Wajed Ali Khan Panni

Wajed Ali Khan Panni (Bengali: ওয়াজেদ আলী খান পন্নী; 1871–1936), also known as Chand Mian (Bengali: চাঁদ মিঞা) and by the epithet Atiyar Chand (Bengali: আটিয়ার চাঁদ), was a Bengali politician, educationist and the Zamindar of Karatia. He was famed for his charitable works as a philanthropist.

Not to be confused with Wajid Ali Khan Panni.
Maulvi

Wajed Ali Khan Panni

Zamindar of Karatia
Born(1871-11-14)14 November 1871
Karatia, Tangail, Bengal Presidency, British Raj
Died25 April 1936(1936-04-25) (aged 64)
Karatia, Tangail, Bengal Presidency, British Raj
Other namesChand Mian
TitleAtiar Chand (Moon of Atia)
Spouse(s)Rokeya
Parents
  • Hafez Mahmud Ali Khan Panni (father)
  • Khadijah Khanom (mother)

Early life

Panni was born into a Bengali Muslim family in Karatia, Tangail, Bengal Presidency in the year 1871. His father, Hafez Mahmud Ali Khan Panni, belonged to the Karatia Zamindari, a wealthy landowning family in the area. Panni was homeschooled by private tutors and learned Arabic, Bengali, English, Persian, and Urdu. He was a big fan of the Chomchom of Porabari.[1]

Career

In 1892, Panni assisted the poet Mohammad Naimuddin in translating the Fatawa-e-Alamgiri into four volumes in Bengali, with his father's patronage.[2][3]

At the start of the 20th century, Panni ordered the digging of a canal, known as Katakhali, in order to aid communication in Tangail.[4] Panni aided Abu Ahmad Ghuznavi Khan, the Zamindar of Delduar, in repairing the Atia Mosque in 1909 which was founded by his ancestor, Sayeed Khan Panni.[5]

Panni helped the Nawab of Dhaka Khwaja Salimullah organize the Muslim Education Conference in Karatia in 1913. He founded two schools in Karatia after the conference, Hafez Mahmud Ali Khan High School, named after his father, and Rokeya Aliyah Madrasah, named after his wife. He served as the head of the Mymensingh District Khilafat movement committee and the unit of All India Congress, serving as vice-president of the Bengal Provincial Congress Committee.[6] He was jailed for his role in the Khilafat movement in December 1921.

Panni founded Saadat College in July 1926, named after his grandfather Saadat Ali Khan Panni,[7] which was one of the country's first five university-colleges and the first college in rural Bengal.[8][9] He was a philanthropist who spent 20 percent of his own income in charity work. As a landlord, he was known to have been fair to his ryots/tenants and waive rent in case of natural disasters such as famine or flood. Panni also established a Sharia department in his land which was engaged by 700 Islamic scholars.[2]

He also established the Karatia Zamindar Bari (Karatia Palace) and one of the buildings, Rokeya Manzil, was named after his wife.[10]

Death

Panni died in 1936.[2]

References
  1. "'The King of Sweets'". The Daily Star. 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
  2. Mir Shamsur Rahman (2012). "Panni, Wazed Ali Khan". In Islam, Sirajul; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  3. "Working in Tangail: A Sub-divisional Officer's Account". Star Weekend Magazine. The Daily Star. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
  4. "Katakhali almost dead". The Daily Star. 2017-06-23. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
  5. "Historic Atia mosque about to wear away". The Daily Star. 2010-02-07. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
  6. Abu Yusuf Alam (2006). Muslims and Bengal Politics (1912-24). Raktakarabee. p. 302.
  7. Sheren, Syeda Momtaz (2012). "Sadat College". In Islam, Sirajul; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. Retrieved 5 February 2021.
  8. "A bamboo bridge…". The Daily Star. 2009-04-24. Retrieved 2017-11-01.
  9. Muhammad Abdul Ghafur; Abul Kalam Mohammad Abdul Mannan Mollah (1968). Social Welfare. Pubali Prakashani. p. 104.
  10. "Top 10 Historical Places In Bangladesh You Must See". LRB Travel Team.
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