Dr. M.N. Huda: MY Tribute
man...@my-deja.com
A TRIBUTE TO Dr. MIRZA NURUL HUDA
By M. Waheeduzzaman Manik
TODAY is the eighth Death Anniversary of Dr. Mirza Nuru Huda. Born in
a distinguished Muslim family of a village near Tangail in 1919,
Professor Mirza Nurul Huda (Dr. M.N. Huda) died on December 22, 1991 at
the Ibrahim Memorial Diabetic Hospital (BIRDEM) in Dhaka. He was
hospitalized on December, 14,1991. Although there was hardly any
Internet Editions of Bangladeshi newspapers in early 1990s, the news of
Dr. M.N. Huda’s sudden death reached me almost immediately through the
younger sister of his deceased daughter-in-law. Inspite of the fact
that the news of Dr. Huda Sir’s death sounded incredible to me, I
related this devastating news to some of my friends- many of them were
his direct students. All of them expressed a disbelief about the news
of his death and exclaimed by saying: “How could it happen? ‘Sir’ was
in robust health. Sir was so young”
Although I saw Dr. M.N. Huda from distance once or twice and read his
budget speeches and articles, it was not before 1969 when I met him
face to face, and since then I had the opportunity to meet him on many
occasions even long after I finished my student days in Economics
Department of Dhaka University. I have some of the fondest memories
about Dr. M.N. Huda. One of those memories is his ‘youngish’ look.
Another sweet memory about him flashes back to my mind is his sweet
smile. To me, he was always a man of integrity and decency. Doubtless,
he was a dignified gentleman. There is little wonder when my friends
heard the news of death of our beloved teacher had to exclaim: “How
could it happen? Sir was always in robust health. Sir was so young?”
As those of us who entered the B.A. Honours program in 1967 and were
Dr. M.N. Huda’s students in1969 or 1970 would remember that the return
of the former Governor and the Minister of Finance was literally a
blessing for the Economics Department of Dhaka University. Although
Professor Rehman Sobhan was still there in the Department and Dr. Malik
Khasru Chowdhury was already hired by the time ‘Huda Sir’ returned to
teaching, the Economics Department of Dhaka University saw its worst
since mid-1960s. With Dr. M.N. Huda’s return to the University of
Dhaka, the Department of Economics got back its vitality from its
almost moribund condition of mid-1960s. Within the shortest possible
time, he revamped the Economics Department and most of the
distinguished economists started coming back to their teaching jobs.
A renowned economist and an effective administrator, Dr. M.N. Huda was
a distinguished student from the primary school level to the University
level education. He was a meritorious student par excellence. Having
received scholarships at all levels, he passed his Matriculation
examination in 1935 with distinction from a High School of the then
Tangail subdivision of Mymensingh district. He also excelled in his
Intermediate of Arts (I.A.) Examination from Dhaka College in 1937.
During his tenure as a student of Dhaka University (from 1937 through
1941), Dr, M.N.Huda proved himself to be one of the most outstanding
students of the University since its founding in 1921. He stood first
in first class both in B.A. (Honours) and M.A. examinations in 1940 and
1941 respectively. He had the rare distinction of receiving the
coveted Raja Kalinarayan Scholarship in 1940 for topping the list among
all of the Honours graduates of Arts and Science faculties of Dhaka
University. After taking the competitive examination, Dr. M.N. Huda
joined the Bengal Civil Service and served as a Deputy Magistrate in
early 1940s. While he was still in the Government service, he decided
to accept a scholarship to pursue graduate studies in Economics at
Cornell University.
After receiving a Ph.D. in Economics within the shortest possible time
in 1949 from the prestigious Cornell University, Dr. M.N. Huda
immediately returned to the then East Bengal. He joined the University
of Dhaka in 1949 as a Reader (Associate Professor) in Economics
Department. He was hardly 30 years old at that time. The addition of a
budding scholar of Dr. M.N. Huda’s stature to the faculty of Dhaka
University was significant at a time when most of the distinguished
scholars from Hindu community were migrating to India. Like many other
departments, Economics Department had also suffered the brunt of the
exodus of the reputed scholars from the University of Dhaka during the
post-partition years. When the departmental Head Dr. Ayer migrated to
India, Dr. M.N. Huda, the newly appointed Head of the Department of
Economics, capably shouldered the responsibility of holding the
department together. It was widely recognized that Dr. M.N. Huda
substantially contributed to the making of a solid Department of
Economics at the University of Dhaka in early 1950s. He was promoted to
the rank of Professor for his scholarly and professional contributions.
There is no doubt that he contributed to the making of Economics as a
field of academic study in the then Pakistan. Yet, Dr. M.N. Huda’s name
can be singed out as one of the distinguished pioneers in 1950s and
1960s on all Pakistan basis who was largely responsible for rendering
Economics as a field of profession. In other words, Dr. M.N. Huda
played a pivotal role in the then Pakistan in building up a viable
bridge between theory and practice of Economics. During his tenure with
the University of Dhaka University, Dr. M.N. Huda was not only pre-
occupied with the Department of Economics but he was also in the
mainstream of the University administration. He acted as the Head of
the Department, Proctor, Provost and Dean at different times. When he
returned to Dhaka University in 1969, Dr. M.N. Huda had assumed the
responsibility of the Chairmanship of the Economics Department and the
Bureau of Economics Research. During his second phase with the
University of Dhaka, he was also elected as the Dean of the Faculty of
Social Science. He was a teacher and a mentor of generations of
students and colleagues. In recognition of his professional
accomplishments, Dr. M.N. Huda was elected in 1965 the President of
Pakistan Economic Association. He was also elected in 1976 the
President of Bangladesh Economics Association.
Dr. M.N. Huda’s professional assignments included his stints with both
the then Central Government of Pakistan and the Provincial Government
of the then East Pakistan. He served as a Member of the then East
Pakistan Planning Board. He was one of the original exponents of Two-
Economy Theory in Pakistan —one for East Pakistan and another for West
Pakistan. His advocacy in 1950s for removing economic disparity between
East and West Pakistan can still be gleaned from his speeches and
writings during that era. In whatever capacity he served the Central
or Provincial Government, he was known for articulating and protecting
the due shares and economic interests of the then East Pakistan. He was
a Member of both the Taxation Enquiry Commission and Credit Enquiry
Commission. In 1962, Dr. M.N. Huda was appointed a Member of the
Planning Commission of Pakistan. He was one of the drafters of both the
First Five-Year Plan and Second Five-Year Plan of Pakistan. He served
the erstwhile Government of East Pakistan as the Minister of Finance
from 1965 till he was appointed the Governor of the province in early
1969. During the last days of 1969 student movement that eventually
toppled the Ayub Khan regime, Dr. M.N. Huda had attracted the
imagination of millions of defiant people as the newly appointed
Governor of the province, replacing Monaem Khan, the infamous Governor
of the then East Pakistan. Indeed, Dr. M.N. Huda’s appointment as the
Governor at a critical juncture of our history was received well by the
public. The inspiring address that he delivered as the newly installed
Governor of the then province of East Pakistan aroused a great deal of
hope in the minds of people. Yet, the ruling elite of Pakistan had a
nefarious design for the repressed province of the then Pakistan. The
military junta that replaced Ayub Khan also appointed a new Governor
for the province in place of Dr. M.N. Huda. Although Dr. M.N. Huda’s
tenure as a ‘Governor’ was of the shortest duration in the history of
the province, his name still lives on as one of the solid
accomplishments of the student movement of tumultuous months of late
1968 and early 1969.
At the invitation of Justice A.S.M. Sayem, the then Chief Martial Law
Administrator (CMLA) and the President of Bangladesh, Dr. M.N. Huda
joined the President’s Council of Advisors in December 1975 as the
Advisor in-charge of the Ministries of Commerce (December 1975 through
December 1976), Industries (December 1975 through January 1976) and
Planning (December 1975 through April 1979). He was also in charge of
Ministry of Agriculture from February 1976 through June 1976. He
continued to be a member of the Presidential Council of Advisors after
Ziaur Rahman, the then CMLA had assumed the Presidency of the Republic.
Dr. M.N. Huda held the portfolio of the Ministry of Finance in Ziaur
Rahman’s revamped Cabinet from December 1978 through April 1980. In
November 1981, the newly elected President Justice Abdus Sattar
appointed Dr. M.N. Huda to be the Vice President of the Republic of
Bangladesh. Although the nation was in turmoil due to infighting within
the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) and the illegitimate pressure on
the elected President from General H.M. Ershad, the then Army Chief,
Dr. M.N. Huda served the Republic as the Vice President from November
1981 through March 1982. During that time he was also in charge the
Commerce Ministry from February 1982 through March 1982. The moment he
realized that he could no longer serve his nation with dignity and
integrity, he quietly resigned in March 1982 from the Vice Presidency
of the Republic.
Although the intent of this note is not to list all of the
accomplishments of Dr. M.N. Huda, it is important to underscore that he
held important positions both in the academia and in the Government by
dint of his merit. He held those coveted positions without compromising
his personal integrity of character. Throughout his entire professional
career, he demonstrated, beyond reasonable doubt, a deep sense of
personal honesty and professional integrity. He maintained dignity in
his personal mannerisms without becoming presumptuous. He held so many
top positions in the management of public sector without even
soliciting them. As an editorial in The Daily Star, after the sudden
demise of Dr. M.N. Huda in December, 1991, succinctly summarized the
context: “This penchant for leadership made non-academics to look
forward to him [Dr.M.N. Huda] with anticipation whenever there was any
important gap to be manned. That explains his becoming a Finance
Minister twice and then even the Vice President of the new State
without ever being involved in any rat-race for top jobs.”
“The great man is he,” to quote Emerson, “who in the midst of the crowd
keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.” Indeed, Dr.
M.N. Huda was a “great man” because throughout the whole tenure of his
crowded public life he consciously maintained his “perfect sweetness”
and “independence of solitude.” A soft-spoken, a scholarly quiet
gentleman, he demonstrated humility—the most admirable of human
virtues, in his dealings with his students, subordinates and
colleagues. He was a beloved teacher, a teacher of teachers, a caring
guide and an inspiring mentor for generations of economists,
administrators, planners and teachers who passed though the corridors
of the admirable Department of Economics. Many of those individuals who
worked for him or worked with him outside the academia are still alive
to verify that Dr. M.N. Huda left a legacy of professional excellence
and personal integrity in the management of public service.
Although I find no words adequate enough to express my own deep sense
of gratitude to my teacher and mentor, I take pride for being his
direct student. I acknowledge my indebtedness to Dr. M.N. Huda for
offering me sound advice on several occasions. I also owe an
incalculable debt of gratitude to him—a gentleman of rare quality for
demonstrating genuine interest in my academic pursuits. As a former
student of Dr. M.N. Huda, I find no reason to mar his essential
greatness by unnecessary eulogy. A truly dedicated teacher of Dhaka
University’s Economics Department, his work and concern for quality
education and professional excellence, and his commitment to personal
and professional integrity live on in many of his former students and
colleagues. In my humble assessment of Dr. M.N. Huda, I would like to
emphasize that the essence of the man and his career can be exemplified
with the following simple words: integrity, honesty, decency and
professional excellence.
As my own language fails to express my deep sense of gratitude to Dr.
M.N. Huda, let me conclude my tribute to my teacher with a quote from
Poet Shamsur Rahman: “Apnar Reen Jeno Jonmer Daag, Bhoolbona Kono Din.”
--- “My indebtedness to you is like a birthmark that I would never
forget.”
The author writes from Clarksville, Tennessee, USA where he teaches
Public Management and directs Management Technology program at Austin
Peay State University whose e-mail address is:mwz...@aol.com.
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Before you buy.