Imagine a smiling older person with simple attire in a small rural place, traveling long distances early in the morning on foot from home, with a handful of books and a hanging bag. Reaching door to door and to people of any age, group, or profession. Distributing diverse categories of free books all by himself. Sounds like those fictional stories, right? However, such a kind soul lived and flourished through his reading and learning zeal and his thoughtfulness towards general people in the real world.
The Bangladeshi social activist and active initiator of the book-reading social movement, Polan Sarkar (also known as Alor Feriwala and Boiwala Dulabhai), showed the way of light to his surroundings. His paternal name was Harez Uddin, & his mother affectionately called him Polan. He was born in 1921, Natore. At the age of 5, he lost his father and shifted to his grandfather’s residence which was in Bashua village, Rajshahi. There, he continued his academic studies until class six at a local school. Because there was no adequate scope in that institution to proceed forward after the sixth standard.
However, his thirst for knowledge never died. From a young age, his fascination with reading books and illuminating his perceptions started to develop. He used to borrow, pile up & read various books from wherever he could manage.
As his grandfather was a small landowner, Polan assisted in managing and gathering taxes from the Zamindar governments. After the country’s partition and extinction of the zamindar system, he received his placement as a tax collector. Most of his salary was spent on purchasing books. He used to give others to borrow those books. In the British period, he connected with Yatra Dal. There he performed as a clown. He was engaged in manuscript writing & copying. His bookish desire rejuvenated when he prompted the actors to say the dialogues backstage.
For a long time, at Bausa Haroon Or Rashid Shah Bimukhi High School, he worked as the President of the Board of Directors. In 1990, he distributed books to 10 students who placed top on ranking lists each year. Seeing this, other students became enthusiastic and requested books from him. The book-reading movement originated. The free give and return of the books expanded so significantly that even the villagers got eager and asked him to lend books for reading. He felt delighted to share the knowledge with his community.
In 1992, his journey took a notable turn. As per the doctor’s suggestion, he had to practice walking because he was diagnosed with diabetes. A prudent thought came to his mind. Opposing the conventional school-centered book-share approach, he determined to provide and bring back the books for free by going to different houses in the village on his own. Each day, he carried books and traveled about 25-30 kilometers. When he went to a neighbor’s or other people’s house for a meal and wedding ceremonies, he gave books as a present. There are many stories from people who sincerely appreciate his impactful initiative. Moreover, some mothers could not finish their academic studies at an early age. Polan reached out to them and shared books so that they became knowledgeable. The movement depicted a powerful message in the nation. Even the local tea sellers got engaged. In 2009, near his residence’s backyard, a library was established.
In 2006, he was introduced to ‘Ityadi, a Bangladeshi popular television program’. He became known as an enlightened person. In 2011, he received Bangladesh’s national and second-highest civilian award, Ekushey Padak. During the event of ‘Impact Journalism Day’ in 2014, his tale of the reading books initiative was reported in multiple parts of the world. The article was published in the world’s 40 major newspapers.
This phenomenal bibliophile and social worker passed away in 2019 in Rajshahi. However, his magnificent reading movement, his love for reading and giving books, and helping people through knowledge expansion are eternal in society. This white-hearted man showed the path of light to many children, youths, and even adults. He uplifted others to expand their horizons of understanding through reading books. He believed that one of the most valuable things that a human being can give to others is books because they are a great source of knowledge. Such a selfless, noble person is not quite often seen in society. His footsteps are a guiding light to many.
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Writer
Saima Sayeeda
Intern, Content Writing Department
YSSE