Rashid Askari

Last updated

Harun-Ur-Rashid Askari
রাশিদ আসকারী
Rashid Askari updated picture.jpg
Rashid Askari
12th Vice-Chancellor of Islamic University, Bangladesh
In office
21 August 2016 –20 August 2020
Personal details
Born (1965-06-01) 1 June 1965 (age 58)
Askarpur, Mithapukur, Rangpur, East Pakistan, Present day Bangladesh
Alma mater
OccupationWriter, fictionist, columnist, university academic, media personality
Signature raashid aaskaariir sbaakssr.png

Harun-Ur-Rashid Askari (born 1 June 1965), known as Rashid Askari, is a writer, columnist, media personality, and an academic in Bangladesh. [1] He was the 12th vice-chancellor of Islamic University, Bangladesh. [2] Among post-1990s Bangladeshi writers, He is easily on par with the major ones who gained identical and impressive mastery over both Bangla and English. [3]

Contents

Early life and education

Rashid Askari was born in Askarpur, Mithapukur, Rangpur in former East Pakistan in 1965. He passed the secondary school certificate examinations and higher secondary certificate examinations in 1980 and 1982. He has obtained Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in English from Dhaka University with distinction, and a PhD in Indian English Literature from the University of Poona". [4]

Career

Rashid Askari joined as a lecturer in English at Islamic University, Bangladesh in 1990.[ citation needed ] He became promoted as Head of the English department and professor in 2005 and promoted to the position of the dean of the Faculty of Arts. [5] He served with King Khalid University - the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a professor of English for five years (2008-2013). His debut as a writer was marked in 1996 by his book The Dying Homeland. 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". [6] He is the editor of Bangladesh's first multilingual international literary magazine, The Archer. [7] He was elected the Secretary General of Federation of Bangladesh University Teachers' Association for 2014. [8] He was also elected chairman of folklore studies department of the Islamic University in Kushtia". [9] Rashid Askari has been nominated as a part-time member of the University Grants Commission of Bangladesh (UGC). [10] He is working as a member of the international publication and translation sub-committee under "Bangabandhu's Birth Centenary Celebration National Implementation Committee" [11] and translated Sheikh Mujib's 10 January speech delivered at the Race Course into English. [12] He also translated in English Sheikh Mujib's UN speech on 25 September 1974. [13]

He is a peer reviewer and a Quality Assurance (QA) expert nominated by the Quality Assurance Unit of the Government of Bangladesh. [14] "Askari regularly writes columns in various newspapers". [4] "The areas of his academic interest include Modern and Postmodern Fiction, Colonial and Postcolonial Literature, South-Asian Writing in English, Literary Theories and Creative Writing". [15] In the recent past "Askari has been accorded gold medal for his contribution to advancement of education sector" in Bangladesh. [16] [17] He has also received "Janonetri Sheikh Hasina Award 2019" for his outstanding contribution to education sector, [18] and "won the Dhaka University Alumni News Award 2020". [19]

Writing style

Askari had a flair for creative writing since his school days. [20] An unsigned profile in The Kushtia Times stated that Askari writes "both Bengali and English with equal ease and efficiency". [21] 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. [22]

Askari has demonstrated enough artistic talent to come up with fiction in English, which must be a source of inspiration for many of us". [23] 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". [24] "The book contains a dozen of mind-blowing stories mostly based on realistic events that took place either in faraway villages or the bustling metropolis in Bangladesh. However, the regional fictional representation does not evade universal significance." [25] The book has been translated into French Language and also into Hindi". [26] 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. [27] Askari wrote the intellectual biography of the country's founding president Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,  which is "based on authentic background information, factual accounts of events, historical research and clear elegant prose". [28] He edited the English version of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s book My Father, My Bangladesh published in Amar Ekushey Book Fair 2021. [29] "Sharp and minute detailed description of human behavior, 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, Manohar Pawar. [30] "There is a postcolonial undertone in the author’s approach by way of debunking the ugly face of the petty-colonial power in the saddle after 1947". [3] "Like most postcolonial writers, his choice of English makes him at once an insider and an outsider – a member of the social elite, who writes about the subaltern." [31] Askari's "sensible uses of stylistics can make it pure theory or theory equal." [32]

Bibliography

Books

Short stories

Articles

Newspaper columns

Book review

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheikh Mujibur Rahman</span> Founding father of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, popularly known by the honorific prefix Bangabandhu was a Bangladeshi politician, revolutionary, statesman, activist and diarist. As a politician, Mujib had held continuous positions as president or prime minister from April 1971 until his assassination in August 1975: as president from 1971 to 1972 and briefly from 1975 until his death, and as prime minister from 1972 to 1975. Mujib successfully led the Bangladeshi independence movement and restored the Bengali sovereignty after over two centuries following the Battle of Plassey in 1757, for which he is honoured as the 'Father of the Nation' in Bangladesh. In 2011, the fifteenth constitutional amendment in Bangladesh referred to Sheikh Mujib as the Father of the Nation who declared independence; these references were enshrined in the fifth, sixth, and seventh schedules of the constitution. His Bengali nationalist ideology, socio-political theories, and political doctrines are sometimes called Mujibism.

Syed Faruque Rahman was a coup member involved in toppling the Sheikh Mujib regime in Bangladesh. He was convicted and hanged on 28 January 2010 along with co-conspirators Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, A.K.M. Mohiuddin Ahmed, Mohiuddin Ahmed, and Mohammad Bazlul Huda in Dhaka Central Jail, Old Dhaka, for the murder of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founder and first President of Bangladesh. Syed Faruque Rahman and his close ally Khondaker Abdur Rashid were the chief organisers of the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 15 August 1975. He was 2IC of the 1st Bengal Lancers Regiment of the Bangladesh Army who led a group of junior army officers in-order to overthrew the regime of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and installed Khondaker Mushtaque Ahmed as President of Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman</span> 1975 murder in Dhaka, Bangladesh

The first president of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and most of his family were killed during the early hours of 15 August 1975 by a group of young Bangladesh Army personnel who invaded his Dhanmondi 32 residence as part of a coup d'état. Minister of Commerce Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad immediately took control of the government and proclaimed himself president. The assassination marked the first direct military intervention in Bangladesh's civilian administration-centric politics. 15 August is National Mourning Day, an official national holiday in Bangladesh.

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical College (BSMMC), formerly known as Faridpur Medical College, is one of the prestigious public medical colleges located in Faridpur, Bangladesh. It is affiliated with the University of Dhaka as a constituent medical college.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheikh Kamal</span> Son of a President of Bangladesh (1949–1975)

Sheikh Kamal was the eldest son of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, former President of Bangladesh and the younger brother of Sheikh Hasina, the current Prime Minister of Bangladesh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University</span> Public medical university in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) is a graduate medical university in Bangladesh. It was established in 1965. The university offers postgraduate degrees only, not offering undergraduate medical or dental degrees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic University, Bangladesh</span> Public university in Bangladesh

Islamic University, Bangladesh commonly referred to as Islamic University, Kushtia shortly IU, is a public PhD granting research university in Kushtia, Bangladesh and the largest seat of higher education in the south-west part of the country. This university in Bangladesh stands as the sole institution offering a unique program in Theology, alongside seven other academic divisions/faculties: Engineering and Technology, Humanities, Social Sciences, Sciences, Biological Sciences, Business Administration, and Law, all coexisting within a diverse and multicultural environment. It is financed by the Government of Bangladesh through University Grants Commission, Bangladesh. On 22 November 1979, the foundation of the Islamic University was set up in Kushtia, and it is operated under the Islamic University Act of 1980. Islamic University began operations on 28 June 1986. It holds the distinction of being the seventh most ancient educational institution in the nation, serving as Bangladesh's inaugural university post-independence from Pakistan in 1971. It offers undergraduate, graduate, M Phil and PhD degrees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7 March Speech of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman</span> 1971 speech by the Founding Father of Bangladesh

The 7th March Speech of Bangabandhu, or the 7/3 Speech, was a public speech given by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Founding Father of Bangladesh on 7 March 1971 at the Ramna Race Course in Dhaka to a gathering of over two million (2,000,000) people. It was delivered during a period of escalating tensions between East Pakistan and the powerful political and military establishment of West Pakistan. In the speech, Bangabandhu informally declared the independence of Bangladesh, proclaiming: "The struggle this time, is a struggle for our liberty. The struggle this time, is a struggle for our independence." He announced a civil disobedience movement in the province, calling for "every house to turn into a fortress".

<i>The Unfinished Memoirs</i> Autobiography by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, founding father of Bangladesh

The Unfinished Memoirs is the autobiography by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Father of the nation of Bangladesh.

Bangladeshi English literature (BEL) refers to the body of literary work written in the English language in Bangladesh and the Bangladeshi diaspora. In academia, it is also now referred to as Bangladeshi Writing in English (BWE). Early prominent Bengali writers in English included Ram Muhan Roy, Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Begum Rokeya and Rabindranath Tagore. In 1905, Begum Rokeya (1880–1932) wrote Sultana's Dream, one of the world's earliest examples of feminist science fiction. Modern writers of the Bangladeshi diaspora include Tahmima Anam, Neamat Imam, Monica Ali and Zia Haider Rahman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib</span> First Lady of Bangladesh and the wife of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

Begum Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib, commonly known as Begum Mujib; and also known by her daak naam Renu, was the wife of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the first President of Bangladesh. She was the mother of Sheikh Hasina, who is now Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She was assassinated with her husband, brother-in-law, 3 sons and 2 daughters-in-law. Her elder sister was Sheikh Jinnatunnesa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sheikh Rehana</span> Bangladeshi politician

Sheikh Rehana Siddiq is a Bangladesh Awami League politician. She is the younger sister of the current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the daughter of the first President of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. She is also the mother of Tulip Siddiq, a British Labour Party politician and elected Member of Parliament (MP) for the Hampstead and Kilburn constituency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangabandhu Memorial Museum</span> Museum in Dhaka, Bangladesh

Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, also known as Bangabandhu Bhaban or Dhanmondi 32, located in Dhanmondi, Dhaka, Bangladesh, was the personal residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was also called Bangabandhu, the founder and president of Bangladesh. Rahman was assassinated with most members of his family in this residence. In 2009, RAJUK declared the museum a national heritage site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">15 August 1975 Bangladeshi coup d'état</span> First military coup in Bangladesh

The 15 August 1975 Bangladesh coup d'état was a military coup launched by mid ranking army officers in Bangladesh on 15 August 1975. The officers were part of a conspiracy to assassinate Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Founding Father of Bangladesh, who led the independence struggle during the Bangladesh Liberation War and later served as the first and fourth President and later in between his two presidential terms served as the second Prime Minister of Bangladesh from April 1971 until his assassination in August 1975. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members were killed during the coup, with the exception of his two daughters Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana.

Bangabandhu Memorial Trust is a trust in Bangladesh that was created to remember Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is the chair of the trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moslemuddin</span>

MoslemuddinKhan, also known as Rafiqul Islam Khan, is a Bangladeshi army officer who was convicted for his role in the 15 August 1975 Bangladeshi coup and the subsequent jail killings. He was sentenced to death in absentia and is currently a fugitive.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kanak Kanti Barua</span> Bangladeshi neurosurgeon and Vice-chancellor (born 1953)

Kanak Kanti Barua is a Bangladeshi neurosurgeon and academic. He has served as the 10th Vice Chancellor of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University(BSMMU).

<i>Mujib: The Making of a Nation</i> 2023 Bengali biopic by Shyam Benegal

Mujib: The Making of a Nation is a 2023 Bangladeshi-Indian epic biographical film which follows the life of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father and first president of Bangladesh who is popularly known as Bangabandhu (lit. 'friend of Bengal'. It was directed by Shyam Benegal and stars Arifin Shuvoo in the titular role.

References

  1. ↑ "A brief history of Bangladeshi writing in English". The Missing Slate. 1 October 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2017.
  2. ↑ Sun, Daily (21 August 2016). "Rashid Askari made IU VC". daily-sun. Archived from the original on 23 August 2019.
  3. 1 2 Toimoor, Muhammad Alamgir (9 December 2013). "Reflecting on post-war days". The Daily Star (Opinion). Retrieved 7 August 2021.
  4. 1 2 "A Talk with IU VC". Daily Sun. Dhaka. 18 September 2016. Archived from the original on 6 March 2017.
  5. ↑ "IU Arts Faculty gets new dean". New Age. Archived from the original on 23 June 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  6. ↑ "Rashid Askari – Sangat Book Review" . Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  7. ↑ "The Archer: First ever multilingual int'l literary magazine in country - Education - observerbd.com". The Daily Observer. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  8. ↑ "Farid made president, Rashid secy gen of FBUTA". New Age. Dhaka. BSS. 9 March 2014.
  9. ↑ "IU Folklore Dept gets new chairman". The Financial Express. Dhaka. BSS. 21 January 2016.
  10. ↑ "Dr Rashid Askari nominated UGC part-time member". Daily Sun. Retrieved 28 October 2019.
  11. ↑ Mosharrof. "Coffee table book to be published on Bangabandhu". Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  12. ↑ "'We don't know defeat'". The Daily Star. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  13. ↑ "Bangabandhu's historic 1974 UN speech by Askari". The Independent. Dhaka.
  14. ↑ "Peer Reviewers Panel (QA experts)" (PDF). Quality Assurance Unit, University Grants Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 September 2016.
  15. ↑ "Rashid Askari – Sangat Book Review".
  16. ↑ "Abul Hossain, Askari awarded for contribution to education sector". Daily Sun. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  17. ↑ "IU VC got PBA gold medal". The Asian Age. Bangladesh. Retrieved 17 April 2019.
  18. ↑ "IU VC awarded 'Jononetri Sheikh Hasina Sommanona Padak-2019'". Daily Sun. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
  19. ↑ "IU VC wins DU Alumni News Award". UNB. Retrieved 14 April 2020.
  20. ↑ "Rashid Askari – Sangat Book Review" . Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  21. ↑ "Profile of the week--Dr. Rashid Askari: Fiction writer, critic, columnist, teacher, and social analyst". The Kushtia Times. 9 January 2012.
  22. ↑ 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.
  23. ↑ "A Talk with IU VC". Daily Sun. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  24. ↑ "A chronicler of the human soul". Dhaka Tribune (Op-ed). 22 August 2019. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  25. ↑ "The Harrowing Tales of Bangladesh Liberation War". Dhaka Courier. Retrieved 27 October 2021.
  26. ↑ "IU VC's book translated into French". A Daily with a Difference | Latest Online English Daily among Bangladesh Newspapers. 1 December 2018. Retrieved 6 April 2019.
  27. ↑ Askari, Dr Rashid (5 November 2019). "A Slice of Sky". Contemporary Literary Review India. 6 (4): 68–91. ISSN   2394-6075.
  28. ↑ "IU teacher's book 'The Making of Mujib' published | The Asian Age Online, Bangladesh". The Asian Age. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  29. ↑ "Ex-IU VC Prof Rashid Askari edits PM's book 'My Father, My Bangladesh". Daily Sun. Retrieved 25 March 2021.
  30. 1 2 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.
  31. ↑ WordPress.com, Create a free website or blog at (15 April 2018). "Book Review: Rashid Askari's 'Nineteen Seventy One and Other Stories'". Cafe Dissensus Everyday. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
  32. ↑ Hupp, Stephen (October 1997). "SIRS Government Reporter". Electronic Resources Review. 1 (10): 113–114. doi:10.1108/err.1997.1.10.113.95. ISSN   1364-5137.
  33. ↑ Askari, Dr Rashid (3 August 2011). "Lottery -- A Short Story by Dr Rashid Askari". Contemporary Literary Review India. Archived from the original on 5 October 2013.
  34. ↑ "Jihad". Daily Sun. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  35. ↑ Chakravarty, Mitali (12 October 2019). "Short Story: The Disclosure". kitaab. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  36. ↑ WordPress.com, Blog at (31 March 2019). "Short Story: The virgin whore". Cafe Dissensus Everyday. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  37. ↑ "Forum". archive.thedailystar.net. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  38. ↑ "Tipaimukh Dam and Indian Hydropolitics". Forum. The Daily Star. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
  39. ↑ "Intellectual killing and the war crimes of 1971". The Daily Star. 14 December 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  40. ↑ "Mujib and the Declaration of Independence". The Daily Star. 15 August 2007. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  41. ↑ "The founder of Bangladesh". The Daily Star. 15 August 2010. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  42. ↑ "Liberation War facts". The Daily Star. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  43. ↑ "Tagore poetry in English". The Daily Star. 17 September 2011. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  44. ↑ "The crowded planet and the fate of mankind". The Daily Observer. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  45. ↑ "Bangladesh and the blue economy". The Daily Observer. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  46. ↑ "Bangla Should Be a UN Language". Daily Sun. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  47. ↑ "Valentine's Day and an Anatomy of Love". Daily Sun. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  48. ↑ "Dhaka Translation Fest: A Window on the World". Daily Sun. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  49. ↑ "Rabindranath, Bangladesh and the Bangalee Diaspora". Daily Sun. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  50. ↑ "Tagore and Bangladesh – Different Truths" . Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  51. ↑ "Poet Belal Chowdhury: Our Grand Old Man of Poesy". Daily Sun. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  52. ↑ "The birth of Dhaka Translation Fest (DTF)". Dhaka Courier. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  53. ↑ "'We don't know defeat'". The Daily Star. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  54. ↑ "Establishing Int'l Publication and Translation Institute is a matter of urgency". Daily Sun. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  55. ↑ WordPress.com, Blog at (22 September 2019). "7th ICSDAP Conference on Social Unrest, Peace and Development". Cafe Dissensus Everyday. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  56. ↑ "Bangabandhu's 7 March Speech: The Power of Spoken Word". Daily Sun. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  57. ↑ 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.
  58. ↑ "Corona-phobia: Times of Stress and Angst". Daily Sun. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  59. ↑ "The plague of COVID-19". New Age. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  60. ↑ "The essential Vidyasagar: (On his 200th birth anniversary)". Dhaka Courier. Retrieved 24 February 2021.
  61. ↑ "A flower born to blush unseen". The Independent. Dhaka. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
  62. ↑ "Dialogue of Asian civilizations: Uniting Asia and beyond". Dhaka Courier. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  63. ↑ "Why write fiction in English". www.observerbd.com. Retrieved 21 March 2021.
  64. ↑ "Nineteen seventy one and other stories - Book Review". The Daily Observer. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  65. ↑ Nesa, Meherun (9 June 2022). "An intellectual biography of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman". The Daily Star. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  66. ↑ "Abul Hossain, Askari awarded for contribution to education sector". Daily Sun. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  67. ↑ "IU VC awarded 'Jononetri Sheikh Hasina Sommanona Padak-2019'". Daily Sun. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  68. ↑ "IU VC wins DU Alumni News Award". The Asian Age. Bangladesh. Retrieved 19 February 2020.
  69. ↑ "Ex-IU VC wins Vidyasagar Award 2023". New Age | The Most Popular Outspoken English Daily in Bangladesh. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.