Muhammad Qudrat-i-Khuda
(1900 - 1977)
Muhammad Qudrat-i-Khuda was a scientist, educationist and
writer. Born in village Margram of Birbhum district in West
Bengal, Qudrat-i-Khuda received his early education from the
Margram ME High School and Calcutta Woodburn ME School. He
passed the Matriculation examination from Calcutta Madrasa
in 1918 in the First Division. In 1924 he obtained the MSc
degree in Chemistry standing First in First Class, from Presidency
College, Calcutta, and was awarded a gold medal for his brilliant
result. Qudrat-i-Khuda also received a premchand roychand
studentship for higher research in Chemistry at Calcutta University.
He obtained the DSc in 1929 from London University for his
research entitled 'Stainless Configuration of Multiplanmet
Ring'.
Qudrat-i-Khuda
began his career as a lecturer in Chemistry at Presidency
College in 1931 and was soon promoted to Head of the Department
in 1936. From 1942 to 1944, he served as the Principal of
Islamia College in Calcutta. He again returned to Presidency
College in 1946, becoming the Principal of the college.
At the same time, Dr Qudrat-i-Khuda was a Fellow and a Member
of the Senate of Calcutta University. After the partition
of India, he came to East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1947
and served as the first Director of Public Instruction of
the Government of East Pakistan from 1947 to 1949. In 1949,
he was appointed Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Defence
of the Government of Pakistan. He became Chairman of the
Secondary Education Board and served from 1952 to 1955.
He was appointed the first Director of the East Regional
Laboratories of the Pakistan Council for Scientific and
Industrial Research - PCSIR (now BCSIR) in 1955 and established
the laboratories in Dhaka. After retirement from Directorship
in 1966, Muhammad Qudrat-i-Khuda was appointed Chairman
of the 'Kendriya Bangla Unnayan Board' (Central Board for
the Development of Bengali).
After
the independence of Bangladesh, Qudrat-i-Khuda was made
Chairman of the 'National Education Commission' formed in
1972. The report of the commission published in 1974 is
widely known as 'Qudrat-i-Khuda Education Commission Report'.
He was appointed Visiting Professor of Chemistry at Dhaka
University in 1975 and served there till his death.
Muhammad
Qudrat-I-Khuda's field of specialisation was organic chemistry.
He conducted research on herbals, jute, salt, charcoal,
soil and minerals. He successfully extracted biochemical
elements from local trees and plants for medicinal use.
Qudrat-i-Khuda and his associates patented 18 scientific
inventions. Manufacturing of Partex from jute-stick was
his greatest scientific achievement. Manufacturing malt
vinegar from the juice of sugarcane and molasses, rayon
from jute and jute-sticks, and paper from jute were his
other significant scientific innovations.
Qudrat-i-Khuda
played an important role in popularising Bangla for scientific
practices. As such, he wrote a number of books on science
and technology in Bangla including Vijnaner Saras Kahini
(Interesting History of Science), Vijnaner Vichitra Kahini
(Wonderful History of Science), Vijnaner Suchana (Origin
of Science), Jaiba Rasayan (Organic Chemistry) in four volumes,
Purba Pakistaner Shilpa Sambhabana (Industrial Potentiality
of East Pakistan), Paramanu Parichiti (An Introduction to
the Atom) and Vijnaner Pahela Katha (First Word of Science).
Two Bangla science magazines 'Purogami Vijnan' (Pioneering
Science; 1963) and 'Vijnaner Joyyatra' (The Victory of Science;
1972) were published under his auspices. He also wrote some
religious books including Pabitra Quraner Puta Katha O Angari
Jaoyara (The Holy Sayings of Quran and Angari Jaoyara).
He played an active role in the liberation movement and
helped in stimulating Bengali nationalism.
The Government
of Pakistan awarded him the 'Tamgha-i-Pakistan' and 'Sitara-i-Imtiaz'
in appreciation of his outstanding achievements. The Government
of Bangladesh honoured him with 'Ekushe Padak' in 1976 and
'Swadhinata Dibas Puraskar' (Independence Day Award) in 1984
for his outstanding contributions in science and technology.
Dhaka University conferred on him an honorary Doctorate degree
for his outstanding contribution to science. Muhammad Qudrat-i-Khuda
died in Dhaka on 3 November 1977. [Md Mahbub Murshed].
Rashid MA
(1919-1981)
Rashid
MA
was a
pioneer of engineering education in Bangladesh and the first
vice chancellor of the Bangladesh University of Engineering
and Technology (BUET). Born on 16 January 1919 at village
Bogadubi of Habiganj district, he graduated in Civil Engineering
with distinction from Bengal Engineering College at Shibpur
in West Bengal in 1942. For his extraordinary merit as a
student, he obtained the Slater Memorial gold medal and
the Tate Memorial medal in 1941, and the Trevor Memorial
prize and gold medal in 1942.
Professor
Rashid served as an assistant engineer in the Public Works
Department of the Assam government from 1942 to 1945. He
went to USA in 1945 with a scholarship from the Indian government
and after obtaining MS and DSc in civil engineering from
the Carnegie Institute of Technology at Pennsylvania returned
home in 1948. He was the first in this country to have a
doctorate degree in engineering. The same year he joined
the Ahsanullah Engineering College in Dhaka as an assistant
professor in the Department of Civil Engineering. He was
the head of the department from 1949 to 1958 and in 1952
became a professor. In 1954 he became the first Bangali
principal of the Ahsanullah Engineering College and for
the next 16 years provided leadership for putting engineering
education in Bangladesh on a solid footing. The college
signed a cooperation agreement in 1954 with A&M College
of Texas under which some experienced teachers from USA
joined the college faculty and some of its own teachers
went to the States for higher education.
In 1958
he was made a member of the Education Commission of Pakistan
and it was on the basis of one of its recommendations that
the East Pakistan University of Engineering (later BUET)
was established. He worked tirelessly towards making the
new university a centre of international standard for engineering
and technological studies. He was made chairman of the East
Pakistan Public Service Commission in March 1970. After
the liberation of Bangladesh he was made a member of the
National Pay Commission in 1972 and a member of the Industrial
Workers Wages Commission in 1973. In 1975 he was appointed
a member, with the rank and status of a cabinet minister,
in the president's council of advisors and was put in charge
of the Ministry of Works.
In the
performance of his duties in all assignments he always proved
his efficiency, honesty and high moral courage. In 1966 the
Government of Pakistan awarded him the title of 'Sitara-i-Pakistan'.
At the Sydney summit of the Commonwealth countries in 1981
he was chosen to become chairman of the Commonwealth Foundation
but before he could take up this high position he died on
6 November 1981 as a result of a car accident while on his
way from Pabna to Bogra. Among many other distinctions, he
was elected a fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Shams H Mahmud
Shams
H Mahmud is a Professor with the Department of Psychology,
University of Dhaka. He is also Hanse Institute of Advanced
Studies fellow in Neuroscience and Cognitive Sciences.
His
primary research interests are "Parallel detection of
orientation gratings and perceptual learning. " He has
also worked in the University of Bremen, Germany on this topic.
Prodip Bosu
Prodip Bosu is an Assistant Professor of the Department
of Neuroscience, Brain Institute, College of Medicine, University
of Florida. He is a M.D. from the University of Dhaka and
a Ph.D. University of Hong Kong. He is interested in spinal
cord injury and the medical aspects of rehabilitation, very
important for patients of traumatic hemiplegia/paraplegia.
In his own description, "the primary focus of my research
on spinal cord injury (SCI), and traumatic brain injury (TBI)
has been on understanding of motor neuroplasticity, and spasticity
following neurorehabilitation. My recent studies (funded by
Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation) based on rehabilitation
strategies utilizing locomotor activity to direct constructive
plasticity of spinal cord locomotor circuits by using treadmill,
and stationary bicycle training programs. These studies are
in progress in our laboratory to determine to what extent
the locomotor training induced improvements relate to modifying
the underlying neurophysiology, which type of training (treadmill
vs. cycling) can most effectively and efficiently produce
these changes, and how the nature and severity of the injury
affects the capacity of each training approach to influence
these fundamental neurophysiological processes. In particular,
these studies will address how these two rehabilitation strategies
initiate constructive plasticity of spinal locomotor circuits
specific to muscle motoneuron pool, segmental interneurons,
and the influence of descending controls and changes over
them."
Jagadish Chandra Bosu
(1858 - 1937)
Jagadish
Chandra Bosu was born on 30 November 1858, at Bikrampur
in Dhaka, Bangladesh. His father Bhagwan Chandra Bosu,
was the Deputy Magistrate of Faridpur district. But
more importantly, Bhagwan Bosu being a member of Brahma
Society was a free thinker and chaired a small freethinking
forum comprised the leading secular intellectuals
and professionals of East Bangla.So Jagadish's rational
and scientific mind was largely a legacy of the secular
culture prevailed in the Bosu family. |
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On completion of his secondary school, Jagadish moved to
Kolkata and enrolled in Physics (honors) program at St.
Xavier’s College. He finished his graduation with
distinction. Following his graduation, Jagadish left India
for his higher studies at Cambridge. At Cambridge Jagadish
assisted scientist Ralley at the Cavendish Laboratory.
In
1885, Jagadish obtained his BS from London University and
his Tripos from the Cambridge as well. Back home, Jagadish
joined Presidency College as a professor. Endowed with an
engineering bent of mind, Jagadish loved making scientific
instruments. In his boyhood, his father, Bhagwan Bosu had
opened a technical school where the teenager showed his
great talent in assembling technical instruments.
Towards the end of his life, with all his resources, Jagadish
founded the ‘Bosu Bigyan Mandir.’ Rabindranath
Thakur was one of Jagadish Bosu’s special friends.
It was Rabindranath Thakur who encouraged Jagadish Bosu
to share his scientific breakthrough with the world. Rabindranath
also helped Jagadish in raising funds for the Bosu Bigyan
Mandir (The Bosu Temple of Science). Jagadish Bosu founded
this center exclusively for the purpose of pursuing independent
scientific research. For a long time, this centre remained
the only center of its kind in India. Many important breakthroughs
came out this center. Jagadish Bosu, the greatest Bangalee
scientist of British India passed away on 23 November 1937
at Giridih.
Jogesh Chandra Ray
(1859-1956)
Jogesh Chandra Ray was a scientist, antiquarian, astrologer,
writer. He was born on 20 October 1859 at Dighra in Hughli.
He studied at Bankura Zilla School till his father's death,
when he returned to his native village. He passed the Entrance
(1879) from Burdwan Raj School, and the FA and BA (1882)
from Hughli College. After completing his MA in Botany in
1883 he joined as lecturer at Cuttack Ravenshaw College.
He also taught at Calcutta Madrasah College, Chittagong
College and Presidency
College for some time, then again at Cuttack Ravenshaw College
till his retirement in 1919. In 1920 he returned to Bankura.
His
writings were regularly published in the Prabasi, Sahitya,
Bangadarshan, and Bharatvarsa. He introduced omission of
joint alphabets in Bangla spellings and discovered the Bashuli
Chandidas Manuscript. He was a member of the Vangiya Sahitya
Prishad and for some time was its vice president and president.
He was a member of the Bijnan Parisad, Udbhid Vidya Parisad
and Utkal Sahitya Samaj. Among his books are Siddhanta Darpan
(1899), Amader Jyotisi O Jyotis (1903), Bangala Shabdakos
(4 Vols, 1908-1915), Bangla Bhasa (1908-1915), Puja Parvan
(1951), Ratna Pariksa, Chandidas Charita, Ancient Indian
Life (1948), Veder Devata O Krstikal (1954).
Jogesh
Chandra Ray was awarded the Vidyanidhi (1910) by the Pandit
Sabha of Puri, Rabindra Smrti Puraskar, Rampran Gupta Puraskar,
Jagattarini Svarna Padak by Calcutta University and Sarojini
Padak. Calcutta University awarded him an honorary doctorate.
He died on 30 July 1956.
