Rashid Askari

Harun-Ur-Rashid Askari (born 1 June 1965), known as Rashid Askari, is a Bengali-English writer, fictionist, columnist, translator, media personality and an academic in Bangladesh.[1] He is the current and the 12th vice-chancellor of Islamic University, Bangladesh in Kushtia.[2]

Harun-Ur-Rashid Askari
রাশিদ আসকারী
Vice-Chancellor of Islamic University, Bangladesh
Assumed office
21 August 2016
Personal details
Born (1965-06-01) 1 June 1965
Askarpur, Mithapukur, Rangpur, East Pakistan, Present day Bangladesh
NationalityBangladeshi
Alma mater
OccupationWriter, fictionist, columnist, university academic, media personality
Signature

Early life and education

Askari was born in Askarpur, Mithapukur, Rangpur in erstwhile East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1965 to M. A. Mannan, an English teacher and headmaster, and Setara Begum, a housewife. Rashid passed the secondary school and higher secondary certificate examinations in 1980 and 1982 with merit. He "obtained Honours and Master’s degrees in English from Dhaka University with distinction, and a PhD in Indian English Literature from the University of Poona".[3]

Career

Askari joined Islamic University, Kushtia as a lecturer in English in 1990. He became a professor in 2005 and was head of the English department more than once. He served with King Khalid University - the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a professor of English for five years (2008-2013). Askari later became a writer. His "debut as a writer was marked in 1996 by his book The Dying Homeland. Until recently, he has authored seven books, and edited three volumes of English Writings of Rabindranath Tagore (2012-2013) published in commemoration of the 150th birth anniversary of the poet. He has also written a large number of articles, essays and newspaper columns on a great variety of themes ranging from national to international and colonial to postcolonial, which have been published at home and abroad".[4] He was elected the Secretary General of Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers' Association for 2014.[5] He was "made new chairman of Folklore Studies Department of the university in Kushtia".[6] Askari has been nominated as a part-time member of the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh (UGC).[7] He is working as a member of "the international publication and translation sub-committee" under "Bangabandhu’s Birth Centenary Celebration National Implementation Committee" [8] and translated Sheikh Mujib's 10 January speech delivered at the Race Course into English.[9]

He is a peer reviewer and a Quality Assurance (QA) expert nominated by the Quality Assurance Unit of the Government of People's Republic of Bangladesh.[10] "...Askari regularly writes columns in various newspapers"...[3] "The areas of his academic interest include Modern and Postmodern Fiction, Colonial and Postcolonial Literatures, South-Asian Writing in English, Literary Theories and Creative Writing".[11] In the recent past "Askari has been accorded gold medal for his contribution to advancement of education sector" in Bangladesh.[12][13] He has also received "Janonetri Sheikh Hasina Award 2019" for his outstanding contribution to education sector,[14] and "won the Dhaka University Alumni News Award 2020".[15]

Writing style

Askari had a flair for creative writing since his school days.[16] An unsigned profile in The Kushtia Times stated that Askari writes "both Bengali and English with equal ease and efficiency".[17] Bangladeshi novelist and critic Syed Manzoorul Islam notes: "He writes witty, racy stories with surprisingly serious undertones. Picking real-life events from the remote areas and the marginal people of the country and weaving them into various fictional forms are the hallmarks of his storytelling. ... Though not new in a ground-breaking way, his stories are both intense and original. The overall tone of his language is gently sarcastic ...".[18] "Dr. Askari has demonstrated enough artistic talent to come up with fiction in English, which must be a source of inspiration for many of us".[19] In his short story collection Nineteen Seventy One and Other Stories(2011) "Rashid Askari speaks of a long-ago war, revisiting the age of brutality we emerged free of through beating back the denizens of darkness".[20] The book has been translated into French Language and also into Hindi"[21]. His story "The Disclosure" was published in the emerging and seasoned writers publishing platform Kitaab'.[22] Another story "The virgin whore" was published in the New York City and India based magazine Cafe Dissensus[23]. His short story "Virus" was published in the Daily Sun's Eid Special 2017 and “A slice of sky” has been published in the Contemporary Literary Review India (CLRI), a peer-reviewed , internationally refereed and high impact factor journal.[24] "Sharp and minute detailed description of human behaviour, and pictorial presentation of events and settings in his carefully chosen words demonstrate Rashid Askari’s mastery in story writing/telling," says the President of the International Consortium for Social Development and Professor of Social Work at Charles Sturt University, NSW, Australia, Dr. Manohar Pawar.[25]

Bibliography

Books
  • Mumūrṣu shadēśa (The Dying Homeland), 1996
  • Indō-inrēji sāhitya ō an'yān'ya (Indo-English Literature and Others), 1996
  • Ēkālēra rūpakathā (Today's Folktale), 1997
  • Binirmita bhābanā (Deconstructing Thoughts), 2001
  • Uttarādhunika sāhitya ō samālōcanā tattba (Postmodern Literary and Critical Theory), 2002
  • Peoples, Politics, Culture, Literature, Liberation War, War Crimes, and Militancy in Bangladesh, 2010
  • Nineteen seventy one and other stories: a collection of short stories, 2011
  • English Writings of Tagore(3 volumes), 2012-13

Short stories
  • Lottery, 2011
  • Nineteen seventy one, 2011
  • Jihad, 2012
  • Locked-in Syndrome, 2012
  • Virus, 2017
  • The Disclosure, 2019
  • The virgin whore, 2019
  • A slice of sky, 2019

Articles
  • —— (December 2011). "Future of literature: Global Art-Malady and its Consequences" (PDF). Litsearch. M. A. Hafiz Siddiqui. 1 (1): 1–4. ISSN 2277-6990.
  • —— (15 December 2007). "War crime and the criminal". The Brunei Times.
  • —— (14 March 2012). "Eve-teasing in Bangladesh: Crime and punishment". African Herald Express. Archived from the original on 15 March 2012.
  • —— (14 March 2012). "Psychological torture on women and the legal cure". African Herald Express. Archived from the original on 18 March 2012.
  • —— (10 April 2012). "Population explosion and the fate of mankind". African Herald Express. Archived from the original on 22 April 2012.
  • —— (10 May 2012). "Bangladesh's conquest of the sea: a daunting prospect". African Herald Express. Archived from the original on 29 June 2012.
  • —— (17 February 2013). "Historic 21 February and the birth of a nation". African Herald Express.
  • —— (5 May 2013). "The biggest industrial disaster in Bangladesh". African Herald Express. Archived from the original on 15 June 2013.
  • —— ( January 2012). "Tipaimukh Dam and Indian Hydropolitics".[26]

Newspaper columns
  • -- (28 February, 2018). "Bangla Should Be a UN Language".[27]
  • -- (13th February, 2018). "Valentine’s Day and an Anatomy of Love".[28]
  • -- (3 November, 2018). "Dhaka Translation Fest: A Window on the World".[29]
  • -- (24 October, 2018). "Rabindranath, Bangladesh and the Bangalee Diaspora"[30]
  • -- (10 May, 2018). "Tagore And Bangladesh"[31]
  • -- (28 April, 2018). "Poet Belal Chowdhury: Our Grand Old Man of Poesy"[32]
  • -- (10 January, 2020). "We don’t know defeat"[33]
  • -- (3 November, 2019). "Establishing Int’l Publication and Translation Institute is a matter of urgency"[34]
  • -- (24 October, 2019). "Bangladesh and the Uncrowned Queen of Development"
  • -- (22 September, 2019). "7th ICSDAP Conference on Social Unrest, Peace and Development"[35]
  • -- (30 March, 2020). "Life in the Time of Corona"[36]
  • -- (31 March, 2020). "Corona-phobia: Times of Stress and Angst"[37]

Book review
  • “The Story of an Inspirational Figure”- a review by Askari of the biography of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by Syed Badrul Ahsan published by the Embassy of Bangladesh, Washington D.C. News on 15 Jan 2014.
  • A review of his book “Nineteen Seventy One” published by Rubric Publishing, New Delhi, India in 2019  has been published in the March–April 2019 edition of Indian Literature published by Sahitya Akademi, India.[38]
  • A review of the book “Nineteen Seventy One” published by the International Journal of Community and Social Development, written by Dr. Manohar Pawar, Professor of Social Work at Charles Sturt University, NSW, Australia, and the President of the International Consortium for Social Development.[39]

Personal life

Askari was married to Masuma Ferdous in 1994 and has two children.

Awards
  • Askari has been awarded the Oitijjo Gold Medal 2019 by Bangladesh Folklore Research Centre of Rajshahi University for his contribution to the fields of literature and education.[40][41]
  • He has also received "Janonetri Sheikh Hasina Award 2019" for his outstanding contribution to education sector.[42]
  • Rashid Askari won the Dhaka University Alumni News Award 2020[43]

References
  1. "A brief history of Bangladeshi writing in English". The Missing Slate. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  2. "Rashid Askari made IU VC". New Age. 22 August 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  3. "A Talk with IU VC". Daily Sun. Dhaka. 18 September 2016. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017.
  4. "Rashid Askari – Sangat Book Review". Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  5. "Farid made president, Rashid secy gen of FBUTA". New Age. Dhaka. BSS. 9 March 2014.
  6. "IU Folklore Dept gets new chairman". The Financial Express. Dhaka. BSS. 21 January 2016.
  7. "Dr Rashid Askari nominated UGC part-time member". Daily Sun. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  8. Mosharrof. "Coffee table book to be published on Bangabandhu | Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS)". Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  9. "'We don't know defeat'". The Daily Star. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  10. "Peer Reviewers Panel (QA experts)" (PDF). Quality Assurance Unit, University Grants Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2016.
  11. "Rashid Askari – Sangat Book Review".
  12. "Abul Hossain, Askari awarded for contribution to education sector". Daily Sun. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  13. "IU VC got PBA gold medal | The Asian Age Online, Bangladesh". The Asian Age. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  14. "IU VC awarded 'Jononetri Sheikh Hasina Sommanona Padak-2019'". Daily Sun. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  15. Developer), Md Ashequl Morsalin Ibne Kamal(Team Leader)| Niloy Saha(Sr Web Developer)| Shohana Afroz(Web Developer)| Jobayer Hossain(Web. "IU VC wins DU Alumni News Award". unb.com.bd. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  16. "Rashid Askari – Sangat Book Review". Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  17. "Profile of the week--Dr. Rashid Askari: Fiction writer, critic, columnist, teacher, and social analyst". The Kushtia Times. 9 January 2012.
  18. Islam, Syed Manzoorul (16 February 2012). "Nineteen seventy one and other stories: a collection of short stories". Dhaka Courier. Archived from the original on 23 May 2013.
  19. "A Talk with IU VC". Daily Sun. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  20. "A chronicler of the human soul". Dhaka Tribune. 22 August 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  21. Desk, BD Post (1 December 2018). "IU VC's book translated into French". A Daily with a Difference | Latest Online English Daily among Bangladesh Newspapers. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  22. Chakravarty, Mitali (12 October 2019). "Short Story: The Disclosure". kitaab. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  23. WordPress.com, Blog at (31 March 2019). "Short Story: The virgin whore". Cafe Dissensus Everyday. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  24. Askari, Dr Rashid (5 November 2019). "A Slice of Sky". Contemporary Literary Review India. 6 (4): 68–91. ISSN 2394-6075.
  25. Pawar, Manohar (1 December 2019). "Askari Rashid, Nineteen Seventy One: Short Stories". The International Journal of Community and Social Development. 1 (4): 357–358. doi:10.1177/2516602619889245. ISSN 2516-6026.
  26. "Forum". archive.thedailystar.net. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  27. "Bangla Should Be a UN Language". Daily Sun. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  28. "Valentine's Day and an Anatomy of Love". Daily Sun. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  29. "Dhaka Translation Fest: A Window on the World". Daily Sun. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  30. "Rabindranath, Bangladesh and the Bangalee Diaspora". Daily Sun. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  31. "Tagore and Bangladesh – Different Truths". Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  32. "Poet Belal Chowdhury: Our Grand Old Man of Poesy". Daily Sun. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  33. "'We don't know defeat'". The Daily Star. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  34. "Establishing Int'l Publication and Translation Institute is a matter of urgency". Daily Sun. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  35. WordPress.com, Blog at (22 September 2019). "7th ICSDAP Conference on Social Unrest, Peace and Development". Cafe Dissensus Everyday. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  36. WordPress.com, Create a free website or blog at (29 March 2020). "Life in the Time of Corona". Cafe Dissensus Everyday. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  37. "Corona-phobia: Times of Stress and Angst". Daily Sun. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  38. "Nineteen seventy one and other stories - Book Review - observerbd.com". The Daily Observer. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  39. Pawar, Manohar (1 December 2019). "Askari Rashid, Nineteen Seventy One: Short Stories". The International Journal of Community and Social Development. 1 (4): 357–358. doi:10.1177/2516602619889245. ISSN 2516-6026.
  40. "Abul Hossain, Askari awarded for contribution to education sector". Daily Sun. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  41. "IU VC Dr. Rashid Askari awarded 'Oitijjha Gold Medal'". OurtimeBD. 16 April 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  42. "IU VC awarded 'Jononetri Sheikh Hasina Sommanona Padak-2019'". Daily Sun. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  43. "IU VC wins DU Alumni News Award | The Asian Age Online, Bangladesh". The Asian Age. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
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