Professor Dr. Mohd. Shahidullah
Late Prof. Dr. Mohd. Shahidullah was born on 01st February 1924 in a remote, underdeveloped village named Par Ranirpara under Moria post office in the Upazila/Thana Gabtoli of Bogra district. Under the strong supervision, guidance & inspiration of his father late Ayen Uddin Pramanic & mother late Mosiron Bewa, he passed his Matriculation in the year 1940 from Bogra Zilla School & Intermediate in the year 1942 from Calcutta Presidency College, Calcutta.
Then he admitted in the Physiology department of Calcutta University and successfully passed his B.Sc. with honours in the year 1944 & his M. Sc degree in the year 1946.
Early Teaching Career
After acquired his master's degree he started his teaching career as a Lecturer of Biology in the Dacca College from 1946. During his service at the Dacca College, he was mistakenly addressed by his colleagues as "Doctor Shahidullah"; on a regular basis, this inspired him to take on the study of medicine and got admitted to the Dacca Medical College, in the year 1948.
You may surprise to know that Mohd. Shahidullah was a self-made man. He successfully completed all his studies with distinction and with the help of scholarships; without which he would never have achieved that he had, until the year 1946.
Medical Education Challenges
This time studying medicine became a tough challenge for him as funding of his course and maintaining his family at the same time became a problem. As he needed a job to maintain his living which would also give him access to medical studies. Unfortunately, Dacca College was unable to offer him that facility.
Luckily, College, Dacca; came forward to his rescue and offered him all the facilities that he required to study medicine. So, he switched the job from Dacca College to Jogonnath College, Dacca, which is presently Jogonnath University, in the year 1949. Obviously, he was extremely grateful to college and faithfully served that college for a decade, where he was the departmental head of Biology.
Distinguished Medical Career
Although he acquired his medical degree in the year 1953, he actually started his medical career in the year 1959, when he took up the post of lecturer in Physiology at Dacca Medical College. He then went to serve the Daw Medical College, Karachi for a while before coming back as an Assistant Professor of Physiology in the Chittagong Medical College. Then he went to Sylhet Medical College. After which he was transferred to Dacca Medical College as the Professor of Physiology, at the same time he was responsible for the newly formed Dhaka Dental College as its Principal. In the year 1973 he went to Rangpur Medical College as the Principal. Then in the year 1978 he was back to Dhaka Medical College as its Principal. Then he took up the challenge for establishing Khulna Medical College. On 2nd March 1983, he retired from Barishal Medical College as their Principal.
Contribution to Medical Education
Professor Shahidullah was then invited to establish the Zahurul Islam Medical College as its founder Principal. This was a private initiative, which became a symbol to the private sector. He also worked for National Medical College (Private), in old Dhaka, and Feni Medical College.
During his long service career he attended several seminar, symposium, meeting organized by different organization held in different countries. He achieved his World Health Organization Fellowship from Australia.
Social Work and Public Health
After retirement, Professor Shahidullah devoted his time for the benefit of the poor people & their education. He was champion of charity works, amongst which is a primary school he established in his home village. He used to offer free clinical services for the needy & distressed people on weekly basis.
Apart from preparing doctors, he was keen on public health; and used to offer free counseling to people on health issues. In the early days of Bangladesh Television, Professor Shahidullah use to perform in the program on primary health care by the name "APNAR DACTAR" (আপরার ডাক্তার).
Literary Contributions
He wrote a book on personal hygiene in the year 1957 and in the later years he translated the book on Islamic history by the name of Bharote Muslim Bijoyer Itihash (ভারতে মুসলিম বিজয়ের ইতিহাস) which is now preferring by the teachers & students of different Universities including Dhaka University as their reference book.
Social Awareness and Leadership
During the period 1957-1959, he took special interest for the poor farmers of the banks of the river Jamuna. Due to the unpredictable nature of this river, most of the agricultural land by the river was subjected to erosion. Being a man who born and bought up near the river Jamuna knew its problem and thought of a solution to this by protecting river bank with dam. To that end he made his suggestion to the Pakistan Government in writing several occasions. In fact this was the theme he started his political campaign with, in the year 1957. Fortunately, he got his priority right by withdrawing from politics and devoted to medical career in the year 1959, by taking up a post with the Dow Medical College, Karachi.
Recognition and Respect
He was a man of considerable integrity; as a result he was highly respected by all intellectuals. He was humble to received support & cooperation from all quarters, particularly from intellectuals.
We suppose the heights regards Professor Shahidullah received was from the then Health Minister of Bangladesh Dr. Bodruddoza Chawdhury (Later President of Bangladesh) while he was on a tour to Rangpur, along with the then Honorable President of Bangladesh General Zia- ur-Rahman. During his visit to the Rangpur Medical College the Honorable Health Minister said that "I came to pay respect to my teacher", meaning Professor Shahidullah. Bodruddoza Chawdhury was a student of Md. Shahidullah, at the Dacca College. Since that visit in the year 1976, honorable President, General Ziaur Rahman showed his respect to Prof. Shahidullah by leaving his jeep outside the college campus and walked through the ground. It was understand that Prof. Shahidullah was instrumental in establishing the Bogra Medical College.
Legacy
He was an honest man, helpful to human kind; above all he was a decent human being. People of Bogra, indeed all Bangladeshi should be proud of him.
Prof. Shahidullah passed away peacefully at his own house, (101, Indira Road, Tejgaon, Shere- bangla Nagar, Dhaka-1215) on 20 June 2001. As per his desire and request of his villagers', he was berried in his birth place; in the ground of the primary school of his village. May Allah keep his soul in peace, Ameen.