(Hi everyone, today I want to introduce you with a famous writer and littérateur Syed Mujtaba Ali of Assam.)

S.M.Ali (1904-1974), the great educationist and writer was born at his father’s residence -Karimganj, Assam. He studied at several places because of his father’s frequent transfers from place to place. Syed Mujtaba Ali obtained his BA from Shantiniketan in 1926. He was proficient in English, French, Persian, German, Arabic, Italian, Hindi, and Gujarati.

He studied at Calcutta University, Aligarh Muslim University and then left for Germany to study Philosophy where he was awarded DPhill for his research on Comparative Religion. From 1934 to 1935, Syed Mujtaba studied at the famous Al-Azhar University. Mujtaba Ali was also a professor of French and English at Agricultural College, Kabul. He also worked as a part-time lecturer of Islamic studies, Calcutta University. He was Secretary of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and also had a stint with All India Radio. Later, he joined Visva-Bharati, Calcutta.

Mujtaba Ali was an influential writer. He used to write for Ananda Bazar, Desh, Satyayug, Shanibarer Chithi, Basumati, Hindustan Standard, etc. under several pseudonyms apart from being a regular contributor of Chaturanga, Matribhumi, Kalantar, AL-Islah, etc. Ali wrote thirty books of varied genres; novels, short stories and travelogues. Deshe-Bideshe (1949) and Jale-Dhaney (1960) are two famous travelogues of Mujtaba Ali. Famous novels include Abishvasya (1954), Shabnam (1960) and Shahar-Iyer (1969).

Ali did his Ph D in Bonn University; Germany, that was his love at first sight. The first thing that enthralled Ali in Berlin was that, living legend Einstein could be seen walking along campus corridors.

Allusions and Reforms are an inbuilt quality of his writing style with simple narrations all across. He neither wanted to be a classic writer nor a best seller. Witt and humor typically used to absorb his readers. Through his literature, he used to bridge cultures and connect people. And, this is what he did throughout his lifetime.

Extracts from Mujtaba Ali’s literary works are included in the curriculum of school level, +2 and graduation level of Bengali literature in both India and Bangladesh especially in West Bengal. His descendants live in Dhanmondi at their own residence ‘Prantik’ named by Mujtaba.   
  

Books of S M Ali