Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

In 1938 he married Begum Fazilatunnesa. The couple had three sons - Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Russel and two daughters - Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Rehana.

He was born on March 17, 1920, in Tungipara village in Gopalgunj subdivision of Faridpur district, in the state of Bengal in British India. He was born as one of six children of Sheikh Luthfur Rahman and Saira Begum. His father was an officer in Gopalgunj civil court.

In 1927 he was enrolled at the ‘Gimadanga Primary School’ and after two years he joined the ‘Gopalganj Public School’ in class three. In 1931 he was enrolled in class four at the ‘Madaripur Islamia High School’.

He had to drop out from school in 1934 due to eye surgery and his slow recovery posed hindrance in resuming school which he could do after four years.

His political calling effectually commenced in 1939 when he was studying at ‘Gopalganj Missionary School’. When Chief Minister of undivided Bengal, A.K. Fazlul Haque and Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy visited the school campus, a group of students under his leadership demanded repair of damaged roof of the school.

In 1940 he joined the ‘All India Muslim Students Federation’ and was elected councillor for a term of one year.

He faced expulsion from the university and in 1949 was arrested for organising an agitation with the clerical and other menial staffs of ‘Dhaka University’ on the issue of rights of the workers.

On June 23, 1949, he joined the Bengali nationalists Suhrawardy, Maulana Bhashani and others to form the ‘East Pakistan Awami Muslim League’. He was made the joint secretary while in confinement and was released at the end of June.

He became the general secretary of the party on July 9, 1953 and next year he was elected a member of ‘East Bengal Legislative Assembly’ on the ticket of the coalition ‘United Front’.

On May 15, 1954 he became the agricultural and forest minister only for few days till May 29 when the ministry of the ‘United Front’ was expeditiously dismissed by the Central Government. He was again arrested on May 30 and released on December 23.

From 1955 to 1958 he remained an elected member of the second ‘Constituent Assembly of Pakistan’. In 1956 the ‘One Unit’ plan was implemented where western provinces were merged as ‘West Pakistan’ and ‘East Bengal’ became a part of ‘One Unit’ rechristened as ‘East Pakistan’. In 1956 he became the minister of commerce, industries, labour, village aid and anti-corruption but resigned in 1957.