Gyantapas Abdur Razzaq

Professor Abdur Razzaq was a legendary scholar, a nurturing mentor and a distinctive and inspiring presence in the intellectual and cultural landscape of the country for many decades. He was also deeply respected for his graciousness, humility, integrity and his infectious laughter, as well as his abiding faith in critical thinking, moral clarity and intellectual excellence. He has left behind many students and admirers who remember him with reverence, gratitude and pleasure. He joined Dhaka University as a Lecturer in 1936, and went to pursue his Ph.D. at the London School of Economics in 1945 under the supervision of the world-renowned scholar Prof. Harold Laski. He was close to finishing his dissertation when Laski died on March 24, 1950, and he finalized and submitted his thesis to Prof. W.H. Morris-Jones, his new supervisor. But before all the requirements for his degree had been completed, inexplicably he left for Dhaka on July 15, 1950. He re-joined Dhaka University as a Senior Lecturer and remained in that position till he was conferred a National Professorship in 1975. Ahrar Ahmad Ahrar Ahmad received his PhD from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, USA. He taught Political Science at Black Hills State University, Spearfish, South Dakota. Dr. Ahmed has published numerous articles in peer-reviewed journals, and presented numerous papers at professional conferences.