Syed Mujtaba Ali: The Cosmopolitan Figure of Bengali Literature

February 12 marks the death anniversary of Syed Mujtaba Ali—renowned linguist and one of the most distinguished novelists, humorists, and travel writers in modern Bengali literature. A scholar of immense erudition combined with a remarkable sense of humor, he was born on 13 September 1904 in Karimganj, Sylhet (then part of undivided British India under Assam). His father, Khan Bahadur Syed Sikandar Ali, served as a sub-registrar. Their ancestral home was in Moulvibazar. At the age of 69, on 11 February 1974, Syed Mujtaba Ali passed away.

In 1921, Syed Mujtaba Ali enrolled at Santiniketan and was among the early students of Visva-Bharati University. There, he studied Sanskrit, English, Arabic, Persian, Hindi, Gujarati, French, German and Italian. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in 1926. He later pursued studies at Aligarh University and subsequently went to the University of Bonn in Germany on a scholarship. In 1932, he obtained his D.Phil. degree for research in Comparative Religion. During 1934–1935, he also studied at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt.

From 1927 to 1929, Syed Mujtaba Ali taught at the Department of Education in Kabul. In 1935, he joined Baroda College as a Professor of Comparative Religion, where he spent eight years. He later worked at the Ministry of Education in Delhi. In 1949, he served as Principal of Azizul Haque College in Bogura (then East Pakistan) and as a part-time lecturer in the Department of Islamic Studies at the University of Calcutta. During the 1950s, he also served for some time as Station Director of All India Radio in Patna, Cuttack, Kolkata and Delhi. In 1961, he returned to Santiniketan and joined Visva-Bharati University as a Reader in the Department of Islamic Studies.

While studying at Santiniketan, Syed Mujtaba Ali contributed writings to Visva-Bharati, a handwritten magazine published there. Later, under pseudonyms such as Satyapir, Omar Khayyam, Tekchand and Priyadarshi, he wrote columns for publications including Desh, Anandabazar, Basumati, Satyayug and Mohammadi. Drawing from his extensive travels across many countries, he produced celebrated travelogues. Mujtaba Ali also wrote short stories, novels, and humorous essays. Among his notable works are Deshe Bideshe, Jole-Dangay, Panchatantra, Mayurakanthi, Chachakahini, Purba Pakistaner Rashtrabhasha, Dhoopchhaya, Chaturanga, Bhoboghure O Onnanno, Borobabu, Raja-Ujir, Hitler, Abishwasya, Shabnam, Shahar Iyar and Tulonahina.

Syed Mujtaba Ali played a pivotal role in cultivating a refined sense of humor in Bengali literature. During his lifetime, he enjoyed immense popularity, reaching the height of literary acclaim. Yet, paradoxically, he often displayed reluctance toward writing. He once humorously remarked, “If there is rice in the pot, a Santal does not go to work. And if there is money in my drawer, I do not write!”

Beyond the literary sphere, Syed Mujtaba Ali was equally witty in his personal life. Having married at a relatively late age, he often joked about it, saying, “Men who marry late in life become excessively devoted husbands. I am no exception.”

Throughout his life, Syed Mujtaba Ali remained liberal and free from all forms of narrow-mindedness. He was consistently vocal against religious orthodoxy and superstition. He considered himself as a global citizen and this cosmopolitan spirit was reflected both in his lifestyle and in his writings. His elder brother, Syed Murtaza Ali, wrote about him: “There was not a trace of religious narrowness in his literature. Yet, for this very liberalism, the orthodox followers of his own faith never forgave him.”

Reflecting on life, Mujtaba Ali once said:“Life is experience, and experience is life. The sum of all experiences is what we call life; and if we break life into fragments, each fragment is an experience. Each experience is like a single teardrop-bead of rudraksha. When all those beads are strung together into a rosary, that is what we know as life.”

On the importance of books and reading, in his poetic rendering of Omar Khayyam, he wrote:? “Bread and wine will be exhausted, the beloved’s dark eyes will grow dim with age—but the book remains eternally young, if it is truly a book.” This line remains a timeless quotation in Bengali literature.

In 1949, Syed Mujtaba Ali received the Narsingh Das Award. In 1961, he was honored with the prestigious Ananda Award. In recognition of his outstanding contributions to literature, he was posthumously awarded the Ekushey Padak in 2005. Syed Mujtaba Ali continues to illuminate our deepest darkness with enduring inspiration.


Emran Emon is an eminent journalist,
columnist and global affairs analyst. 
He can be reached at 
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