Today we are going to know about the life story of someone who was once a Bangladeshi student leader, especially during the climax of the Bengali nationalist movement in the 1960s. But, whose academic excellence and the knack for academic pursuit made him a nuclear scientist, eventually installing him at the helm of the country’s Atomic Energy Commission. The person has multiple identities and nationally he had a very high profile. Simultaneously, he was the nuclear scientist of international repute, an eminent physicist, the late son in law of father of our nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibor Rahman, and the late husband of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The person is Dr. M A Wazed Miah.
Dr Wazed Miah left invaluable contributions not only in his professional career as a reputed atomic scientist, but also in many other fields of our national life. He had brought development in our country’s science and technology field, and also put a good image and reputation of Bangladesh in front of the whole world. Yet, he was more commonly praised for having a good character other than his other qualities.
Let us get to know how he had managed to live such a successful life.
Life of “M. A. Wazed Miah” at a glance:
Real Name: Md. Abdul Wazed Miah
Date of Birth: 16 February 1942
Birth Place: Fatehpur, (Miah Bari) at Pirganj, Rangpur district, the then Bengal, British India, now Bangladesh
Date of Death: 9 May 2009
Place of Death: Dhaka
Buried Place: native village at Pirganj, Rangpur
Cause of Death: High blood pressure, heart disease, kidney failure, diabetes, and asthma.
Age: 67
Father’s Name: Abdul Quader Miah
Mother’s Name: Moyzunnessa (Maijun Nesa Bibi)
Siblings: three sisters and four brothers
Education:
➢ Matriculation examination, Rangpur Zilla School, Rangpur in 1956
➢ Intermediate, Rajshahi College in 1958
➢ Bachelor of Science, Department of Physics, University of Dhaka, 1961
➢ Master of Science, Department of Physics, University of Dhaka, 1962
➢ Diploma, Imperial College London, England, the UK, from 1963 to1964
➢ Doctor of Philosophy degree, Physics, Durham University, England, the UK, in 1967
Professions:
➢ Vice-President, Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall, University of Dhaka, from 1961 to 1962
➢ Associateship, International Centre for Theoretical Physics, Italy, in 1969
➢ Chief Scientist, Karachi Nuclear Power Plant, Karachi, Pakistan
➢ Lab researcher, Atomic Energy Commission of India, from 1975 to1982
➢ Chairman, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, from 1982 to 1999
Married to: Sheikh Hasina
Children: 2; (1 son ) Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and (1 daughter) Saima Wazed Putul
Religion: Islam
Nationality: Bangladeshi
Books:
➢ Fundamentals of Electro-Magnetics (1982)
➢ Fundamentals of Thermodynamics (1988)
➢ Elementary Nuclear and Rector Physics (1995)
➢ Basics of Superconductivity (1996)
➢ Some Thoughts of Science & Technology (1997)
➢ Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibke Ghire Kichhu Ghatana O Bangladesh (1993)
➢ Bangladesher Rajniti O Sarkarer Chalchitra (1995)
➢ Bangladesher Bibhinna Santasyar Sambhabya Szrmadhan (1996)
Early Life:
On a fine day in February 16, 1942, in a respectable Muslim family of Fatehpur village under Pirganj upazila of Rangpur district, Md. Abdul Wajed Miah, was born. He was the youngest among four sons and three daughters of Abdul Quader Mia and Moyzunnessa (Maijun Nesa Bibi). As the youngest member of the family, he was affectionately called as Sudha Mia.
He spent his early days at his village, but later moved to different big cities to obtain the best education. His family was always conscious in giving him up the proper education possible. That is why in the future, he was shaped into being one of the prominent scientists of Bangladesh.
Education:
At first, he studied and completed his primary education in a primary school situated at his own village, up to class four. Then, subsequently, he attended a high school in Pirganj until class six. In order to receive better education, he stepped out of his home areas and was sent at Rangpur Zila School. There, he passed his SSC (Secondary School Certificate) examinations in 1956 by excelling in the First Division with distinctions (albeit certain subjects earned him letter grades). After that, he got enrolled at Rajshahi Science College. 2 years later, in 1958, he completed the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) program.
Now, for further higher education, following his success on the HSC exam, he moved to Dhaka and got admitted to the University of Dhaka, at the Department of Physics. From there, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics in 1961. He was ranked Second in the first class division. Within 1 year, he completed his Master of Science degree in 1962, and this time he earned first place in the first class.
Such a brilliant student then went abroad, in England, to gain a better education and knowledge than Bangladesh. During the period 1963–1964, he finished the Imperial College London Diploma Program. Because of his excellent performance, Durham University, England awarded him a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Physics in 1967. His Phd thesis was on the topic ‘Theoretical particle physics bootstrap hypothesis’.
Wazed Miah was a great multitasker. That is why he could manage studies, career, politics – simultaneously side by side without having any negative impact on either of the things.
Involvement with Politics:
While studying at the University of Dhaka, that time only he was engaged with student politics. He served as the Vice President of the University of Dhaka’s Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall branch of the East Pakistan Muslim Chhatra League, which is currently known as the Bangladesh Chhatra League, from 1961 to 1962. Because he participated in the East Pakistan Education Movement in 1962 against Ayub’s Education Commission, he got arrested and had to spend some days in the jail. Perhaps he understood his passion for science or the educational field, and so after graduating from the university, he left politics and focused on building a career as a scientist.
Career:
After finishing his Phd degree, he returned back from the UK and started off his career in September 1967 . He joined as a scientific officer at the Atomic Energy Research Centre in Dhaka. Later, he again got engaged in post-doctoral research from November 1969 to 1970 in London. In 1969 he got the associate-ship of Italy-based International Theoretical Physics Research Centre of Nobel Laureate Professor Dr Salam where he was engaged in a research project under the world- renowned scientist. In the same year he returned home and remained engaged with the Atomic Energy research Centre. In Karachi, Wazed Miah was the chief scientist at the Karachi Nuclear Power Plant but the Pakistani Government unjustifiably terminated his job by revoking his security clearance and that led him to return to Bangladesh before the liberation war. After the liberation, he resumed his job at Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission.
In 1975 he was in the then West Germany to undergo higher training on atomic reactor science while his wife Sheikh Hasina was with her at that time and thus evaded the August 15, 1975 carnage. He was engaged in research works at the New Delhi-based laboratory of Indian Atomic Energy Commission from 1975 to 1982, the period he actually was forced to leave an exiled life after the killing of Bangabandhu along with most of his family members. On return home, he rejoined the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission and retired as its chairman in 1999.
Furthermore, Dr. M A Wazed Miah was the President of Bangladesh Association for the Advancement of Science (BAAS) during 1995-2000. He was the general secretary of the Atomic Energy Scientist Association in 1972-73 and was the president of the organization in 1983-85. He was the general secretary of Bangladesh Physics Samiti in 1985-88 and was elected its president in 1997. Between 1994 and 1996 he was the president of ‘Bijnan Unnayan Samiti’.He was awarded the ‘Sir Jagadish Chandra Basu Gold Medal’ and MABS International Gold Medal.
As a student of University of Dhaka himself, he also served as a teacher there. He taught as a guest faculty at the Physics Department of Dhaka University. His fields of specialization were fundamentals interaction and particle physics, nuclear and reactor physics, solid state physics, electromagnetism, health and radiation physics and renewable energy.
Despite having such a great successful life, he kept and maintained a separate life personally. His professional and personal life were not mixed together and that is why he was more popular among the citizens of Bangladesh.
Personal Life:
Even though Dr Wazed Miah was an eminent nuclear scientist, researcher, writer, and most importantly the son in law of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibor Rahman and the husband of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasin, all these were overshadowed by his quality as a good man. Wazed Miah always kept a simple, private and reserved life. He was loved and respected by everyone of all ages and backgrounds because of his personality and character. He was called a `perfect gentleman’ by many as he had no enemies throughout his life. He kept a low profile. He did not let power touch him though he was close to it.
Samyabadi Dal General Secretary and Industries Minister Dilip Barua, who was the direct student of Dr Wazed Mia, praised the teaching method of Wazed Miah who used to teach quantum physics at the University of Dhaka. According to Barua, Wazed Miah’s simple method of explanation helped students to easily assimilate the difficult issues of physics.
In marital life, Dr M A Wazed Miah was tied with Sheikh Hasina, daughter of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and the current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. They got wedded on November 17 in 1967. The time they got married was when Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was in jail awaiting the trial of Agartala Case. The couple together have a son and a daughter – Sajib Wajed Joy and Saima Wajed Putul, respectively.
After the brutal assassination of the father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Dr Wazed Miah guided his wife Sheikh Hasina and sister-in-law Sheikh Rehana like a guardian. He was like a shadow for the 2 sisters who lost their father and whole family at a young age. they were under the warm shadow of affection of Wazed Miah. He gave them inspiration and guidance and helped them reach this level of national life. Wazed Mia was not a barrier to the way of doing politics by Sheikh Hasina, rather he worked as a complementary factor to her doing politics. Thus, we can see that he played the role of a perfect husband, and a partner. He was a good organizer who gave leadership from behind. Though he was an active person in politics in his student life, once he left politics after university, even after marriage, he never played any direct or active role in politics anymore.
He never compromised with anything unjust and still was an amiable person. He used to speak in a straight-forward manner whatever he believed and would always think about the country and its people. That is why after the news of his death spread throughout the country, it brought everyone into tears.
Death:
The glorious days of Dr Wazed came to an end on 9 May 2009 when he breathed his last at around 4:25pm at a hospital. He died at the age of 67 years. He was suffering from different complications like high blood pressure, heart disease, kidney failure, diabetes, and asthma for quite a long time. He had a bypass operation a few years earlier and an angioplasty in Singapore only a few months before his death. The news of his death brought national shock.
His body was taken to his Sudha Sadan residence in Dhanmondi from the hospital so that people could pay respect and tribute to him. Hundreds of citizens including ministers, state ministers, lawmakers, leaders of Awami League and its associated organizations, relatives, and admirers rushed to the Sudha Sadan to express their condolences to Dr Wazed Miah’s family members.
The then leader of the Opposition in Parliament and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, former President Zillur Rahman, former speaker and later the then President Abdul Hamid, and many other high profile political people expressed their deep sorrow and sent condolence messages in memory of Wazed Miah.
His first namaz-e-janaza was held at the National Mosque of Bangladesh, the Baitul Mokarram Jame Masjid in Dhaka at 10:00am the next day. Then his body was taken to his village home Fathepur in Pirganj of Rangpur. As both his children, Joy and Putul were away from the country, in the USA and Canada respectively, Wazed Miah’s body was kept at a mortuary.
He was later buried in his family graveyard at his village after the second namaz-e-janaza there. He was buried next to the graves of his parents Abdul Kader Miah and mother Moyzennesa.
Legacy:
To honor and in memory of Dr. M A Wazed Miah, a few of the tertiary level institutions in Bangladesh have been renamed in his name. Also, a number of academic and research institutes and establishments have been named after him in different parts of the country.
The 4th Science Building, which is a prominent science building at the University of Rajshahi, has been renamed as the Dr. M Wazed Miah Academic Building. Furthermore, he has his name on the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology’s Information and Communications Technology building. Hajee Mohammad Danesh Science and Technology University in Dinajpur is also constructing an academic building in his honor. Recently, the government of Bangladesh has taken an initiative to set up a new university named Dr MA Wazed Miah Agriculture University, in Natore.
‘Wazed Miah Science Research Centre (WMSRC)’ is a recognized center of excellence of Jahangirnagar University. ‘Dr. M. A Wazed Miah Institute of Advance Studies’ has been established at Jessore University of Science and Technology (JUST). ‘Doctor Wazed International Research and Training Institute’ has been established at Begum Rokeya University, Rangpur. The institute provides higher degrees like M.Phil and Ph.D degree based on research work. ‘Dr. M A Wazed Miah Textile Engineering College’, located in Rangpur is a public engineering college and is affiliated with the Bangladesh University of Textiles. Two other academic buildings at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (Dr. M.A. Wazed Miah IICT Building) has also been built in his memory. A central laboratory has been named after him as ‘Dr. M. A. Wazed Miah Central Laboratory’ at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University, at Gazipur.
Books or Publications:
Besides being a scientist, we can call Dr. Wazed Miah an author because he had written several books mainly on physics as well as on the life and politics of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. His academic books are still helping different students around the world to gain knowledge about physics. As a researcher, he also had publications on scientific research and nuclear science. The books and research papers that he had left are also unforgettable contributions of him for the knowledge-thirst people.
His published academic books are: Fundamentals of Electro-Magnetics (in 1982), Fundamentals of Thermodynamics (published by University Press, Dhaka, in 1988), Elementary Nuclear and Rector Physics (in 1995), Basics of Superconductivity (in 1996), Some Thoughts of Science & Technology (in 1997).
His books on Bangladesh politics are: Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib ke Ghire Kichhu Ghatana O Bangladesh [Some Events Centring Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib and Bangladesh] (in 1993), Bangladesher Rajniti O Sarkarer Chalchitra [Politics in Bangladesh and the Background Scenes of Governments] (in 1995), Bangladesher Bibhinna Shomosshar Sambhavya Samadhan [Probable Solutions of the Various Problems of Bangladesh] (in 1996).
It is said that there was a teacher named Abdul Latif Patowary who was primarily the mentor of Dr Wazed Miah, suggesting that he should read science and emerge as a humanitarian scientist. That is why, Dr. Wazed, in his later life, dedicated one of his books to the memory of his beloved teacher. However, he never forgot to give compliments to his other mentors and counselors at different education institutions.
Conclusion:
As a naturally gifted, dedicated and committed scientist, Dr. Wazed Miah made a significant contribution to the advancement of science and technology in the country. The nation will always recall with respect his contributions. The younger generations and future leaders of Bangladesh can take inspiration and learn lessons from his life about how to manage multiple things successfully as well as how to be humble and kind hearted. At the end of the day, it is a person’s character which is never forgotten more than his other contributions. Dr. M A Wazed Miah despite being such an internationally reputed scientist and a person with many powers nationally, maintained a simple life and this is a teaching for us to be down to earth albeit having other skills and qualities. If he was still alive with us, probably Bangladesh would become more advanced in terms of scientific achievements.