The basic responsibility of a writer is to make the nation dream and to be sentient politically.
Hence, Pablo Neruda urged to developing nations that, “no literature is possible without politics.”
Abul Mansur Ahmed had a similar understanding of it. Being influenced by Netaji Shuvash Chandra on the issue of a divided Bengal and standing firmly against the division of Bengal, he finally supported Pakistan only for the existence of the Muslim Bengali.
If we scrutinise the life of Abul Mansur Ahmed, innumerable adjectives would easily come up.
Having exceptional intellectual abilities, he became a successful writer, journalist, and politician, and proved that literature is not isolated from politics.
Before the severance of the sub-continent, he became a minister and proved his excellence as a politician.
He felt the necessity of establishing an autonomous Bengali state with the influence of Netaji Shuvash Chandra Basu.
This level of awareness, especially political awareness, was not present in most writers in this era.
Even in the autobiography of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, it has been urged that the 6-Points Program was made from the extraction of the 21-Points Program written by Abul Monsur Ahmed.
In spite of having these contributions from Abul Mansur Ahmed, we have not seen any work on him, and no predecessor has been interested to write down accounts of him in decades.
After this long interval, finally a young writer became interested in publishing a book on him called Abul Mansur Ahmed Sharakgrontho.
With satire, Abul Mansur Ahmed always tried to attack the traditional hypocrisy of society which we know as formal etiquette. In the book’s literary part, the satire writing of Abul Mansur has been highlighted.
A writer represents national spirit, and Abul Mansur Ahmed’s contribution in journalism, politics, and writing always fulfilled it, as said by critic Dibbotduti Sarker.
Abul Mansur Ahmed, throughout his life and through all his writings, had tried to convince his readers to think freely and creatively, so that they could build moral development and self-respect
Abul Mansur was always concerned about the Bengali Muslim and Bengali nation.
From this affection, he differentiated between the Muslims of East Pakistan and West Pakistan. We can say that arguments against him as being pro-Pakistan are broken down.
We know that the creation of debate is the nature of intellectual argument, but breaking it down is the level of excellence that few can attain.
In the remembrance part of the book, writings by Mahbub Anam, Mahfuz Anam, and Ashraf Uddin Farzi draw out attention on Abul Mansur Ahmed’s responsibility as a father, as a writer, and lastly as a true patriot.
Here, Mahfuz Anam cites that Abul Mansur Ahmed, throughout his life and through all his writings, had tried to convince his readers to think freely and creatively, so that they could build moral development and self-respect.
In this volume, renowned intellectuals including Mohammad Moniruzzaman, Rafiqul Islam, Abul Kalam Manzur Morshed, Jatin Sarkar, Syed Abul Maksud, Sajjad Kadir, Nurul Amin and so on, have contributed.
All the writings will draw the attention of any interested reader, and focus on specific and extensive contributions of Abul Mansur Ahmed, though a few of them were written decades ago. Most of the writings which are selected discuss the satire directly.
Along with this, the inclusion of the 21 articles that Abul Mansur Ahmed added in the election manifesto of Jukto Front in 1953 is a must-read.
It is argued that the 6 articles of Bangabandhu is the extraction of these 21 articles, and it would provide clear understanding for the reader about the intellectual capability of this great thinker.
Last but not least, special thanks go to the editorial board members, especially professor Rafiqul Islam, Sayed Shamsul Haque, Professor Anisuzzaman, Shamsuzzaman Khan, and Sayed Abul Maksud.
Harunur Rashid is a researcher and former academic.
