Appreciations
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A
visionary of his time, he promoted ethnic harmony through education Azeez was born to a distinguished and well-to-do family. His father, S.M. Aboobucker, was a leading lawyer, Quazi, member of the Jaffna Urban Council and first outstation president of the All Ceylon Muslim League. Azeez entered the University College in 1929 and graduated with honours in history from the University of London. He was awarded the coveted Ceylon Government Arts Scholarship and he proceeded to St. Catherine's College, Cambridge. He discontinued his post-graduate studies in 1935 upon his appointment as the first Muslim Civil Servant — a distinction awarded through merit in the Ceylon Civil Service examinations. This achievement symbolizes what Azeez ultimately stood for — a representative of the minority Muslim community, serving to address and eliminate the problems that retarded its progress. Azeez held many important positions in public service. He began his career as a young cadet at Matale. During World War II, he was attached to the Customs Department as the Additional Landing Surveyor. In 1942, he was transferred to Kalmunai at short notice as the Assistant Government Agent to set up the Emergency Kachcheri, with specific orders of accelerating the food production of the southern region of the Eastern Province from Batticaloa to Kumana (today's Ampara District). All supply lines of rice and other food items to Ceylon suffered blockades. Many acres of jungle land were cleared and given for paddy cultivation and Azeez also transformed landless Muslim farmers to owners of paddy lands. It was reported that 12,270 acres were cultivated for paddy while a number of goat and poultry farms were also established. Soon the region was transporting rice to other areas in the country. To this day, Azeez's memory has been preserved by the farmers of the area in a section of land called "Azeez Thurai Kandam". A model farm of 475 acres with a labour force of 1000 was established in Sengatpadai to train farmers to grow various crops using modern agricultural methods. A harvest festival was held on the farm in March 1943 for the first time to celebrate the accelerated production. The event was graced by D.S. Senanayake and other dignitaries, who were brought to the ceremony in a procession of carts drawn by elephants. With
the highest productivity in the region, the district was transformed
into the granary of the East. This is true of the situation even
today; the Ampara district contributes 62% of paddy cultivation
from the Eastern Province. There are many who attribute this achievement
as one of Azeez's greatest legacy. He
founded the Kalmunai Muslim Educational Society in 1942 and ensured
that greater priority was given to higher education. In 1945 he
initiated the Ceylon Muslim Scholarship Fund (CMSF) — a scheme,
which has helped more than 2000 poor Muslim students pursue higher
education over the past 60 years. The scheme can be considered a
landmark in the history of Muslim education. In
1948, he quit the Civil Service to take over as the Principal of
Zahira College, Colombo. His decision was influenced by his interest
to educate and elevate the Muslim community. To Azeez, Zahira College
was more than just a school. It was the "radiating centre of
Muslim thought and activity". The school excelled in studies, sports, scouting, cadeting, elocution, oratory and debating. Nearly 100 students entered the University of Ceylon. The standards of education and discipline Azeez built up at Zahira have yet to be surpassed. When he relinquished his office, Zahira had a well-stocked library and an excellent laboratory. He encouraged the development of Tamil studies through the Thamil Mandram where distinguished scholars were invited to address students. A result of this was that a fine crop of Zahirians who in the 1960s and later were to dominate Tamil literature. Azeez's reflections on education, Tamil culture and Tamil literature were influenced through his connection with a number of families in the Eastern Province. His friendships with Swami Vipulananda of Karaitivu and the poet Abdul Cader Lebbe illustrate this point. The Swami was an eminent scholar, educationist and founder of Sivananda Vidyalayam. They met frequently and discussed wide ranging matters. When the Swami resigned from the Annamalai University and took over as Professor of Tamil at the University of Ceylon in Peradeniya in 1944, he stayed with Azeez for 12 days in his official bungalow in Kandy. Azeez confessed that the inauguration of the CMSF and his acceptance later as Principal of Zahira College were encouraged by Swami Vipulanda. Indeed, this recognition of intellect by both the Swami and Azeez enabled them to fuse their ideas towards progressive education that was beneficial to all students in that generation. The Swami had also emphasized the importance of an Arabic-Tamil dictionary and offered to assist in writing one. The dictionary did not materialize and neither has this line of thinking. Azeez
advocated that the Muslim community should acquire four languages,
the scripts of which were all different. He felt that without Arabic
the Muslims of Sri Lanka would become culturally removed from their
heritage. Tamil was the mother tongue to the Muslims, Sinhala was
the language of the majority community and English — a world
language. He believed that language would end up being an isolating
factor for the Muslims of Sri Lanka and suggested that the curriculum
in the Muslim schools should include all four languages. A
number of non-Muslim students entered university from Zahira College. He had a vision that was far ahead of his time. He firmly believed that higher education should be accessible to women. His concern for the welfare of the Muslims, particularly those in the East, made him explore innovative ways of uplifting their social, economical and educational conditions. In this regard, it must be mentioned that the idea of a port in Oluvil was first mooted by Azeez, way back in 1962, long before the idea sprang in any politician’s mind. Such progressive thought should be recognized and celebrated by those who have reaped the benefits from it. This can be done in a number of ways, for example, through the dedication of the port in his name. Azeez's participation in cultural and educational institutions — as a member of court, council and senate of the University of Ceylon, president of the All-Ceylon Union of Teachers and the Headmasters' Conference — provided him with the opportunity to contribute to school curricula and teacher training and enabled him to represent Sri Lanka at international conferences and seminars. A number of thought-provoking articles by him in both English and Tamil dealt with issues surrounding education, Arabic-Tamil literature, Islam and other cultural and historic themes. Some of these contributions to academia include: "Ceylon” in the Encyclopaedia of Islam; "Muslim Tradition” in the Centenary Volume on Education in Ceylon; "Islam in Ceylon” for which he received the Sahithiya Award in 1963; and "West Reappraised". In
recognition of his contribution to education he was honoured with
a "Golden Shawl" at the Tamil Nadu Muslim Educational
Conference in Madras, two months before his death in 1973. During
his last years, Azeez compiled material for the history of the Muslims
of Sri Lanka in the last two centuries. His role as a Muslim public figure has been sealed in Sri Lankan history. In 1952, he was awarded the M.B.E. for his services to the community. In the same year he was appointed to the Senate. In 1963, he was appointed as a member of the Public Service Commission. Azeez
was honoured on a commemorative stamp in 1986. In recognition of
his contribution to literature and education, the University of
Jaffna at its first convocation in 1980, posthumously conferred
on him a doctorate of letters. There
is definitely a great need for some of his line of vision to return
to intellectual and academic circles. He fervently believed that
all communities in this country could and should live in amity through
not just understanding and tolerance but by learning from each other.
"We best serve Sri Lanka not by the abandonment or neglect
of our culture but by its preservation, protection and promotion."
Dr. Achi M. Ishaq A
tribute to a precious mother We recall vividly your 50th and 60th birthdays, amidst friends and relations, the prayer sessions and thanksgiving with you commanding all attention, with your narrative tales, pleasing smile and above all, the warmth you showered on everyone who dropped by to wish you a happy birthday. Amma, there were many times when we could not understand the philosophy you lived by. Being of service to others was instilled in you, so much so that we misunderstood you when these activities made inroads into our personal lives. Being a teacher, you were simply not satisfied in being a good teacher. I recall your words, “A teacher’s life is a life of service and duty. In school, I am their mother. A mother’s role for a child has no beginning, no end. It’s like a ring, going round and round full of love, affection and advice.” We could never counter your arguments. However, I recall the day when some of your students, whom you had taught in grades 5-7 at Prince of Wales, having left for Colombo schools subsequently, turned up at home on receiving their GCE O/L results, to share their good news with you. I realized that you were no ordinary teacher to them. You were their mentor, friend and guru. You always lived a full life. You never worried unduly about the next day. With you around, there was always excitement and laughter. We still remember the lead role you played in organizing parties, family concerts and the pleasure you took in turning out tasty dishes, the delicious chocolate cake. You were the cynosure whatever the event, function or place may be. We are proud to be your children. You lived by example and instilled values into our lives. I recall our dinner-time conversations as precious moments of togetherness. Of course, we did not have TV those days. As head of the family, Thaththa would begin with a narration of his experiences of the day. We always eagerly waited for your moment for it was very narrative, descriptive, particularly when it came to the pranks the students played on you or some other staff member, their reactions etc. It was much later in life when both Nangi and I grew older, that we realized how tactical you were in knowing, our patterns of behaviour, our friends and our ideas. You were always forthright, honest and truthful in your views, opinions and words. These traits did irritate some, yet you never bore any grudges and many who took offence over your opinions and views subsequently agreed with you. This was amazing, but you had the charm to win them all. These praises were not won by mere smiles and sweet talk but by demonstrating that you believed in a life of service, be it to a friend or someone even hostile to you. Whenever we cautioned you not to overexert yourself and be more careful with your health, you always confidently said that death would be instantaneous. I wonder whether you ever had a premonition of your death. We saw you in pain only on April 11. As you were being taken to the ICU you clasped my hands and gave yourself up to the Lord.. Yet surprisingly you recovered, so much so that when we visited you in the ICU on the 13th evening, all the monitors had been removed. When we had to leave, you looked so fresh and healthy. I can still picture you on the bed, with a broad smile, looking so radiant. I never dreamt that it would be my last sight of you in life. Barely had we spent 30 minutes on the return journey when we had the call that you had suffered a cardiac arrest. I think that the glow I saw on your face would have been the moment of entering God’s glory, for you were prepared for death and had already given up your soul to the Lord. We all miss you very much. Yet I know that the Lord summoned you to fulfil his plans on that beautiful shore. So whilst thanking and praising God for the happy moments we shared together as a family, we all love you dearly and miss your warmth immensely. Thank you Amma for being a precious mother and sincere friend.
Remembered with affection An
epitome of patience and simplicity Practising patience is the sign of true manhood. Impatient manhood is of no use. The value of manhood depends on the ability to suppress anger. That is the road to religious fulfilment. It is rare to find noble persons who fall into this category even in the teaching profession. N.K.B. can be considered as one who possessed such noble qualities. N.K.B. was a good cricket coach too. He produced some good cricketers for leading schools in Negombo. I am fortunate to have had a friendship with him that spanned over 20 years. He had been on his sick bed for a few years. His wife and children did a tremendous task to keep him comfortable all those years. N.K.B.
was a humble and gentle person who led a simple life. He did not
hurt anyone with thought, word or deed. He was a trusted and loyal
friend on whom one could depend on at any time. N.K.B., your simplicity
and patience were an example to all of us. May the turf lie gently
on you! |
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