Muzaffar Ahmed (politician)
Encyclopedia
Muzaffar Ahmed (August 5, 1889 – December 18, 1973) was a noted Bengali politician, journalist and communist activist, popularly known as "Kakababu".
in Noakhali District
of Bengal Province in British India (in the present day Bangladesh
). His father's name was Mansur Ali and Mother's name was Chuna Bibi.In 1918 he was selected joint secretary of "Bangio musalman sahitya Samiti".In 1920, along with Kazi Nazrul Islam
he started a new magazine, Navayug. Later, when another magazine, Dhumketu was launched by Nazrul in 1922, he started contributing to it various articles under the pseudonym "Dvaipayana".
. In 1922, the Bharat Samyatantra Samiti was formed in Calcutta with Kakababu as its secretary. In 1924, he was sentenced to four years of imprisonment in the Kanpur Bolshevik Conspiracy Case along with S.A. Dange, Nalini Gupta and Shaukat Usmani. He was released from the prison because of his sickness in 1925. In November, 1925 he along with Qazi Nazrul Islam, Hemanta Kumar Sarkar and others organized Labour Swaraj Party in Bengal.
On March 20, 1929 British colonial government arrested 31 labour activists and sent them to Meerut for trial. Kakababu, along with S.A. Dange, Shaukat Usmani
, P.C. Joshi and others was convicted in this Meerut Conspiracy Case
. he was imprisoned till 1933. He is considered by some as the founder of the Communist movement in Bengal.
On March 25, 1948, the Communist Party of India
was banned by the Government of India and Kakababu was imprisoned. He was released from the prison in 1951. He was again arrested and imprisoned for two years in 1962.
in West Bengal, on Alimuddin Street, Kolkata-16, is named after him as "Muzaffar Ahmad Bhawan". Also , Ripon Street, a thoroughfare in Kolkata near Alimuddin Street connecting AJC Bose Road to Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road, has been renamed as "Muzaffar Ahmad Street" though the former name is more commonly used.
Background
He was born at Musapur village in Sandip IslandSandip Island
Sandip is an small island on river of Meghna in Noakhali District in Bangladesh. Since 1000 yrs ago people are living in Sandip....
in Noakhali District
Noakhali District
Noakhali is a district in South-eastern Bangladesh. It is located in the Chittagong Division.-Geography:Noakhali District located in Chittagong Division, Bangladesh...
of Bengal Province in British India (in the present day 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's name was Mansur Ali and Mother's name was Chuna Bibi.In 1918 he was selected joint secretary of "Bangio musalman sahitya Samiti".In 1920, along with Kazi Nazrul Islam
Kazi Nazrul Islam
Kazi Nazrul Islam , sobriquet Bidrohi Kobi, was a Bengali poet, musician and revolutionary who pioneered poetic works espousing intense spiritual rebellion against fascism and oppression. His poetry and nationalist activism earned him the popular title of Bidrohi Kobi...
he started a new magazine, Navayug. Later, when another magazine, Dhumketu was launched by Nazrul in 1922, he started contributing to it various articles under the pseudonym "Dvaipayana".
Kakababu and the communist movement
He was one of the pioneers to spread the communist movement in the Indian subcontinentIndian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent, also Indian Subcontinent, Indo-Pak Subcontinent or South Asian Subcontinent is a region of the Asian continent on the Indian tectonic plate from the Hindu Kush or Hindu Koh, Himalayas and including the Kuen Lun and Karakoram ranges, forming a land mass which extends...
. In 1922, the Bharat Samyatantra Samiti was formed in Calcutta with Kakababu as its secretary. In 1924, he was sentenced to four years of imprisonment in the Kanpur Bolshevik Conspiracy Case along with S.A. Dange, Nalini Gupta and Shaukat Usmani. He was released from the prison because of his sickness in 1925. In November, 1925 he along with Qazi Nazrul Islam, Hemanta Kumar Sarkar and others organized Labour Swaraj Party in Bengal.
On March 20, 1929 British colonial government arrested 31 labour activists and sent them to Meerut for trial. Kakababu, along with S.A. Dange, Shaukat Usmani
Shaukat Usmani
Shaukat Usmani was an early Indian communist, who was born to artstic USTA family of Bikaner and a member of the émigré Communist Party of India, established in Tashkent in 1920, and a founding member of the Communist Party of India when it was formed in Kanpur in 1925...
, P.C. Joshi and others was convicted in this Meerut Conspiracy Case
Meerut Conspiracy Case
Meerut Conspiracy Case was a controversial court case, in which several trade unionists, including three Englishmen were arrested for organizing Indian-rail strike, this immediately caught attention back home in England, inspired the 1932 play titled Meerut, by Manchester street theatre group, the...
. he was imprisoned till 1933. He is considered by some as the founder of the Communist movement in Bengal.
On March 25, 1948, the Communist Party of India
Communist Party of India
The Communist Party of India is a national political party in India. In the Indian communist movement, there are different views on exactly when the Indian communist party was founded. The date maintained as the foundation day by CPI is 26 December 1925...
was banned by the Government of India and Kakababu was imprisoned. He was released from the prison in 1951. He was again arrested and imprisoned for two years in 1962.
Tribute
The headquarters of the Communist Party of India (Marxist)Communist Party of India (Marxist)
The Communist Party of India is a political party in India. It has a strong presence in the states of Kerala, West Bengal and Tripura. As of 2011, CPI is leading the state government in Tripura. It leads the Left Front coalition of leftist parties in various states and the national parliament of...
in West Bengal, on Alimuddin Street, Kolkata-16, is named after him as "Muzaffar Ahmad Bhawan". Also , Ripon Street, a thoroughfare in Kolkata near Alimuddin Street connecting AJC Bose Road to Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road, has been renamed as "Muzaffar Ahmad Street" though the former name is more commonly used.
Major works
- Qazi Nazrul Islam: Smritikatha (in Bengali)
- Amar Jiban O Bharater Communist Party (in Bengali)