A seminar on 154th birth anniversary of eminent literary scholar Abdul Karim Sahityabisharad was held at Bangla Academy here today. Photo : Collected

DHAKA, Oct 09, 2025 (BSS) - A seminar on 154th birth anniversary of eminent literary scholar Abdul Karim Sahityabisharad was held at Bangla Academy here today.

The seminar was organized at the Poet Shamsur Rahman Seminar Room of Bangla Academy as a tribute to the pioneering researcher and collector of ancient Bengali manuscripts.

Speakers recalled Sahityabisharad’s lifelong dedication to preserve Bengali literary heritage.

Director General (DG) of Bangla Academy Professor Mohammad Azam presided over the event while former Bangla Academy DG Professor Mansur Musa presented the keynote paper. 

Distinguished academics including Professor Nehal Karim and Professor Suman Sazzad participated as discussants.

In his address Professor Azam outlined Abdul Karim Sahityabisharad’s long-standing association with the Bangiya Sahitya Parishad. 

“While the Bangiya Sahitya Parishad acknowledged some of his contributions, much of Sahityabisharad’s work was overlooked, much of which was robbed by others,” he said.

“Abdul Karim, working from Chattogram, remained intellectually marginalized,” Azam said contextualizing it with the colonial mindset.

“This unfortunate outcome is perhaps not surprising,” he said adding, Kolkata, the colonial center, was the home of many elite intellectuals with strong ties to European literary traditions.

Professor Azam further emphasized that despite his huge contributions, Sahityabisharad was unable to publish even a single edited volume of his work before his death due to non-cooperation, rivalry, and perhaps jealousy from contemporaries.

Discussing the current state of Puthi (Old Bangla Manuscript) studies, he noted, “This once-vibrant tradition has been on the verge of extinction. 

However, a recent initiative by the Central Library of the University of Dhaka has brought new life into the field. A few volumes on his work have already been published, and several young scholars are now actively engaged in this important work.”

Underscoring the international scope of this research, Prof. Azam pointed out on renewed global interest in Bengali literature, saying, “Just few days ago, a summit in Hungary prominently featured the study of Bengali Puthis.”

“The Bangla Academy also has recently undertaken a new initiative to revive this literary heritage,” the DG added.

Abdul Karim Sahitya Bisahrad was born on October 11, 1871 to an upper middle class Bengali family of Muslim Malla-Sheikhs in the village of Suchakradandi in Patiya of Chittagong District, the then Bengal Presidency. 

Bangiya Sahitya Parishad published his catalog of Bengali manuscripts titled ‘Bangala Prachin Puthir Bivaran’ in two volumes in 1920–21. The Bangla Department of the University of Dhaka also published a catalog of the manuscripts preserved in the University Library under the title “Puthi Parichiti”.

Sahityabisharad edited eleven old Bengali texts and a book on the history and culture of Chittagong, titled ‘Islamabad’ and discovered a hundred Muslim poets whose names and works were not known before.

This Bangla literary legend passed away in 1953 at his age of 81.