Today will be talking about a person, whose journey began in the mid-sixties of the last century and gained popularity in the 1980s to 1990s. Even in the 21st century, his popularity has not diminished. The person is none other than the creator of the Bangla thrill character Masud Rana. From “Rahasya Patrika” to “Kuasha” one person was involved in everything; He is Qazi Anwar Hussain.
Kazi Anwar Hussain single-handedly made the mystery-thriller genre popular in our country. He also made classical foreign literature available to the readers. As the life of his legendary spy Masud Rana, Qazi Anwar’s life was also colorful. On January 19, that colorful life came to an end.
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Early life and Education of Qazi Anwar Hussain
Qazi Anwar Hussain was born on 19 July 1936 in Bagmara, Rajbari District (British India). His full name is Kazi Shamsuddin Anwar Hussain. The nickname was 'Nawab'. Anwar Hussain passed matriculation from St. Gregory School in 1952 and after that, completed his IA and BA from Jagannath College. He passed MA in Bengali Literature from Dhaka University in 1961. Anwar Hussain spent his childhood in the present residential area of Dhaka Medical College and Dhaka University.
After finishing his studies, he started singing regularly on the radio. His three sisters Sanjeeda Khatun, Fahmida Khatun, and Mahmuda Khatun are still deeply involved in Rabindra Sangeet. He was a music artist of Dhaka Betar from 1958 to 1966.
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Family Life
Qazi Anwar Hossian married singer Farida Yasmin in 1962. The couple has one daughter and two sons. His daughter Shahreen Sonia is a vocalist. Eldest son Kazi Shahnoor Hussain and youngest son Maymur Hussain are involved in writing and publishing services.
Career
While everyone was looking for a job after MA, Anwar Hossian sat idly. In fact, he did not like to work under anyone. He decided to run a tea stall. Later he opened a tea shop called 'Baishakhi' in an empty room in a corner outside the house. After a few days, his father Qazi Motahar Hossian influenced him to start writing the story as Anwar Hossian wrote two stories while he was studying in IA. His life changed with the inspiration of his father. He started a new series with two of his stories, called ‘Kuasha’. Its later history is known to almost everyone. Then the writer no longer had to stay behind, just move forward.
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In May 1963, he opened a press in Shegunbagicha with ten thousand taka given by his father. He bought a treadle machine for eight thousand taka and a typewriter with the rest of the money. Segunbagan Press began its journey with two employees, which was later renamed as Seba Prakashani.
Later, his publishing house played an important role in publishing paperback books in Bangladesh, translating world-renowned novels, and advancing the genre of teenage literature. Kuasha-1 was published in June 1964, marking the debut of Shegunbagan Publishing.
Seba Prokashoni
Segunbagan Press was later renamed Seba Prakashani. Its name was derived from the first two letters of the previous name ‘Segun’ and ‘Bagan.’ It was established in May 1963. Seba Prakashani, founded by Qazi Anwar Hussain, is now a well-known publishing house in Bangladesh. Not only the readers but Seba Prakashani has also made an outstanding contribution in making writers in Bangladesh.
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Kuasha Series
Kuasha is the first series or book published by Seba Prakashani. Publication began in June 1964 and the chief author was Kazi Anwar Hussain. However, Sheikh Abdul Hakim has also written a few books. The first book published by Seba Prakashani is Kuasha-1 and the last book published in this series is Kuasha-78. A total of 78 books have been published under this series. This series is currently closed.
Masud Rana Series
It is a popular spy story series created by popular fiction writer Qazi Anwar Hussain. The first edition of the series was published in 1966. At present many ghostwriters are writing the Masud Rana series in the name of Kazi Anwar Hussain. From the first book named “Dhongsho Pahar '' in 1966, Seba Prakashani has published more than four hundred detective story books about Masud Rana's character. Although the first two books in the series are original, other books are inspired by the foreign books. That is why this series has so many books.
The character of Masud Rana was originally created by the author as a Bengali version of the James Bond character created by Ian Fleming. But at present, the series is on its way to retaining its place in the history of Bangla books.
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Tin Goyenda Series
This is the most popular series published by Seba Prakashani. First published in 1985. Although it was originally published by Rakib Hasan, it has been written by Shamsuddin Nawab since 2003. This is a teenage series based on a foreign story. The first book was "Tin Goyenda.” The book was published as a teenage thriller and the series is a huge milestone in Bangla books history.
Rahasya Patrika
Rahasya Patrika is one of the most popular monthly magazines in Bangladesh. It was first published in 1970. After the independence of Bangladesh, this magazine started to be published regularly from 1984 under the editorship of Qazi Anwar Hussain.
Controversies
The Masud Rana series always had a tag 'For adults'. That must have added to the appeal of the series. So the first criticism against Qazi Anwar Hussain was that he was promoting sexual staff through Masud Rana Series. However, neither Anwar Hussain nor the readers showed any concern about it.
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Towards the end of his life, the writer faced an unpleasant copyright case with Sheikh Abdul Hakim. On July 29, 2018, Abdul Hakim filed a complaint against Kazi Anwar Hussain, the proprietor of Seba Prakashan, claiming ownership of 260 books of the Masud Rana series and 50 books of the Kuasha series. Later the copyright office gave their decision favoring Abdul Hakim.
Final Words
Qazi Anwar Hussain was diagnosed with prostate cancer on October 31, 2021. Then faced a brain stroke and a heart attack. Later, he was placed on life support from January 10, 2022. He died on 19 January 2022 while on life support.
Although most of his novels and stories are based on foreign stories Qazi Anwar Hussain is a legendary name in Bangla as he created a reading habit in Bangladeshi Teenagers and youths. Qazi Anwar Hussain will remain in the hearts of those who have read, enjoyed, and will read ‘Tin Goyenda’ and ‘Masud Rana.’