In the Bengal Presidency’s Burdwan district’s Raina village, Kulia, Ekramuddin Ahmad was born in 1872 to a Bengali Muslim family. Mahtabuddin Ahmad, his father, worked as a country physician. He cleared the Burdwan Raj College FA examinations in 1894 after graduating from Burdwan High School in 1892. In addition, he attended Hooghly College to earn a BA, but he left before finishing.
Career
In 1896, Ahmad started working for the government as a surveyor. He eventually rose to the position of sub-deputy collector. When he worked for the government, he was well-known for his assistance to the Santal people. He produced a report in 1918 about the oppression and exploitation of the Santal people in Birbhum by zamindars, or landowners. Although he did not always receive police backing in his efforts to draw attention to the rights of Santals, his report brought the repression of the Santals to the attention of the authorities. In 1927, he left the federal service. After retirement, Ahmad gained renown as a literary critic and author. He was one of the leading Muslim commentators on the work of Tagore and in 1914 wrote “Robindro-Pratibha” (or “The Genius of Tagore”). He also wrote volumes of literary criticism on Michael Madhusudan Dutt and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay. He wrote several novels, among them the romantic novel “Kaanch o Moni” (1919). His novels were serialized in Saogat and Mohammadi, both of which were important Bengali Muslim literary journals of the period. He was also a humorist, essayist, and short story writer, and one of his stories “Bhikkhu” (or “The Beggar”) was a set text in secondary schools in East Pakistan.
Death
Ekramuddin Ahmad died on 20 November 1940, and was buried in the village of Kaitha in Birbhum, Bengal. His life and work left a significant impact on Bengali literature and the Santal community.
The life of Ekramuddin Ahmad exemplified a unique fusion of literary genius and social consciousness. In addition to advancing the cause of the oppressed, he enhanced Bengali literature with his perceptive analyses and gripping tales. His memory never fades and serves as a constant reminder of the ability of writing to uphold justice and shed light on the human condition.