Humayun Zahiruddin Amir-i Kabir or Humayun Kabir (Bangla: হুমায়ুন কবির) (22 February 1906-18 August 1969) was an India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

n educationist, politician, writer and philosopher.

Ancestry and early life

Kabir was born on 22 February 1906 in Komarpur village near the district town of Faridpur

Faridpur District

Faridpur is a district in central Bangladesh. It is a part of the Dhaka Division. Faridpur District has a population of over 1.7 million people and is situated on the banks of the Padma river . It is bordered by Madaripur, Narail, Rajbari, Magura, Shariatpur, Gopalgonj, Dhaka and Manikganj...

, currently in Bangladesh

Bangladesh

Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

. His father, Khan Bahadur Kabiruddin Ahmed, was a Deputy Magistrate in Bengal

Bengal

Bengal is a historical and geographical region in the northeast region of the Indian Subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal. Today, it is mainly divided between the sovereign land of People's Republic of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal, although some regions of the previous...

 and a forward looking man. His grandfather was earlier awarded the title of Khan Bahadur by the British government.

Education

He came first, with star marks, in his matriculation examination in 1922. He was educated at Presidency College, Calcutta, completing his Intermediate in Arts (I.A.) in English with first class third, and Calcutta University, where he completed his B.A. (Honours) and M.A. in English with first class first. He won a scholarship to Exeter College, Oxford

Exeter College, Oxford

Exeter College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth oldest college of the University. The main entrance is on the east side of Turl Street...

 where he completed his degree in 'Modern Greats', i.e. Philosophy

Philosophy

Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...

, Political Science

Political science

Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...

, and Economics

Economics

Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

 with a first class

British undergraduate degree classification

The British undergraduate degree classification system is a grading scheme for undergraduate degrees in the United Kingdom...

 in 1931.

Career

In 1932, he was invited by Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan to join as a lecturer at the newly established Andhra University

Andhra University

Andhra University or Andhra Viswa Kala Parishad , located in Visakhapatnam, north east coastal Andhra Pradesh, is one of the older premier universities in India with a broad focus...

. Later, he was a Joint Education Adviser, Education Secretary

Education Secretary

Education Secretary may refer to:* Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, Scotland* Secretary for Education * Secretary of Public Education, Mexico* Secretary of State for Education, United Kingdom...

 and then Chairman of the University Grants Commission

University Grants Commission (India)

The University Grants Commission of India is a statutory organisation set up by Union government in 1956, for the coordination, determination and maintenance of standards of university education. It provides recognition for universities in India, and provides funds for government-recognised...

 in Delhi

Delhi

Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

. He was the Minister of State

Minister of State

Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...

 for Civil Aviation

Civil aviation

Civil aviation is one of two major categories of flying, representing all non-military aviation, both private and commercial. Most of the countries in the world are members of the International Civil Aviation Organization and work together to establish common standards and recommended practices...

, Education Minister

Education minister

An education minister is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters.-Country-related articles and lists:Minister of Education may refer to:...

 of India twice, under the Prime Minister

Prime minister

A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...

ships of Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru

Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...

 and Lal Bahadur Shastri

Lal Bahadur Shastri

Lal Bahadur Srivastava Shastri was the second Prime Minister of the Republic of India and a significant figure in the Indian independence movement.-Early life:...

. He was also Scientific Research and Cultural Affairs Minister. In 1965, Indira Gandhi (How could she have done it as she was only Information & Broadcasting minister?) offered him the Madras Governor

Governor

A governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...

's post, which he declined. From 1956-62, he was a member of the Rajya Sabha

Rajya Sabha

The Rajya Sabha or Council of States is the upper house of the Parliament of India. Rajya means "state," and Sabha means "assembly hall" in Sanskrit. Membership is limited to 250 members, 12 of whom are chosen by the President of India for their expertise in specific fields of art, literature,...

 and from 1962-69 he was a member of the Lok Sabha

Lok Sabha

The Lok Sabha or House of the People is the lower house of the Parliament of India. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by direct election under universal adult suffrage. As of 2009, there have been fifteen Lok Sabhas elected by the people of India...

, representing Basirhat constituency

Basirhat (Lok Sabha constituency)

Basirhat is one of the 543 parliamentary constituencies in India. The constituency centres on Basirhat in West Bengal.-Assembly segments:...

 in West Bengal

West Bengal

West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...

. He was instrumental in dislodging the Congress government in West Bengal and forming the United Front

United front

The united front is a form of struggle that may be pursued by revolutionaries. The basic theory of the united front tactic was first developed by the Comintern, an international communist organisation created by revolutionaries in the wake of the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution.According to the theses of...

 government in 1969.

Kabir was the editor of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

Maulana Abul Kalam Muhiyuddin Ahmed was an Indian Muslim scholar and a senior political leader of the Indian independence movement, who lived from 11 November 1888 – 22 February 1958. He was one of the most prominent Muslim leaders to support Hindu-Muslim unity, opposing the partition of India on...

's biography India Wins Freedom. Maulana Azad dictated his biography to him in Urdu

Urdu

Urdu is a register of the Hindustani language that is identified with Muslims in South Asia. It belongs to the Indo-European family. Urdu is the national language and lingua franca of Pakistan. It is also widely spoken in some regions of India, where it is one of the 22 scheduled languages and an...

, which Kabir translated in English.

He was one of the co-drafter of the UNESCO 1950 statement titled The Race Question

The Race Question

The Race Question is the first of four UNESCO statements about issues of race. It was issued on 18 July 1950 following World War II and Nazi racism. The statement was an attempt to clarify what was scientifically known about race and a moral condemnation of racism...

.

His daughter Leila Kabir was married to Indian politician George Fernandes

George Fernandes

George Mathew Fernandes is an Indian trade unionist, politician, journalist, agriculturist, and member of Rajya Sabha from Bihar. He is a key member of the Janata Dal , and was the founder of the Samata Party...

. His nephew Altamas Kabir

Altamas Kabir

-Early career:Kabir became an advocate in 1973 and practiced civil and criminal law in Kolkata at the district court and the Calcutta High Court. He became a permanent judge in the Calcutta High Court on August 6, 1990....

 is presently a Judge

Judge

A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...

 of the Supreme Court of India

Supreme Court of India

The Supreme Court of India is the highest judicial forum and final court of appeal as established by Part V, Chapter IV of the Constitution of India...

 and his niece Shukla Kabir Sinha is a judge of the Calcutta High Court

Calcutta High Court

The Calcutta High Court is the oldest High Court in India. It was established as the High Court of Judicature at Fort William on 1 July 1862 under the High Courts Act, 1861. It has jurisdiction over the state of West Bengal and the Union Territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The High Court...

.

Major works

• Imanuel Kant (1936)
• Sharat Sahityer Multattva (The main theory of the literature of Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay
  Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay
  Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay is one of the most popular Bengali novelists and short story writers of early 20th century.- Background and writing :Sarat Chandra was born into poverty in Debanandapur, Hooghly, India...
  
  ) (1942)
• Banglar Kavya (The poetry of Bengal) (1945)
• Marxbad (Marxism) (1951)
• Mirza Abu Talib Khan (1961)
• Poetry, Monads and Society (1941)
• Muslim Politics in Bengal (1943)
• Rabindranath Tagore (1945)
• Men and Rivers
• Svapnasadh
• Sathi
• Ashtadashi
• Nadi O Nari

External links

• Humayun Kabir at Banglapedia