Poet, sociologist and roots seeker Professor Dr. Md. Nazrul Islam Tamiji has been elected president of the day-long '11th National Poets Conference 2025' to be held on Friday, February 28, 2025. He was elected unanimously at a meeting of the Kabi Sangsad Bangladesh Standing Council held at an elite restaurant in the capital on Monday, February 17 at 10 am. At the conference, a decision was unanimously taken to award the Kabi Sangsad Bangladesh Padak 2025 to Bangla Academy President Professor Abul Kashem Fazlul Haque and lifetime achievement award to poet Abdul Hye Sikder for his neutral political thoughts and theories. Poet Touhidul Islam Kanak was elected member secretary of the festival celebration committee.
About Professor Dr. Mu. Nazrul Islam Tamiji, who is known at home and abroad as Tamiji Sir, former Secretary Syed Margub Morshed said, 'Professor Dr. Mu. Nazrul Islam Tamiji is a proverbial man in the contemporary history of the human rights movement of Bangladesh.' Linguist and researcher Professor Dr. Safiuddin Ahmed said, 'We are all witnesses of history. But there are some people who create history themselves. Mu. Nazrul Islam Tamiji is such a legend in the history of human rights and humanitarian movements in Bangladesh.' Bangladesh Law Foundation Chairman Justice Ali Asgar Khan wrote, 'Tamiji Sir is a humane man with extraordinary leadership qualities.'
Tamiji Sir made his debut as a writer through the poetry book 'Muktipan' published in 1988. He is a root-seeking writer, human rights theorist, statesman and researcher. Number of published books 61. 2 poetry books, 3 novels, 3 research books, 53 plays. Tamiji Sir wrote during his student life, 'The leftover dirt lying in the dustbin, the silence of the deep night, walking haltingly like a crippled grasshopper, the emptiness of words everywhere' (Poetry book: Muktipan, publisher- Navajatra, publication period 1988). In the poem Varnamala, he wrote, 'Not anuswar, not a bisarg, Varnamala hoi, manush hoi, samunnat hoi.'
Tamiji Sir's play 'Victory Flag' and the play 'Rashtra Bhasha Bangla Chai', based on the background of the language movement, have been staged more than a hundred times in various educational institutions across the country since 1994.
'No Democracy, No Homocracy' is a remarkable creation of Tamiji Sir. In this book, he has applied the methods of sociology to show why Aristotle's democracy is not able to play an effective role in states like Bangladesh. In the era of technology-based globalization, he has introduced a new philosophy called 'Homocracy' in the government system to form a welfare state, thereby cementing his place in contemporary sociology and political science.
In 1993, he started journalism as an apprentice. Then he served in the Daily Ruposhi Bangla, Weekly Rangdhanu (news editor), Daily Ganakanth (associate editor), Daily Bangla (executive editor), Daily Azad Bani (executive editor), Daily Muktir Yala (chief editor), Daily Amader Somi. During his tenure, he was widely praised for creating new journalists and teaching them through his pen. Many of his subordinate journalists are now serving important roles in various media outlets in Bangladesh. He has led the Freelance Writers Association, the Journalist Unity Foundation, and the National Journalist Association. He is one of the founders of the Daily Muktir Yala newspaper. Currently, he is the advisory editor of 'Dainik Swadesh Bichitra'. He is happy in new creations and plans. The great success of his life is that many journalists are serving important roles in print and electronic media who have come to this profession with his help.
He was born in a respectable Muslim family (Tamiji Manzil) of Manduk village in Barura upazila of Comilla district. His father, late Dr. Nurul Amin Tamiji (1939-2023), was a cooperative society recipient of the highest state award. His mother, Mrs. Najma Amin Tamiji, was a protestant woman and a successful housewife. Tamiji Sir studied at Manduk Primary School and Comilla Zilla School for primary and lower secondary education. He passed his SSC examination with distinction from Sonaimuri High School. He then studied at Payalgachha Degree College, Adda Degree College and Comilla Victoria Government College. He obtained a Master's degree with honors in English. He served as the President of the Comilla Gana Daabi Chhatra Parishad while studying at Bangabandhu Law College. He obtained Master's degrees in Law, Bengali, Economics, Political Science, Development Studies and Sociology. He was admitted to the Honors Course at Dhaka University but dropped out on his father's orders. Later, he earned a Master's degree with distinction from the Department of Sociology, Dhaka University. He has two doctorate degrees under his belt. The subjects of his MPhil and PhD were: 'Constitutions of the 7 SAARC countries and Bangladesh.'
Tamiji Sir joined the English Department of Asian University in 2001 as a lecturer and left journalism to pursue teaching as a profession. He was promoted to Assistant Professor in 2004. In 2005, he joined the American Bangladesh University as a Professor and Chairman of the English Department. He served with integrity as Chairman of the Department of Sociology, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Pro-VC (2008-2009) and Acting VC (2009) in the same university. On 7 January 2010, he resigned from all posts at the American Bangladesh University in protest against irregularities, corruption, and certificate forgery at the university and returned to journalism. After the July Revolution, in August 2024, he was appointed as the Administrator of the American Bangladesh University with the rank of VC.
Tamiji Sir is a shining star of the human rights movement in Bangladesh. He is the founder (2001) and chairman of the National Human Rights Society, president of Bangladesh Sociologist Forum (BSF), chairman of the Inter-Bangla Maitree Mancha and the Standing Council of the Poet's Association of Bangladesh. He is the president of the Dhaka University Sociology and Social Policy Alumni Association and the chairman of the Dhaka University Social Thinking Research Center. He has been involved in politics since his student days. He has played an active role in various democratic movements including the anti-dictatorship movement. Currently, he is the central president of 'Amajanata Bangladesh'.
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Touhidul Islam Kanak
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