Ashraf Hussain

Munshi Muhammad Ashraf Hussain (Bengali: মোহাম্মদ আশরাফ হোসেন; 1892-1965), was a Bengali poet, researcher and a collector of puthis and folk literature. He was also known for his contribution in the study of the Sylheti Nagri script. Ashraf Hussain was born in 1892 in the village of Rahimpur in Kamalganj Thana, Sylhet District, Assam Province, British India to a traditional Bengali Muslim family. His father, Jawad Ullah, was a munshi. Hussain started his education in a local maktab. After studying in a Qawmi Madrasah for five years, he earned the title of munshi. He studied in Kaliprasad Middle English School, finishing in the third grade at 1915. In 1918, he established and taught at a primary school, becoming the headmaster In 1922. He passed his teacher training examination in Silchar Normal School. From 1918, Hussain also started writing for many magazines and newspapers about local issues. During this time, he grew an enthusiasm of folk literature. Dinesh Chandra Sen decided to include Hussain's Manipurer Ladai (or the Battle of Manipur) to his prominent work, the Eastern Bengal Ballads. Hussain presented a lot of his findings to the University of Dhaka, which would be used in the future for comparative studies. He also wrote a number of articles for renowned journals in Bengal. He also wrote a number of articles for renowned journals in Bengal.