Muhammad Mansuruddin facts for kids

Muhammad Mansuruddin (born January 31, 1904 – died September 19, 1987) was a famous writer and researcher from Bangladesh. He was known for his amazing work in collecting and studying Bengali folk songs. He gathered thousands of old folk songs, especially in a huge collection called Haramoni, which has thirteen volumes.

Because of his great efforts in collecting and researching folklore throughout his life, Rabindra Bharati University gave him a special degree called D.Litt. in 1987.

Early Life and School Days

Muhammad Mansuruddin was born on January 31, 1904. His parents were Muhammad Jaider Ali and Jiarun Nisa. He was born in Muraripur village, which is in the Pabna district of what was then British India. This area is now part of Bangladesh.

He started his schooling at a village school called Madhabchandra Nandi Pathshala. He finished high school from Khalilpur High School in 1921. Later, he went to Pabna Edward College and Rajshahi College. He earned his bachelor's degree (BA) from Rajshahi College in 1926. In 1928, he got his Master of Arts (M.A.) degree with top marks from the Calcutta University.

While he was still a student at Rajshahi College, he married Sharifun Nisa in 1925. They had a large family with six sons and six daughters.

His Career as a Teacher

In 1929, Mansuruddin started working for the government as a school inspector. But his true teaching career began in 1932. He joined the Dhaka Islamic Intermediate College where he taught English.

He also taught at other colleges, including Howrah Intermediate College in Kolkata (from 1935 to 1938) and Chittagong College (from 1938 to 1941). From 1941 to 1943, he taught at Rajshahi College. Later, he became a professor of Bengali language and literature at Murray Chand College in Sylhet, from 1948 to 1952.

Professor Mansuruddin then taught at the Dhaka College starting in 1952. He retired from there in 1959. During this time, he also taught part-time in the Bengali Department at the University of Dhaka. He was known as a very interesting and engaging teacher to his students.

His Writing and Research Work

Muhammad Mansuruddin started writing when he was very young. While he wrote essays and stories, his biggest contribution was collecting folklore. He spent fifty to sixty years gathering over six thousand folk songs from different rural areas of Bengal.

He was very careful to write down the songs exactly as he heard them from the singers. He collected a huge number of folk poems and songs. Many of these were published in thirteen volumes during his lifetime. He also collected songs by the famous mystic poet Lalon Fakir and wrote about him. In 1974, he even translated some of Lalon Fakir's songs for people around the world to enjoy.

Mansuruddin always encouraged younger researchers to study folklore using scientific methods. He also advised them to visit the villages where these songs came from. This way, they could understand the real life and stories behind the folklore.

Important Collections and Books

His most famous collection is Haramoni (which means 'Lost Jewels'). Another important collection was Lalon Fakir-er Gaan (Songs of Lalon Fakir), published in 1948.

He also wrote two novels: First July (1932) and Satashey March (1958). He published three books of folktales: Shirni (1932), Agar baati (1935), and Shiropa (1938). He wrote essays and a major work called Muslim Contribution in Bengali Literature in three volumes.

For children, he wrote books like Bokami (1952), Thokami (1958), and Mushkil Ahsan (1958). He also created a dictionary of Bengali idioms called Hashir Ovidhan in 1957.

He was a pioneer in collecting and researching Bengali folklore. Because he grew up in a village, he knew many old folk songs and stories. He realized how rich Bengali folk music was and wanted to collect it before it was forgotten. Starting in the 1920s, he traveled to hundreds of villages. He visited places like Rajshahi, Pabna, Nadia, Murshidabad, Mymensingh, Faridpur, Barisal, Noakhali, and Dhaka.

He was inspired by the work of other famous people like Rabindranath Tagore, Kshitimohan Sen, Jasimuddin, Abbas Uddin, and Zainul Abedin.

About Haramoni

Haramoni was originally the name of a section in a monthly literary magazine called Probashi. This section was for publishing folk songs collected from villages. Mansuruddin liked this name so much that he used it for his own collection of folklore.

The first volume of Haramoni, which mainly contained Baul songs, was published in 1931. The famous Nobel Prize winner, Rabindranath Tagore, wrote the introduction for this first book. The second volume was published by Calcutta University in 1942.

Over the years, many more volumes of Haramoni were published by different organizations like the University of Dhaka and Bangla Academy. The collection grew to thirteen volumes. These books contain not only Baul songs but also many other types of rural songs, such as Meyeli gaan (women's songs) and Deha Tatwa (songs about the human body and soul).

Awards and Recognition

In 1987, Rabindra Bharati University in Kolkata, India, gave him a special D.Litt. degree. This was to honor his lifelong dedication to collecting and researching folklore.

He received many other important awards during his life, including:

• Sir Ashutosh Mukherjee Award, Calcutta University (1926)
• Bangla Academy Literary Award (1965)
• Muktodhara Sahitya Puroshker (1982)
• Alokto Sahitya Puroshker (1983)
• Ekushey Padak (1983)
• Nasiruddin Gold Medal (1983)
• Independence Day Award (1984)
• Khoda Boks Puroshker
• Kalu Shah Puroshker (1986)
• Sher-e-Bangla National Award and Gold Medal (1980)