Wajed Ali Khan Panni facts for kids

Wajed Ali Khan Panni (also known as Chand Mian; born November 14, 1871 – died April 25, 1936) was an important person from Bengal, which is now part of Bangladesh. He was a politician, someone who cared a lot about education, and a zamindar. A zamindar was a wealthy landowner who collected taxes for the government. He worked hard to help his community, especially by building schools and colleges.

Early Life

Wajed Ali Khan Panni (left) with other important Muslim leaders in Dacca.

Wajed Ali Khan Panni was born in 1871 in Karatia, a place in Tangail, which was then part of British India. His family was a wealthy Muslim family of landowners. His father was Hafez Mahmud Ali Khan Panni.

His family's ancestors came from Afghanistan during the time of the Mughal Empire. Wajed Ali Khan Panni was taught at home by private teachers. He learned many languages, including Arabic, Bengali, English, Persian, and Urdu.

Helping His Community

In 1892, Wajed Ali Khan Panni helped a poet named Naimuddin. They worked together to translate an important book called Fatawa-e-Alamgiri into Bengali. His father helped pay for this project.

In the early 1900s, Panni ordered the digging of a canal called Katakhali. This canal helped people travel and move goods around Tangail more easily. In 1909, he also helped repair the Atia Mosque. This mosque was originally built by one of his ancestors.

Building Schools and Colleges

Wajed Ali Khan Panni was very passionate about education. In 1913, he helped Khwaja Salimullah, a leader from Dhaka, organize a big meeting about Muslim education in Karatia.

After this meeting, Panni founded two schools in Karatia. One was named Hafez Mahmud Ali Khan High School, after his father. The other was named Rokeya Aliyah Madrasah, after his wife.

He also played a role in politics. He was a leader in the Khilafat movement in his area. He also served as a vice-president for the Bengal Provincial Congress Committee.

In July 1926, Panni founded Saadat College. He named it after his grandfather, Saadat Ali Khan Panni. This college was one of the first five university-level colleges in the country. It was also the first college in a rural area of Bengal.

A Kind Landlord

Wajed Ali Khan Panni was known for being a very generous person. He spent 20 percent of his own money on charity work. As a landlord, he was fair to his tenants, who were called ryots. If there was a natural disaster like a famine or a flood, he would often not collect rent from them.

He also set up a special department on his land to deal with Islamic law, called Sharia. About 700 Islamic scholars worked there.

Panni also built the Karatia Zamindar Bari, which was his family's palace. One of the buildings in the palace, Rokeya Manzil, was named after his wife.

Wajed Ali Khan Panni passed away in 1936.