Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu: A remarkable personality

Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu is not only a name but also an idol. He was a famous politician. He was a freedom fighter and one of the facilitators of the great Liberation War of Bangladesh. This great personality was close to the masses. He enlightened the whole of Chattogram and also the politics of Bangladesh. Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu devoted himself for the people in Anowara Karnaphuli. Ethics and morality were his unique wealth. He won the heart and souls of the general people. He is one of the persons who sacrificed a great deal to uplift the respect, pride, values of all the Bangladeshi people. His contribution to organize the Awami League after 1975 was immense. In 2021, Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu was bestowed with the posthumous Independence Award for his special contribution to the Liberation War.

Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu was born in a very aristocrat and rich family. A big-hearted leader, he always tried to extend his helpful hand to all the people who were suffering in one way or the other. His memories will eternally be alive. Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu’s savings were the love of the common man. Until his death, he worked for the masses keeping himself above greed and envy. The man who carried the lamp of hope throughout his life is today asleep in his own village. Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu has proved that if you love people and work for them, people will reciprocate your love. That is why Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu is alive even after his death. Today is his fifth death anniversary.

Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu’s father Nuruzzaman Chowdhury was an advocate and landlord. His mother’s name is Khorsheda Begum. He was married to renowned industrialist Sirazul Islam Chowdhury‘s second daughter Nur Nahar Zaman from Chattogram’s Boyalkhali Upazilla. Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu completed his secondary school certificate in 1958 from Patiya High School and immediately he admitted to Dhaka Notre Dame College on the same year. During his intermediate education life, he achieved scholarship and got himself admitted to Illinois University of Science and Technology in USA. Later he studied on business administration in New York University. He came to country on December of 1968 after completing associate degree from there. He started business on 1965. Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu elected as the South Zilla Student’s League on 1958. On 1967 he joined the principle committee of Awami League. On 1970 election he was the member of regional council from Anowara and West Patiya. On 1971 during the liberation war, Alhaj Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu was one of the organizers. On the eve of the liberation war on the boycott movement, from his Jupiter house in Pathorghata all the activities of war committee were conducted. Bangabandhu’s liberty declaration was outreached by cyclostyle method from his Jupiter house after coming to Chattogram. Liberty declaration was delivered to everywhere including radio centers. Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu went to India and taken various responsibility of Bangladeshi immigrants. He was the committee member of Relief and Rehabilitation of Mujibnagar Government. During the middle of liberation war, he went to many regions of Europe and America for the development of world’s people’s opinions. Firstly, he went to the London. He went to America as the representative team member which was leaded by Abu Syed Chowdhury. On 1970, Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu became the regional council member (MPA); following on 1972, he became the member of Bangladesh constitutional member and helped composition of Constitution of Bangladesh. He was one of the signers of the constitution in 1972.

After the Liberation War, he was elected as the national parliament member on 1986, 1991 and 2008. Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu was elected as the South Zilla Awami League president. He worked as the secretary of central Awami League industry and trade. Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu risking his life by maintaining contact to the staffs of the party after the slaughtered of the full family of Bangabandhu on 1975 and later he played a brave role to reconstruct and resurrection of the party. Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu also played a strong role in the anti-authoritarian movement in the 1980s. He was tortured in prison while participating in the anti-authoritarian movement. Not only a successful politician but also, he was a successful businessman and an industrialist. Before independence, he set up a factory called Boyle Industry on Batali Road. Later Akhtaruzzaman Chowdhury Babu established Asif Steel Mill, Javed Steel Mill, Asif Synthetic, Panam Vegetable, Afroza Oil Mill, Bengal Synthetic Products etc. He purchased Vanguard Steel Mill and Synthetic Resin Products and established the Zaman Industrial Group in the first two decades of independence in Bangladesh. He bought a foreign-owned Armit Mill and built it on a solid foundation. He played a pioneering role in establishing the private banking sector in Bangladesh. He is the founder and founding chairman of United Commercial Bank Limited (UCBL), the second private bank in the country. He was re-elected chairman of the bank in 2011 and held the post until his death.

The writer is former principal of Pahartali University College, Chattogram.