Abdullah Abu Sayeed (born 25 July 1940) is a Bangladeshi educator, writer, television presenter, and activist. He is the founder and chairman of Bishwo Shahitto Kendro, a non-profit organization that promotes the study of literature, reading habits, and progressive ideas.

Early life

Sayeed was born on 25 July 1939 to a Bengali Muslim family in Park Circus, Calcutta. Their ancestral home was in Kamargati, Bagerhat District. Sayeed passed the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) exam from Radhanagar Mojumder Academy (School & College), Pabna, in 1955 and the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) exam from Prafulla Chandra College in Bagerhat in 1957. He later earned BA and MA degrees in Bengali from the University of Dhaka in 1960 and 1961, respectively.

Career

Sayeed started his career as a guest teacher at Government Haraganga College, Munshiganj. Then he taught at Sylhet Women college for some time. In 1962 he joined Rajshahi College as a full-time teacher. After 5 months, he joined Government Science College, Dhaka. He was also an acting principal for 2 years when he was only 23 years old. He also taught Bangla as a part-time lecturer at BUET. He took voluntary retirement as a professor in April 1992. He was very popular among his students. It is said that even students from other colleges came to attend his classes. He wrote a book on his teaching career named Nishfola Mather Krishok (Farmer of an Infertile Land). He edited the literary magazine Kanthashar (The Voice) in the 1960s, which promoted a new trend in Bangladeshi literature.

In 1978, he founded the Bishwa Sahitya Kendra. He has close association with Bangladesh Poribesh Andolan (BAPA) and Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).

Awards

  • Ramon Magsaysay Award (2004) in journalism, literature, and creative communication arts for "cultivating in the youth of Bangladesh a love for books and their humanizing values through exposure to the great works of Bengal and the world".
  • National Television Award (1977)
  • Khan Muhammad Farabi Memorial Award (2012)
  • Star Lifetime Award on Education (2016)