Mass-uprising, independence, freedom and journalism – the meaning of each of these words are the names of two people in our history. One has dreamed all his life to free the country and the people from the shackles of subjugation and has struggled all throughout his life for emancipation. And another has spread the message of that dream of liberation among the masses through pen-power and inspired the people with patriotism. One of them is Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the other is the accomplished journalist Tofazzal Hossain Manik Mia.
Today is June 1. It is the 52nd death anniversary of Tofazzal Hossain Manik Mia, the founder of popular newspaper The Daily Ittefaq. Tofazzal Hossain Manik Mia was born in 1911 in the village of Bhandaria in Pirojpur district. Though the boy lost his mother in childhood, his intellectual faculty is noticed in his school life and, therefore, from then he was regarded as a small leader and guide to his classmates.
Manik Mia was outstanding as a student. He proved it by obtaining BA degree from Barisal BM College with distinction in 1935. After completing his studies, he got acquainted with the then Muslim League leader Hoseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy due to his job in Pirojpur District Civil Court. At one point he joined the Calcutta Provincial Muslim League as office secretary through several job changes. He probably discovered an attempt to involve himself in journalism at that time in order to bring political issues to the doorsteps of the people and from his own initiative he published the Daily Ittehad in 1946 under the editorship of Abul Mansur Ahmed. After partition, he tried to bring this very newspaper to Dhaka, but failed due to impediments from the then Pakistani government.
The weekly Ittefaq emerged as the political mouthpiece of the East Pakistan Awami Muslim League formed in 1949. On 14 August 1951, Manik Mia took over the helm of the paper and after a successful run for several years; he changed Ittefaq from a weekly to a daily one in 1953. Through his charismatic power in writing, the paper played a significant role in the movement against Ayub Khan’s military rule. He was arrested and imprisoned several times for writing against the exploitation and torture of the Pakistani regime.
Tofazzal Hossain Manik Mia contributed to making unity of opinion among the people of the country, including the Six-point Movement and all the movements for independence and freedom of Bangladesh. Just as, in one hand, Bangabandhu has spent the lion’s share of his life for the peace of the freedom-loving people of the country by fighting directly in the fields and Manik Mia, on the other, has worked to disseminate the right message through newspaper to unite the people in the shadow of liberation. Basically, he used to make the people know Bangabandhu’s struggle for liberation.
Manik Mia’s friendship with Bangabandhu was such that they used to consult each other to solve their personal and political issues. As Manik Mia was older than Bangabandhu, Bangabandhu often had his spirit, credence and reliance from Manik Mia. Bangabandhu also considered him as a center of trust and a political advisor. It is learned that when Hoseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy was leaving for Pakistan due to illness, there was considerable anxiety among the other leaders and workers. To allay the concerns of his followers, he said, “I am leaving the field and the pen for you. Mujib is in charge of the field and Manik Mia is for the pen. As long as these two great men survive, the liberation and movement for rights will continue. “
By writing columns under the pseudonym ‘Mosafir’, Manik Mia tried to teach the common students and people to realize their rights and the necessity for mass movement. If the history of politics and journalism of Bangladesh are discussed, the name Manik Mia will come to the fore. In the Language Movement of ’52, the United Front of ’54, the Students’ Movement of ’62 and the Mass-uprising of ’69, Manik Mia worked and extended his helping hands to Bangabandhu. That is why Bangabandhu always called him Manik Bhai. It was Bangabandhu who was deeply shocked by the news of Manik Mia’s sudden demise.
Tofazzal Hossain Manik Mia was married in 1937 to Majeda Begum, daughter of Khandaker Abul Hasan of an aristocratic family in Faridpur district. The couple has two sons and two daughters. Manik Mia’s two sons Barrister Mainul Hossain and Anwar Hossain Manju have been immersed by their father’s norms and values and are working for the society on their part.
He was also awarded Ekushey Padak for his outstanding achievement. On this day (June 1) in 1969, before our real victory, he breathed his last in Rawalpindi. The man who worked relentlessly for the freedom of mass people all throughout his life did not get real tastes of liberation or freedom. A man of honesty and integrity like him is rarely born in the world of today’s press and journalism. Two and a half years after his death, our beloved motherland became free. After fifty years of independence, today we would like to express our deepest honor and gratitude to him on his 52nd death anniversary.
(Badrul Huda Sohel is Assistant Professor, Department of English, Ishakha International University. E-mail: [email protected])
