Islam, Nawab Sirajul

Islam, Nawab Sirajul (1845-1923) Lawyer and social-worker. Sirajul Islam was born at Pearakandi, a flourishing village under Nabinagar upazila of Brahmanbaria district. His father Kazi Mohammad Kazem was said to have been a Sadar Amin (revenue-judicial officer) under the company government. Sirajul Islam graduated from Dhaka College in 1867 and started his career as an Assistant Headmaster of pogose school, a famous Armenian institution of Dhaka. Later, he obtained the BL degree and joined the Calcutta High Court Bar in 1873. In 1885, he was elected an Assistant Secretary of the central national muhamedan association. Earlier, he had been elected a Commissioner of the Calcutta Municipality in 1875. In 1893 and 1902 he worked as a nominated member of the Bengal Legislative Council. Sirajul Islam was an honorary member of the Bengal Provincial Educational Conference, in those days an influential forum for moulding public opinion. He was also a nominated member of the Calcutta University Syndicate.

Sirajul Islam himself was against the partition of bengal, 1905 and condemned it in a meeting organised by the Central National Muhamedan Association held in 1904 in Calcutta. However, he changed his mind about the partition subsequently. In appreciation of his services to his community and to the British Raj he was conferred the title of 'Nawab' in 1911. Earlier, he had received the title of 'Khan Bahadur' in 1887. Nawab Sirajul Islam died in 1923 in Kolkata and is buried there. [Golam Kibria Bhuihan]