RASHIDUL BARI

The history of Bengal is more than 3000 years long. To make it more coherent—I have ranked ten Bengalis in order of importance, that is, according to their total influence on human history and on everyday life of other human beings, such a small group of a number of exceptional Bengalis, whether president or poet, famous or obscure, flamboyant or modest, writer or economist, they cannot fail to be interesting- even they are the few:

1.   Muhammad Yunus

2.   Rabindranath Tagore

3.   Kazi Nazrul Islam

4.   Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

5.   Amartya Sen

6.   Humayun Ahmed

7.   Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay

8.   Taj Uddin Ahmed

9.   Jagdish Chandra Bose

10.  Ziaur Rahman

Muhammad Yunus:

My choice for Muhammad Yunus as greatest Bengali may surprise some readers and may be questioned by others, but he is the only man in Bengal history who is supremely successful on both the theoretical and practical levels. Moreover he is one of the few persons who is selfless, noble and honest at the same time. 

                       (Writer with Dr. Ahmed, the head of the government of Bangladesh)

When I interviewed A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury, the Ex President of Bangladesh, on January 24, 2008, he said, “There must be no question that micro-credit has been one of the most important innovations of modern times, and that this one, simple, brilliant, counter-intuitive idea has done more to help poor people out of poverty and put them on the road to self-sufficiency, dignity, and independence than any other—and Yunus played like

                                                                              
 (Rashidul Bari Interviewing Dr. A. Q. M. Badruddoza Chowdhury, ex President of Bangladesh--on January 24, 2008)

a missionary to make it happen.” My sentiments are the same as the President Chowdhary—when it comes to the importance of Yunus, a pioneer of micro-credit and the founder of the Grameen Bank—it was Yunus who started the Grameen revolution in 1974, with its influence spreading from Chittagong University to the wider universe, and eventually leading to a dramatic reduction in poverty. Within a few years, it became a massive movement throughout the world—which influenced millions of people around the world—including Dr. Ann Soetoro, the mother of Barack Obama!

Dr. Ann Soetoro earned a Ph.D. in anthropology.  She was a white woman from the Midwest who was more comfortable in Indonesia—most lasting professional legacy was to help build the micro-credit in Indonesia. She has worked from 1988 to 1992 before the practice of granting tiny loans to credit-poor entrepreneurs was an established success story—in 2006—after the father of the movement won the Nobel Peace Prize. Thanks to Ann, today Indonesia's microfinance program is No. 1 in the world in terms of savers, with 31 million members.

                                                                           (Read the book Review: http://www.thedailystar.net/pf_story.php?nid=20577)

During my stay at the Sheraton Hotel in Bangladesh, in 2005, I overheard some learned men discussing the question of who was the greatest Bengali from the following list of important figures: Tagore, Nazrul, Mujib, Amartya Sen and Yunus? One speaker—Dr. Showkat Ali, who eventually became my friend, maintained that Muhammad Yunus is without a doubt the greatest Bengali. I agreed with Dr. Ali’s judgment, for: “It is Yunus who promoted the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 from the United States through the Bangladesh News Letter. It is Yunus who theorized the new concept of micro-credit to benefit the world’s economy. It is Yunus who kicked at the fundamentalists’ foreheads by founding the Grameen Bank, of which 90 percent of the borrowers are women. It is Yunus who addresses the problem of world poverty and empowerment of women. It is only Yunus—who has applied his imaginative vision of the entrepreneur to solve problems such as reducing poverty, improving education, housing the homeless, healing the sick, loaning to beggars, caring for the sick, and protecting the planet from C02 emissions. It is only him, only Yunus, one of the most influential men in the world. Therefore, I choose Muhammed Yunus to be the Great Man—The Saint of the contemporary world.

   (Rashidul Bari with Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman, ex. Head of the State of Bangladesh, in a book event. )

Muhammad Yunus is not merely a great man—he is a saint. There have been hundreds of presidents and there will be hundreds more—but there is only one Yunus—one of the greatest persons of the world, and Grameen, which he founded in 1983, is not merely an organization—it is a movement—it is a religion which is designed to reduce poverty, improve education, house the homeless, abolish terrorism, heal the sick, protect the planet—and empower women. Within a quarter century, the Grameen movement has spanned nearly one hundred countries – including the United States. A few years ago, I asked Yunus for his consent to write his biography. When he said, yes, I took a leave of absence from academia to study his life and work. I spent years with Yunus and published a few books. On a book tour to India, earlier this year, as I accompanied Yunus, he said, “Stability can no longer be bought at the expense of political corruption.” I agreed with him—and decided to devote my life to writing against political corruption. I must have raised a few eyebrows back in ninth grade when I chose Muhammad Yunus as my subject for a portrait. All my classmates undoubtedly found it odd that my most favorite person was Yunus—but what the world knows now about Yunus, I knew then as a teenager.

                            (Read the Interview: http://www.weeklyholiday.net/2008/090508/mis.html)

When I asked Jerald Posman, the vice president of City University of New York and a columnist to make a comment about Muhammad Yunus, he replied, “On September 29, I spent the best half hour of my life with Muhammad Yunus—I met many heads of state. However, when I met Yunus, I felt like I had met Gandhi or Dr. King.” My sentiments are the same as Vice President Posman’s when it comes to Muhammad Yunus, one of the most sacred persons of the world. 

In a personal letter written to me by Dr. Virginia Fauras, a physician and professor of anthropology at City University of New York, while she visited the Republic of Moldova, she said, “I attended a workshop these days, organized by WHO and UNICEF, on user-friendly services to children and adolescents, and it was led by an international expert: Dr Venkataraman Chandra-Mouli; he said he was born in Bangladesh (now he is living in Geneva). I told him about you and about Muhammad Yunus, and he said he is a follower of Muhammad Yunus—he is very glad for you having the opportunity of becoming Yunus’ biographer. So I really wish to meet up with Muhammad Yunus through your help. I am coming to New York at the end of next month –I look forward to meeting with you –so you could tell me more about Muhammad Yunus and your experience working with him and writing about him.”

                                     (Interviewing Golam Sarwar, Editor of Daily Jugantor )

Dr. Rounaq Jahan, a political science professor of Columbia University, wrote me in another personal letter, “I enjoyed reading Prof. Yunus’ biography you wrote—I congratulate you on your initiative in putting together this biography in Bengali—this is a welcome contribution. I commend you for your energy and effort—Indeed Yunus is our national treasure and I and my husband—Rahman Sobhan—should honor him in whatever big and small way we can. Dr. Yunus has received many international prizes including the Nobel—but we Bangladeshis need to recognize his contribution even more. I will love to be present in the book ceremony more to register my personal appreciation for what Yunus has done for us and the world—so please let me know the date and time…”

Rokia Haider, the Director of Voice of America (VOA) emailed me, “The richest 2 percent of adults still own more than half of the world’s household wealth, perpetuating a yawning global gap between rich and poor—Research shows that in 2000the richest 1 percent of adults - most of whom live in Europe or the United States—owned 40 percent of the global assets. The richest 10 percent of adults accounted for 85 percent of assets. By contrast, the bottom 50 percent of the world's adult population owned barely 1 percent of the world's wealth. Income inequality has been rising through the rope—and nobody can do anything about it except Muhammad Yunus. He is the tallest voice and most sacred person in the world—their times for him to address this issue to narrow the financial gap and abolish the economic inequality—I will be very appreciate if you forward him this mail.”

                                           (Interviewing Safoq Rahman, editor of Jai Jai Din)

M.M Saheen, and Sayeed Ur Rob, brothers and owner of Thikana, one of the most circulated Bengali newspapers, told me in a confidential meeting, “Muhammad Yunus is a creator—he is a saint”—his micro-credit concept, said M.M Saheen, “has changed the world.” “Grameen has become a model for banks in nearly 100 countries—therefore we would like to take an initiative—and that is to launch the Muhammad Yunus Scholarship in Sylhet”—“I hope Mr. Bari could help us to implement this Yunus Scholarship”

Kamrunnasa Hassan, DG of Bangladesh Television, wrote me in a personal letter, “I’m much honored that you’ve invited me to a book ceremony tribute to Muhammad Yunus, one of the greatest men of the world.  Nowadays Dr. Yunus is an even more important name on the world stage—and I’m especially proud of him because we’re in the same country—I really feel proud to be a citizen of the country where Yunus was born”. 

                                      (Book launching: J. Posman, R. Bari, M. Keizs, & Muhammad Yunus.)

In an interview, Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman, the Ex Head of the Government of Bangladesh, said “Yunus helps to unleash the dormant power of the poor, especially women, who used to live under the Fatwa of Islamist (priests). Now they can be a force for social change and progress, and show that if the poor are empowered, then they can take control of their own lives and contribute immensely to society.” My sentiments are the same as Justice Rahman, when it comes to the importance of Muhammad Yunus. Let’s not forget that it was Yunus’ declaration to create a World without Poverty. The first focus was poverty and its causes and cure. The second was how women could play a significant role if they got a chance—he also foresaw that technology would play a crucial role in the new revolution—thus he made these tools available to everyone, including residents of the most remote villages in Bangladesh, Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Thus, I choose Muhammed Yunus as the greatest Bengali ever, but also as one of the noble men of the world—thus, I call him a Saint—Saint Yunus.

           (Rashidul Bari interview with Mahiuddin Alamgir, Editor of Daily Nioa Digonto)

In the year of 1974, Bangladesh fell into the grip of famine. The hungry people showed up everywhere in the country, particularly at a place called Chittagong University—where Yunus used to teach as an economics professor. However, these starving people did not chant any slogans. They neither demanded anything from rich people nor from Yunus. They simply lay down very quietly and waited to die. One day, on his way back from economics class, Yunus discovered a dead body in front of his department. He almost fell into tears. “There are many ways for people to die, but dying of starvation is the most pathetic of all,” Yunus told me when I accompanied him on a book tour to India. “Bari—it has been more than 30 years, but I still cannot forget all the dead bodies—especially children and women—I saw in the 1974 famine” Yunus said.

(Bari is addressing at Sheraton. (Dr. Amazuddin Ahmed, and Cornel(ret.)Mahmaud Chowdhory, editor of Bangladesh Today—on the stage. Read more: http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=20818)

 As days went by, Yunus fell into deep thought about how he could save thousands of lives yet to die for food, and he became frustrated by not finding an effective way of rescuing thousands of lives. In 1974, he finally came with an idea now known as “micro-credit”. He is the father of this concept. In 1983 Muhammad Yunus founded Grameen, a pioneer of micro-credit. Grameen is devoted to

                                                                                   
(Rashidul Bari, President Dr. Showkat Ali, Dr. Yunus & Vice President Abu Taher. Read more: http://pandorasbox.york.cuny.edu/nobel-laureate-speaks-at-york )

providing the poorest with minuscule loans. The idea of Grameen was born on 7^th June 1976 when Yunus loaned $27 from his own pocket to forty-two stool makers living in a tiny village call Jobra. These women only needed enough credit to purchase the raw materials for their trade. Yunus’ Grameen Bank helped them break the cycle of poverty through his groundbreaking concept of micro-credit. The Grameen system is solely based on the Yunusism, that the poor—especially poor women—have skills that are under-utilized. In addition, it is the outgrowth of Yunusism. The bank began as a research project by Yunus to test his micro-credit methodology—and it was immensely successful immediately after it was founded in 1983. In fact, it became a world wide symbol of the fight against poverty. In 2006, Grameen was awarded the Nobel Prize for its contribution. Muhammad Yunus is the father of the Grameen Bank and its movement. If this argument were brought to a logical conclusion, it would certainly place Yunus on the top of the list.

Rabindranath Tagore:

The impact that Rabindranath Tagore, the first Asian Nobel laureate, has made upon the Indian sub-continent is so obvious and so monumental that some people would question why I have placed him after Muhammed Yunus. Indeed, the more obvious question is why Tagore, who is the  

                                                                      (Tagore with Einstein)

symbol of Bengali literature and culture, has not been placed first. There is no question that Tagore, over the course of time, has had far more influence over the Bengali—than any other person. However, it is not the relative influence of different people in India that is being evaluated in my calculation, but rather the relative influence of different people upon the world. Tagore was not as internationally recognized as Yunus. In addition, Bengali literature became popular due to the contributions of two people: Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam. Therefore, the principal credit must be apportioned between these two figures. If this argument were brought to a logical conclusion, it would lead Yunus to be placed higher than Tagore.

Kazi Nazrul Islam: 

Second, the same argument applies for Kazi Nazrul Islam, the national poet of Bangladesh. Nazrul was a Bengali poet, musician, novelist, revolutionary, and philosopher whose pioneer poetic works revealed forceful divine revolution against orthodoxy, bigotry, tyranny, vice and the British regime. His poetry and activity against the British government earned him the popular title of Rebel Poet. Accomplishing a large body of superior works through his short life (in 1942, at the age of 43, he

                                         (Kazi Nazrul Islam, the National Poet of Bangladesh)

began suffering from Pick’s Disease, losing his voice and memory), Nazrul is officially recognized as the national poet of Bangladesh and celebrated in India. His impassioned activism in the Indian independence movement often led to his imprisonment by British authorities. While in prison, Nazrul wrote most of his famous poems and songs—to encourage Indians against the British regime. Albeit Nazrul wrote many short stories, novels, essays, dramas—he is best known for his poems, and compositions, in which he pioneered new forms such as the Bengali ghazal. Nazrul composed more than three thousand songs which are widely popular throughout the world. Nazrul became symbol of Bengali culture. Thus the question is obvious, “Why does Nazrul’s name appear in the third position on the list?” The first answer is: Internationally, Yunus and Tagore are more influential than Nazrul. Second, Yunus and Tagore both won the Nobel Prize; Nazrul never did! However, although it is not clear what Bengali literature would be like without the contribution of Nazrul, it is quite apparent that without Tagore, Bengali literature would not enter upon the world’s stage at all. Therefore, it is obvious that Nazrul’s name comes after Yunus and Tagore.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman:

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s position as the predominant figure in the establishment of Bangladesh derives from four important roles which he has played. First, Mujib was an influential leader. Second, he was the author of the Six Points—the ‘Unofficial Declaration of Independence’ of Bangladesh. Third, he was a symbol of the revolt against the Pakistan military junta and a father figure for Bengalis. Fourth, he was the first president of Bangladesh—indeed Bangladesh was

                                                   (Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Founding Father of Bangladesh)

fortunate that a man of the caliber and character of Mujib was their first president. As can be seen from the history of many nations, it is all too easy for new nations to break into many factions. Mujib was a firm enough leader to keep the new nation from breaking apart. However, Mujib was not as original and incisive a thinker as some of the other leaders of the time, such as Tajuddin Ahmed. Nevertheless, Mujib was far more important than any other political leader—because Mujib supplied the vital influence and ingredients of executive leadership that made it possible for Bangladesh to gain independence from Pakistan. Thus, Mujib deserves to be known as the Father of Bangladesh. However, outside of Bangladesh, Mujib has hardly any influence, and that is the difference between Mujib and Yunus. If I made a list of the ten greatest Bengalis—according to the role they played in Bangladesh, Mujib’s name would appear on the top of that list. Nevertheless, in my list, I would judge them through the influence they have upon the world, rather than on Bangladesh. My logical conclusion is that this would lead Yunus to be placed higher on this list than Mujib.  

Amartya Sen:

The talent and influence of Amartya Sen, the Second Bengali Nobel laureate, is beyond question. Only a few people have been born in this mighty world with such talent. From 1998 to 2004 he was Master of Trinity College (the position once held by Sir Isaac Newton!) at Cambridge University, becoming the first and only Asian academic to head an Oxbridge college. Dr. Sen is not only talented but also influential as well. He has given lectures to senior executives of the World Bank, and for the Economic Ministers Conference numerous times. He is honorary president of Oxfam. He won the Nobel Prize in Economics for his contribution to welfare economics, for his works on famine, human development theory, the underlying mechanisms of poverty, and political liberalism. Among his many contributions to development economics, Dr. Sen has produced work on gender inequality. So the question is obvious: why does Dr. Sen’s name appear after Dr. Yunus’ on the list? “Hasn’t Dr. Sen had more accomplishments than Dr. Yunus?” Biswajt Saha, owner of the Mukhtodara, North America’s biggest Bengali bookstore, asked me.

                                                  (Interview with Dr. Amartya Sen at Harvard University)  

I told my friend, Biswajt Saha, that I have nothing against Dr. Sen. In addition, I have a very personal relationship with Dr. Sen, who once asked me to call him Amartya instead of Dr. Sen: “Rashid, if you keep calling me Dr. Sen, I will start calling you Bari.” I wondered to hear such a touching thing from a man of his stature. I have visited him and Shelley Rich numerous times at Harvard University, where he teaches as a Lamont Professor. I have seen him very closely and researched his life and work in order to take his interview. I know that he is a great scholar, beyond doubt. However, he is not as influential as Yunus. Some thirty-one years ago, Yunus pioneered a concept, micro-credit, which became a worldwide movement. Yunus also became a symbol of revolt against poverty. On the other hand, outside academia, Dr. Sen has hardly any influence, and that is the difference between Sen and Yunus. But Yunus was successful as a professor, theorist, implementer, administrator, entrepreneur, leader, public speaker and writer. He is an author of many books –including the best-sellers, Banker to the Poor and Creating a World without Poverty.  That makes the difference between these two mighty men.  Carried to its logical conclusion, this argument would lead Yunus to be placed higher on this list than Dr. Sen.

I wish I had an enough room to mention the other five most accomplished Bengalis: Humayun Ahmed, Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Taj Uddin Ahmed, Jagdish Chandra Bose and Ziaur Rahman, Unfortunately, an article of this size does not allow me to write a longer than this. However, it would very unlikely that someone would question why I would place Yunus over Humayun Ahmed or the four others. Thus, I stick with my argument on the first five most accomplished Bengalis, rather than all ten.

Rashidul Bari, biographer of Muhammad Yunus, is a Bangladeshi born writer based in the United States. He  regularly writes for Global Politicians, Weekly Holiday, Daily New Nation, Daily Independent, and Daily Bangladesh Today. His website: www.rashidulbari.info