Abdul Karim Sahitya Bisharad

Abdul Karim (1871 – 1953), known as Abdul Karim Sahitya Bisharad, was a Bengali littérateur, historian of Bangla literature and collector and interpreter of old Bangla manuscripts.[1][2]

Abdul Karim Sahitya Bisharad
আবদুল করিম সাহিত্যবিশারদ
Born	c. 1871 Suchakradandi, Patiya Upazila, Chittagong District, Bengal Presidency, British India
Died	1953 (aged 81–82)
Occupation	Writer

Early life

Karim was born in Suchakradandi village, Patiya Upazila, Chittagong District. He passed his Entrance Examination in 1893 from Patiya High School. He served as a teacher in few schools. He later joined the office of the Divisional Commissioner of Chittagong and became Divisional Inspector of schools. He retired from the position in 1934.[1]

Literary career

Abdul Karim Sahitya Bisharad Reference Library at Chittagong University Museum

Karim had a special research interest in Muslim contribution to Bengali Literature in the medieval period. He collected puthis (old Bangla manuscripts). The Bangiya Sahitya Parisad published his catalog of Bengali manuscripts titled Bangala Prachin Puthir Bivaran in two volumes in 1920–21. The Department of Bengali of the University of Dhaka published a catalog of the manuscripts preserved in the University Library under the title Puthi Parichiti.[1]

Karim edited and published eleven old Bengali texts and a book on the history and culture of Chittagong, titled Islamabad. Daulat Qazi, Alaol, Syed Sultan and Muhamad Khan were notable Bengali poets. Karim discovered about a hundred Muslim poets whose names and works were not known before.[1]

Literary Association of Nadia honored him with the title of Sahitya Sagar and Chattal Dharmamandali Sabha gave him the title of Sahitya Visharad.[1]

Legacy

The Government of Bangladesh conferred Independence Day Award to Karim posthumously in 1995.[3]

References

1. Islam, Sirajul (2012). "Karim, Sahityavisharad Abdul". In Islam, Sirajul; Karim, Abdul (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
2. Khan, Salimullah (10 October 2015). "Abdul Karim's discoveries - Origins of modernity in Bengali literature". The Daily Star. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
3. "Independence Day Award" (PDF). Government of Bangladesh. Retrieved 23 September 2016.

Further reading

• Golpo Songroho (Collected Stories), the national textbook of B.A. (pass and subsidiary) course of Bangladesh, published by University of Dhaka in 1979 (reprint in 1986).
• Bangla Sahitya (Bengali Literature), the national textbook of the intermediate (college) level of Bangladesh published in 1996 by all educational boards.