Manik Miah – A pen-warrior of nationalism

Dr. Forqan Uddin Ahmed :

Tofazzal Hossain Manik Miah was born in 1911 in the village of Bhandaria in the Pirojpur district. His father’s name was Moslem Uddin Miah. His mother passed away during his childhood. Manik Miah began his education at PurboBhandaria Model Primary School.

After studying there for a while, he was enrolled at Bhandaria High School, where he studied up to the eighth grade. He then moved to Pirojpur Government High School and passed his matriculation from there with distinction. In 1935, he obtained his B.A.

degree with distinction from Barisal BM College. During this time, he came into contact with Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, a prominent Muslim League leader. At Suhrawardy’s request, he left his job and joined the Public Relations Department of the then Bengal Government as a liaison officer for Barisal district. Shortly afterward, he resigned and took up the role of office secretary at the Provincial Muslim League office in Kolkata.

In 1946, under the editorship of Abul Mansur Ahmed, the newspaper Daily Ittefaq was launched. In August 1947, Manik Miah joined as the secretary of its governing board. However, he remained with Ittehad for only about a year and a half. After the Partition of India in 1947, he spent some time in Kolkata before migrating to the then East Pakistan.

The East Pakistan Awami Muslim League was formed in 1949. From 1951, Manik Miah took full responsibility for the weekly Ittefaq, and under his editorship in 1953, it was transformed into the Daily Ittefaq. Later, the paper played a vital role in the movement against Ayub Khan’s military regime. In 1959, he was imprisoned for a year on charges of violating martial law.

He was arrested again in 1966, and during this time, Ittefaq was banned, and its press – the New Nation Printing Press – was confiscated. As a result, his other publications, Dhaka Times and Purbani, were also shut down. Under public pressure, the government was forced to lift the restrictions, and on February 11, 1969, Ittefaq resumed publication. Until his last breath, Manik Miah worked tirelessly to resist the oppression and exploitation of the Pakistani regime.

Manik Mia took journalism as a mission of his life to establish democracy, rule of law and fundamental rights of the people to keep politics on the right track. In his view, democracy was not a dogma, but expansion of peoples’ right to achieve socio-economic justice. In judging political matters, he always remained strictly neutral like an umpire. We should not forget that he was not only a devoted journalist, but also a farsighted political visionary of liberal outlook.

His personal close association with the democratic leader Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy made Manik Mia indifferent about earthly affairs. He endeavored to make democracy popular through journalism. The ceaselessly fought for justice, freedom of press and expression aiming to build up a democratic Society. As a journalist, Manik Miah was better known under the pen name Musafir.

His political column Rajnoitik Moncho (The Political Stage), under this pseudonym, created waves of public awareness in the then East Pakistan. While Manik Miah was political, Musafir was not. They represented two distinct yet interconnected personas. Manik Miah viewed politics as a sacred vocation involving the participation of the masses.

He believed that those who sought politics as a path to personal gain should instead pursue business or contracting. He drew a clear distinction between power politics and people-oriented politics, once stating: “Politics is certainly a means to power – but not the ultimate purpose. Those who treat it as an end in itself practice power politics, not welfare politics.”

Tafazzal Hossain Manik Mia was the greatest artist of the political movement in the development of nationalism. The greatest pen fighter made a bridge between politics and journalism. He became a fellow of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s independence movement partner. But he did not join the Awami League directly. He did not take any position in the team.

There was a proposal for Manik Mia for his place in the cabinet ministry of Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy. He did not agree. Rather he had an active role in democratic national politics. As a journalist, Manik Mia was known by another name- ‘ Mosafir ‘. Manik Mia and Mosafir were a different identity. Manik Mia saw politics as a well-organized organisation with the participation of the masses. One of the tools of democracy is free media. Daily Ittefaq was established as a tool to propagate the ideology or philosophy of that democracy.

The Pakistani government found his writings to be against them, which led him to face the court several times. Despite all that, he never bowed down to authority. He never took the newspaper as a business but more as a medium of expression which led him to be the Manik Miah we all know today. For his writings in support of the Six Point Declaration of Awami League, Manik Miah was arrested on June 16. Ittefaq, Dhaka Times and Purbani (Cine Weekly) were banned by the authorities. After a ten month imprisonment he was released on March 27, 1967.

Although the then government eventually told him to tone it down, and Ittefaq was allowed to resume, Manik Miah never compromised his beliefs. He was not a mainstream political person and he was more than just a political mind. He led a life of a statesman where his knowledge formed the foundation of his work — something he was not willing to compromise at any cost.

The major contribution that Manik Mia made in the field of journalism in Bangladesh was establishing an institution – the Ittefaq – which offered huge opportunities of training for journalists who worked in this newspaper with no previous journalistic education or training. Truly, the country has now many outlets to offer courses in journalism but in the late 50s or 60s of the last century, there were lack of facilities.

In such a backdrop, Manik Mia virtually opened the door(s) for many to take up journalism as a profession.

Manik Mia’s contribution and the role of Ittefaq in achieving independence are undeniable. Manik Mia is a legend in the history of Bangladesh’s media. He is a torchbearer who has paved the way for the true path of journalism. Today on the occasion of his 56th death anniversary we pay our heartfelt respect and homage to this great man.

The achievements and contribution to the Bengali people will be relevant for years to come. Manik Mia’s towering courage will boost up the progressive society for a long long time. So Manik Mia has been undoubtedly considered as a legend of media arena. Manik Mia the very name will never perish and the name will not be confined only in papers. Rather he will be cherished in the history of Bangladesh and will be a source of inspiration till time immemorial.

His political criticisms were both sarcastic and idealistic in content and character. The columns that he penned under the pseudonym ‘Musafir’ is still considered as the masterpiece of his time with everlasting impacts.
In his personal life, Manik Miah was simple. He shunned luxury and extravagance. His modest office at Ittefaq was sparsely furnished: just a deck chair, a basic table, a few chairs, and a bookshelf. Until his last days, he used an old, broken Hillman car – which frequently broke down. But he never wished to replace the old car or its elderly driver.

He was a family man who did the shopping himself and had a fondness for buying fish. He deeply loved his children – a rare example of tender fatherhood. He also knew how to forgive, a virtue he learned from Suhrawardy. Even those who wronged him severely would be forgiven if they approached him with sincerity.

As the columnist Musafir, he wielded his pen to establish people’s rights in the national interest – not to flatter any party. As the political figure Manik Miah, he practiced people-oriented politics, and it was the Awami League – the largest people’s party – that received his unwavering support. This is where the difference between editor Musafir and politician Manik Miah lies. They were one and the same person, yet embodied two distinct identities. He did not play neutral or partisan roles.

He aligned himself with the cause of Bangladesh’s autonomy and democracy. That alignment lies the subtle harmony between his two personas – Manik Miah and Musafir. He was truly a vigilant guardian of mass politics and the broader national interest. On this 55th death anniversary of Tofazzal Hossain Manik Miah, we offer our deepest respect and pray for the peace of his departed soul.

(The writer is former Deputy Director General, Bangladesh
Ansar and VDP).