Maksud, Syed Abul
Maksud, Syed Abul (1946-2021) Freedom Fighter, journalist, columnist, researcher, writer, poet and human rights activist. Syed Abul Maksud was born at Elachipur village in Shibalaya upazila of Manikganj district on 23 October 1946. He was the son of Saleha Begum and Syed Abul Mahmud. He spent his initial student years in his village and then studied in the University of Dhaka. During his university years he was involved with student politics; joined Chhatra Union but later he left student politics because he wanted to be a professional journalist.
Syed Abul Maksud started his career as a journalist at the weekly Nabajug published by Pakistan Socialist Party (PSP) in 1964. Then, for some time, he worked at the weekly Janata, the mouthpiece of the National Awami Party (NAP). Later, he took part in the Liberation War and worked as a correspondent at the Jai Bangla in 1971. As a professional journalist he joined 'Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha' (which was earlier the Dhaka Bureau of the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) in 1972 and resigned from its editorial department in 2004 on question of his one write-up protesting the militant attack on eminent writer Humayun Azad and the then BNP-Jamaat’s patronage of extremism. He was also the founding editor of the daily Suprabhat Bangladesh published from Chittagong.
Syed Abul Maksud wrote mainly poetry, travelogues, literary critiques and had regularly published columns on politics, society, literature and the culture of Bangladesh. He also conducted extensive research on the work of eminent litterateurs and politicians such as Rabindranath Tagore, Buddhadeva Bose, Syed Waliullah, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani. His notable works include 'Juddho o Manusher Murkhota' (1988), 'Gandhi, Nehru and Noakhali' (2008), 'Dhakae Buddhadeb Basu' (2011), 'Rabindranather Dharmatatwa o Darshan' (2012), 'Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhasani' (1994) and 'Dhaka Bishshobiddyaloy o Bangladesher Ucchoshikkha'. He was conferred the Bangla Academy Award in 1995 for his contribution to Bengali literature.
Syed Abul Maksud breathed his last on 23 February 2021 due to COVID-19. He left behind his wife, a daughter and a son. [Gobinda Chakraborty]
