From numbers to nationhood: A personal journey through Dhaka University’s Department of Statistics

The Department of Statistics at the University of Dhaka was born on 1 October 1950, through the vision and perseverance of the great educationist Professor Qazi Motahar Husain. As we celebrate its 75th anniversary, my heart swells with gratitude. For me, and for thousands of others, this Department has been more than an academic home—it has been a crucible where our lives, ideas, and dreams were shaped.

I first walked through its doors in 1969, when the nation itself was on the verge of transformation. Professor Qazi Motahar Husain was still our guiding light. I had the rare privilege of attending a few of his lectures before he retired that year. To this day, I feel immense pride recalling those moments—listening to the very man who planted the seeds of statistical education in our country.

At that time, the Department was chaired by Professor A N M Muniruzzaman, a distinguished scholar and a perfect gentleman. He advised the Central Bureau of Statistics and the State Bank of Pakistan and edited the country's only statistics journal. His brilliance was matched only by his humility. That made his tragic murder on 25 March 1971, by the Pakistan army, all the more painful. He, along with one of our classmates, Subhas Chandra, became martyrs of the nation's struggle for freedom. Many other students joined the war effort—some never returned, including Ashfaqus Samad, who was posthumously awarded the Bir Bikram.

Over the decades, the Department of Statistics has been a proud producer of gems—our Ratnagarva. Its graduates have illuminated fields ranging from pure statistics and demography to public health, economics, and finance. Among the internationally renowned academics, Professor Mir Masoom Ali stands tall. After graduating in the 1950s, he pursued higher studies at the University of Toronto and went on to teach at Ball State University in the United States, where he still serves as Professor Emeritus. A true patriot, Masoom Bhai helped countless Bangladeshi students pursue advanced education abroad and brought distinction to the discipline through his research and writing.

Others from our Department have led major institutions. Professor Kazi Saleh Ahmed became Vice-Chancellor of Jahangirnagar University; Professor Shafiqur Rahman and Professor Nurul Islam respectively led the Shahjalal University of Science & Technology and Maulana Bhashani University of Science & Technology; and Dr Monowar Hossain chaired the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS).

The Department also nurtured talent beyond academia. Chandra Shekhar Ghosh, one of our proud alumni, founded Bandhan Bank in India—the first commercial bank in Eastern India since the 1940s—and turned it into one of the fastest-growing financial institutions in the region. Our graduates have shone in literature and media too: Matiur Rahman and Abdul Qayyum Mukul, editor and assistant editor, respectively, of Prothom Alo, began their intellectual journey here.

Student politics was another vibrant part of our Department's culture. Mahbub Zaman became General Secretary of the Dhaka University Central Students Union (Ducsu), while Abdul Qayyum Mukul led the Bangladesh Chhatra Union. Some of our classmates entered public service and politics: Kazi Fazlur Rahman, A K M Ghulam Rabbani, M K Anwar, Abdus Salam, and Waliul Islam joined the elite Civil Service of Pakistan—Mr Anwar later served as a cabinet minister.

Among my own contemporaries, several made their mark abroad. Dr Mohammad Shahidullah became State Demographer in Illinois; Bashiruddin Ahmed worked at the US Census Bureau; Mahbub Sobhan at the Food and Drug Administration; and Anup Kumar Dam built his own pharmaceutical enterprise in America. Our classmate Jamal Hasan emerged as a writer and activist in Washington, DC, while Pijush Choudhury, Mahbubuddin Baby, Amit Bhattacharya, Ainul Haque Alam, and others excelled in business and banking. Together, we established a scholarship fund for meritorious and needy students—a small gesture to give back to the institution that gave us so much.

I must also remember Professor Ataharul Islam, one of the brightest stars of our Department. After earning his PhD from the University of Hawaii, he taught in leading universities around the world before returning home to enrich his alma mater. His books, research, and mentorship inspired generations. I was privileged to work closely with him in later years. When he read one of my articles on the Department, he gently teased that I had written too little about myself. "You must not shy away from acknowledging your own contributions," he told me warmly. His passing in 2020 left a void that can never be filled.

Though established in 1950, the Department lacked an alumni association until 2009, when Atahar and other visionaries created DUSDAA—the Dhaka University Statistics Department Alumni Association. After returning from my overseas assignments, I became more active, eventually serving two terms as its President. During my tenure, DUSDAA organised international conferences and webinars, invited world-renowned statisticians such as Professor Jessica Utts, President of the American Statistical Association, and initiated programmes to support students and faculty. We established an endowment fund for seminars, advocated successfully for expanded space, and even provided cash aid to students during the COVID crisis.

A particularly touching moment for me was receiving the DUSDAA Leadership Excellence Award in 2015, alongside Chandra Shekhar Ghosh. To be recognised by one's own community is a rare honour.

One episode from my student days still stirs my heart. In 1974, I wanted to study Demography, but the course had been discontinued for lack of a teacher. Undeterred, I wrote an article about it and personally took it to Bangladesh Times editor Sheikh Fazlul Haque Moni, who kindly published it. The next day, my Department Chair, Professor M G Mostafa, instead of reprimanding me, encouraged me to find a qualified instructor. 

My search led me to demographer Dr Aminur Rohman Khan, recently returned from the University of Chicago, who agreed to teach us. That one initiative revived demography in our Department—and, in a sense, set the course for my lifelong work in population and health research.

Today, at the twilight of my life, I look back with humility and gratitude. The Department of Statistics gave us not only analytical skills but also a sense of purpose—to use knowledge for nation-building. It produced academics, administrators, entrepreneurs, and dreamers who carried Bangladesh's name to every corner of the world.

As we celebrate 75 years, my heart says: we owe this Department more than we can ever repay. The best tribute we can offer is to keep its flame burning—through mentorship, scholarships, and continued excellence—so that future generations too may turn numbers into nationhood.

A Mushtaque R Chowdhury is a Professor of Population and Family Health at Columbia University, New York, and the former Vice Chair of Brac.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.