as many as 7 questions

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Proposition 4 : dealt with religious matters, containing as many as 22 questions

Proposition 5 : dealt with Nature, containing as many as 10 questions
Proposition 6 : dealt with remaining matters, containing as many as 9 questions

The eight questions he posed in the first proposition exemplify his approach. These are (a) Who am I (self)?, (b) Is Life
incorporeal or corporal ? (c) Is mind and his/soul one, and the same? (d) What is the relationship of life with the body and
the mind? (e) Can we recognize or identify life? (f) Am I free? (g) Will the soul without body continue to have "knowledge"
even after it leaves the body at death? and finally (h) How does life can come into and go out of the body?

Books
He was an unusual type of writer. Because of his rural background, it was not possible on his part to remove the darkness
covering his society, but with the dim torch he held, he tried to see the truth, wherever he could, without fear or doubt.[3]
In Bangladesh, his writings were censored.[4] Following are his writings:

Shotter Shondhaney (The Quest for Truth) (1973)

Sristir Rahasya (The Mystery of Creation) (1977)
Anuman (Estimation) (1983)
Muktaman (Free Mind) (1988)
Several of his unpublished manuscripts were later published posthumously under the title of Aroj Ali Matubbar
Rachanabali. Some of his writings have been translated into English and compiled in a volume published by Pathak
Samabesh.

Recognition and awards

Matubbar was little known to the elite educated society of the country during his lifetime. His first book, published in
1973, was rich with secular thought but caught little attention. It is only in the final years of life that he came to be known
to the enlightened society of the country. His writings were collected and published. People in general started to take an
interest in his books, which, although reflecting an untrained mind, posed a number of intriguing questions. He soon rose
to eminence, albeit after his death in 1985.

Life Member of Bangla Academy, inducted in 1985;

Awarded Humayun Kabir Smriti Puraskar (Humayun Kabir Memorial Prize) in 1978 by the Bangladesh Lekhak Shibir;
Award of Honour by the Barisal branch of Udichi Shilpigoshti in 1982.[1]

References
1. Roy, Pradip Kumar. "Matubbar, Aroj Ali" (http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Matubbar,_Aroj_Ali). Banglapedia.
Bangladesh Asiatic Society. Retrieved 15 October 2016.
2. "The Quest for Truth" (https://web.archive.org/web/20100723144846/http://avijit.humanists.net/aroj_ali/quest_for_truth
_1.html). avijit.humanists.net. Archived from the original (http://avijit.humanists.net/aroj_ali/quest_for_truth_1.html) on
23 July 2010.
3. "5 years of Mukto-Mona" (http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/5_yrs_anniv/sirajul_islam_chy/aroj1.htm).
Mukto Mona (in Bengali).
4. Kabir, Md Anwarul (26 November 2004). "Letters to Editor: Freedom of speech" (http://www.thedailystar.net/2004/11/2
6/d41126110379.htm). The Daily Star.

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