“Gift every minute to this world, with something great”

The moment the name Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed is uttered, the image of a teacher, poet, fiction writer, organiser, environmental activist, and television personality floats before us. Many of his speeches have gone viral on social media platforms like Facebook and YouTube—speeches that are extraordinarily educational and profoundly insightful. He speaks about every branch of knowledge—science, literature, culture, poetry, teaching, politics, economics, and organisation—with such enchantment that the listener cannot help but be mesmerised. When he speaks, everyone listens in awe. As if he speaks, and the rest simply listen. His words are full of reflection and analysis; he captivates us in an astonishingly magical language.

He often says that a person is as great as their dreams. But he seems greater than dreams themselves; he has proven it in reality. His lifelong dream is teaching. Surpassing everything else, he is indeed an ideal teacher. He himself claims this. Speaking about himself, he says, “No matter what I have done, at the core, I am a teacher. One who wishes prosperity for everyone around him.”

Someone once asked him, “Why does it feel so good to listen to you?” In reply, he said, “My life’s effort has been to search for beauty. If my health is a bit well, I try to make the words I use even more joyous, even more delightful. And one thing—I never consider people to be powerful. I myself don’t understand serious, heavy words, and I sense that others don’t either. So I always try to speak in the simplest way possible.”

Let us quote from one of his viral speeches on YouTube: “What I lose, I lose forever. We once lost our childhood. Childhood is a sweet time, a deeply emotional time, a time full of dreams. No matter how old we become, childhood keeps beckoning us. I think it’s because a person is only young as long as they are a child. This childhood within us is life itself. Wanting to return to childhood means wanting to return to life.”

Sayeed Sir often says, “Stop. Run, but learn to stop. Learn to pause. Learn to be like a tree. Uplifted like a tree, clothed and adorned like a tree, full of leaves, full of flowers, full of beauty like a tree. Only then can you truly give something to this world. Otherwise, all you will do is clap and whistle.” He has never chased popularity in life. He often says, “Popularity is a very lowly thing.”

Speaking about success, he said, “Everyone keeps shouting about success. But I believe, though success is desirable, it is not a great thing. Success is a skill. Even thieves and crooks can often be successful. Among the successful people in our country, 80 percent are scoundrels. What is there to be obsessed about such a thing?”

He often says, “Nowadays, the good people in our country are isolated. There is no connection among them. They are alone. They lie alone in their separate rooms and cry. But the bad people are very united. If one evil one shouts ‘hukkahuwa’, a thousand others come running yelling ‘kya hua, kya hua’. That is why, in our country, the scoundrels have risen far above the good people. They have become very powerful.”

On the matter of honesty, he says, “We are accustomed to fearing the wicked. But we often forget that honesty is even more powerful than the wicked.”

The tagline most associated with Abdullah Abu Sayeed is “We want enlightened people.” Through the founding of Bishwo Shahitto Kendro (World Literature Centre), he has been seeking enlightened human beings for over forty years. To develop the habit of reading and create a thoughtful society, he established the World Literature Centre in 1978. Since then, reading circles, book-reading festivals, and mobile libraries have been inspiring millions of young people across the country. Through the Centre’s book-reading programmes, thousands of school students in Bangladesh have developed reading habits.

At an event of the “School of Light” programme, he said, “All of you grow up. Flourish in many ways. Let your fountains of light spread in all directions. Consider life to be valuable. Gift every minute to this world, with something great, with something beautiful.”

Abdullah Abu Sayeed’s professional life began as a teacher in the Bengali department at Dhaka College. With fluent oration and deep insight into texts, he soon became a popular teacher. He also contributed equally to literature. His pen is as sharp as it is gentle in poetry, stories, essays, and autobiographical writing. In recognition of his contribution to literature, he received the Ramon Magsaysay Award (2004), the Ekushey Padak (2005), and the Bangla Academy Literary Award (2011).

Abdullah Abu Sayeed is forever young. He believes in youth, action, and energy. He is the youth of the young, the youth of the old, and he enjoys the youth of every era. He can truly be called a lighthouse. He is the guiding light of our times.

Today, 25 July, is the birthday of this eminent educationist, writer, and social reformer Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed. He was born on this day in 1939 at Park Circus in Kolkata. Thus, having completed 86 years, he enters his 87th year—this legendary teacher, writer, and cultural personality.

Recently, speaking about his birthday, he said that Rabindranath lived for 80 years. If he lives as long as Rabindranath, he would feel fulfilled. But Sir has surpassed 80 and is now stepping into 87. Happy birthday, Sir. You shall remain in our minds, thoughts, and consciousness through the World Literature Centre. This country owes you an indescribable debt.

Writer: Journalist