About Faruque Ahmed
A Community Historian with a Mission
Faruque Ahmed is a Bengali-British literary critic, community historian, lyricist, and playwright. He was born in the village of Guashpur in Golapganj Thana under Sylhet Division, Bangladesh.
He was educated at Raygor Primary School and M C Academy in Golapganj and Modan Mohan College, Sylhet. He was involved in student politics and served as a Vice-President of the Sylhet District Committee of the Jatiya Chhatra League (National Student League 1983-84).
Faruque Ahmed has been actively involved in Bengali literary and cultural activity in Bangladesh and UK for over three decades.
In Bangladesh, he served in various newspapers and magazines, including Sylhet Kantha (Weekly), Desh Dunia (monthly), Khedmot (fortnightly), and Suchayan (monthly) in a variety of capacities.
He immigrated to the UK in December 1989 as a scriptwriter, lyricist, and playwright. Jhalok artist group, a Tower Hamlets-based cultural organization, sponsored him. He started his carrier as a restaurant waiter in North London and later became a business partner. He lived in Tower Hamlets for 18 years, and then moved to Enfield, Middlesex.
In London, he published a Bengali monthly collaboration with Anwar Shahjahan. It was called London Bichitra (1984-86).
In the last two decades, he has interviewed many senior citizens of the Bengali community and collected oral history, rare documents, newspapers, photographs, booklets, and posters from all over the UK. He has donated some of his collections to the Tower Hamlets Local History Library and Archives.
The donation included copies of Weekly Purbadesh, Weekly Surma, Weekly Potriks, Monthly London Bichitra, Weekly Janamat, Weekly Bangla Express, Weekly Notun Desh, Jubo Bartha, Bengali Shomacher, News bulletin published in 1971 Bangladesh Sangbad Poricroma, Monthly Sunrise, The Asian Etc.
Faruque Ahmed also participated in the 'Ithihas 2001' Tower Hamlets Ethnic Minorities Archives Conference, held on Thursday, 29 March 2001, at the Brady Centre, Whitechapel, as a facilitator. In 2008, he joined the East End heritage campaigner Tom Ridge to save the Bancroft Road History Library and Archives against the Tower Hamlets Council's plan to scatter the East's archives in Bancroft Road to separate locations across the borough.
He is an active member of the London Bangla Press Club and Bangladesh Caterers Association, Secretary of 'The Ethnic Minorities Original History and Research Centre, London' (EMOHEC), and President of Bangla Bhavon (2011-12), based in Tower Hamlets. He is a regular contributor to Bengali journals in the UK.
He edited the autobiographical writings of Tasadduq Ahmed. Tasadduq Ahmed was a leading personality in Britain’s Bengali community. He also edited The Early History of Sylhet-Division Awami League and Student League (February 2007), written by M. A. Munim.
Faruque Ahmed is one of the founders and first head teacher in charge of Ranaping Adarsha High School (1987), founder of Kutub Ali Gouaspur Government Primary School (2000), and also a founder member of Golapganj Quality (English Medium) School (2008).
Books authored by Faruque Ahmed
English:
Bengali Journals and Journalism in Britain, published by Lulu, USA, 2001, [ISBN:978-0-557-05113-7]
Bengal Politics in Britain, Logic, Dynamic and Disharmony, published by Lulu, USA, 2010, [ISBN:978-0-557-61516-2]
Bengali Settlements in Britain, Kindle Edition, published by The University Press Limited, Dhaka, 2020 [ISBN: 978-984-506-510-8]
Bengali:
Vilayete Bangla Songbadpatra O Sanbadikata (Bengali Journals and Journalism in Britain), Published by Ittadi Grantho Prokash, Dhaka, 2018 [ISBN: 978-984-904-625-7]
Bilayete Banglar Rajniti (Bengal Politics in Britain), Published by Sahitya Prokash, Dhaka, 2012 [ISBN: 984-70124-0101-9]
Golapganjer Itihas (History of Golapganj), Published by Ittadi Grantho Prokash, Dhaka, 2015 [ISBN: 98-984-904-474-1]
Shaptahik Janomat: Muktijudder Ononno Dalil (Weekly Janomat a Unique Document of the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971), Published by Ittadi Grantho Prokash, Dhaka, 2016 [ISBN: 978-984-904-557-1]
Bilate Bangla Sahitya O Sanskriti Charcha (Study of Bangla Literature and Culture in Britain) Bangla Academy, Dhaka, 2019 [ISBN: 984-07-5851-9].
9. Bilayte Bangali Auvibashon (Bengali Settlements in Britain), Published by The University Press Limited, Dhaka, 2021 [ISBN: 978-984-506-328-9]
Muktijudder Smrity (Reminiscence of the Liberation War 1971, collections of Bengali articles), Published by The Ethnic Minorities Original History and Research Centre, London, 2007 [ISBN: 978-095-554-730-0]
E Matir Baul (Mystic poet of this Land, Lyrical songs), Published by Video Times, London, 1994.
Golapganje Islam (Islamic History of Golapganj), by Asha Prokashoni, Sylhet, 1999
Some of his published works in Bengali are: E Matir Baul (Mystic poet of this Land, Lyrical songs, Video Times, London, E1, 1994).
Edited Books:
Jeeban Khatar Kurano Pata (Random Memories), Published by The Ethnic Minorities Original History and Research Centre, London, 2002 [ISBN: 095-427-152-1]
Probashe Swadeshi: Abdul Matin, Sahitya Prokash, Dhaka, 2018 [ISBN:984-70124-0287-0].
Deepro Podatik Moynur Rahman Babul, Published by Sahitya Parakash, Dhaka, 2022 [984-70124-0287-0]