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Ajoy Roy

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Ajoy Roy (1 March 1935 – 9 December 2019) was a Bangladeshi professor of physics at the University of Dhaka, but was best known for his prominent role in Bangladesh's human rights activism and freethinking. He was one of the eminent educationists promoting secular humanism in Bangladesh.

Ajoy Roy
Born(1935-03-01)1 March 1935
Dinajpur, British India
Died9 December 2019(2019-12-09) (aged 84)
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Alma materUniversity of Dhaka (BSc, MSc)
Leeds University (PhD)
SpouseShefali Roy
Children2, including Avijit Roy[1]

He was the founder and president of the Shishka Andolan Mancha (Platform For Education-Movement) and chairman of Shamriti Mancha (Platform for peace-harmony-tranquility).

Roy was editor in chief of Muktanwesa (Bengali: মুক্তান্বেষা) magazine, a Bengali publication for promoting freethinking and secular humanism. He was also the member of advisory board of the Mukto-Mona, an internet forum of freethinkers, rationalists, sceptics, atheists and humanists of mainly Bengali and South Asian descent. He was an honorary associate of the Rationalist International, an organisation that defends rationalist ideas. He contributed as a columnist to the national newspapers of Bangladesh. In 2012, he received Ekushey Padak, the second highest civilian award of Bangladesh.

Early years and education

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Roy was born in Dinajpur, Bangladesh. He received his bachelor's degree and master's degree from Dhaka University, and took his Doctor of Philosophy degree in physical chemistry from Leeds University of England. He was among a group of teachers who formed an advanced centre of solid state physics and crystallography established in 1969 under the sponsorship of UNESCO. His work led to the discovery of some fundamental processes in radiation chemistry of aliphatic and amino acids and their salts. The process of dissociative electron capture and the subsequent fate of electron is considered to be his major contribution as a scientist.[2][3] His scientific works have also been cited in the contents of volumes (1–50) of Progress in NMR Spectroscopy.[4]

Human rights activism

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Roy participated in many progressive movements in Bangladesh including Language movement of 1952, Mass Movement in 1969, and Non Co-operation movement of 1970 and most prominently, in the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 as a freedom fighter. He was one of the teachers of Dhaka University who were directly involved with the liberation war of Bangladesh in 1971, paramilitary as a member of Mukti Bahini (or liberation army) involving in guerrilla warfare in Comilla border to fight against the West Pakistani army. Later he became a member of the Planning Commission to the Government of Bangladesh during the liberation war and worked as a general secretary of East Pakistan Teachers' association in Kolkata.[5][6] He also established several cultural organisations to inspire the freedom fighters where Mamunur Rashid and other noted actors took active part.[7] After Liberation Prof. Roy was the general secretary of the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh in the 1972–73 period, succeeding Ahmed Sharif.[8]

When Pakistani freethinker Dr. Younus Shaikh was in prison and awaiting the death penalty for alleged blasphemous remarks regarding Muhammad in 2000, Ajoy Roy organised the 'Save Dr. Yunus Shaikh Committee' and held meetings, processions, seminars, road side demonstration and staged demonstration against Pakistani president General Pervez Musharraf in front of the Pakistan High commission at Dhaka.[9]

Following the 2001 general elections, there was a wave of violence and oppression towards the minority Hindu community, Ajoy Roy took active stand to help the victims. He also created control and monitoring cell at Dhaka before the election of 2008 to prevent similar atrocities on minority population of Bangladesh. He also worked for the rights of the indigenous and hill people of Bangladesh.[10]

Freethinking and secular humanism

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Roy translated the first chapter of Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion into Bengali[11] and took active role to introduce Aroj Ali Matubbar, the rationalist, peasant-philosopher of Bangladesh[12] in the west. He defended Taslima Nasrin and her plight in various essays.[13][14] He worked to build up a science-based culture for rapid development of the country.[15] He was also one of the pioneers to organise Darwin Day rally at Dhaka.[16] He received criticism for endorsing anti-Islamic activities referenced in Shah Ahmad Shafi's open letter named An Open Letter from Shah Ahmad Shafi to the Government and the Public related to the Shahbag protests in 2013.[17]

His son Avijit Roy, an engineer who blogged about secular humanism, was hacked to death in Dhaka on 26 February 2015.[18]

Books

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The list of the prominent books written by Ajoy Roy :

  • Biggan O Darshan: Jor er Shondhane (Science and Philosophy: The Quest for Matter) (1993–94)
  • Adi Bangali : Nritattik O shomajtattik Bishleshon (The Ancient Bengali) (1997) [Nominated as the best book of the year from Itihash Parishad]
  • Swatantra Bhabna (Independent Thought) (2008)[19]
  • Biswash O Biggan (Belief and Science) (2012)[20]
  • Rabindranath O Upanishad (2012)
  • Leela Nag: Shoto Borsher Sroddhanjoli (Leela Nag – A Tribute) (2003)
  • Podartho Bidya: Resnick/Halliday (co-translation of Fundamentals of Physics by Resnick/Halliday)
  • Bangla Academy Biggan Kosh (Bangla Academy Science Encyclopedia)

Recognition and awards

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Death

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Roy died on 9 December 2019 at the age of 84.[26][27]

References

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  1. ^ "Tributes pour in for Prof Ajoy Roy". Dhaka Tribune. 10 December 2019. Retrieved 26 January 2020.
  2. ^ "Bulletin # 88". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  3. ^ secularvoiceofbangladesh
  4. ^ Forty years of Progress in Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (see Appendix, Ajoy K. Roy and Paul T. Inglefield Solid state NMR studies of local motions in polymers) Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ একাত্তুরে রণাঙ্গন, শামসুল হুদা চৌধুরী
  6. ^ মুক্তিযুদ্ধে বুদ্ধিজীবীদের ভুমিকা, মেজর রফিকুল ইসলাম
  7. ^ Rosan, Robab (26 March 2009). "We have destroyed our traditional educational system". New Age. Archived from the original on 6 May 2009.
  8. ^ About the Author, Prof. Ajoy Roy's Article page in Mukto-Mona. Archived 15 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Roy's Speech at the Jahanara Imam Memorial Lecture on receiving the Medal Archived 8 January 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ "Present CHT situation threat for future". The Daily Star. 11 February 2008. Retrieved 5 November 2009.
  11. ^ Bengali Translation of The First Chapter of The God Delusion Archived 1 August 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ Aroj Ali Matubbar: Rationalist Philosopher of Rural Bangladesh : Paper read in the conference by Rationalist International in 2001
  13. ^ Taslima Nasrin's present plight: A conversation with me Archived 5 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ বিষন্ন এক সংগ্রামী নারীর মুখোমুখি
  15. ^ "Publication Ceremony: Call to build up science-based culture". The Daily Star. 16 July 2005. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  16. ^ বাংলাদেশে ডারউইন দিবস উদযাপন
  17. ^ White Paper: 2000 Days of Fundamentalist and Communal Violence in Bangladesh (in Bengali). Mohakhali, Dhaka-1212: Public Commission to Investigate Fundamentalist and Communal Terrorism. 2022. p. 52.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
  18. ^ "Blogger Avijit hacked to death on DU campus". New Age. Dhaka. 26 February 2015. Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  19. ^ স্বতন্ত্র ভাবনা – বাঙালী ফ্রিথিঙ্কারদের একটি সাহসী সঙ্কলন
  20. ^ প্রকাশিত হল মুক্তমনা লেখকদের সংকলন-গ্রন্থ ‘বিশ্বাস ও বিজ্ঞান’
  21. ^ "15 personalities awarded Ekushey Padak". Banglanews24.com. 20 February 2012. Archived from the original on 31 July 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  22. ^ এবারের একুশে পদক পেলেন অধ্যাপক অজয় রায় ও হুমায়ুন আজাদ
  23. ^ এবারের (২০১১) বাংলা একাডেমী পুরস্কার পেলেন অধ্যাপক অজয় রায়
  24. ^ "6 nominated for Bangla Academy award". bdnews24.com. Archived from the original on 19 March 2012. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  25. ^ "Jahanara Imam's death anniv observed". New Age. 27 June 2007. Archived from the original on 17 December 2007.
  26. ^ "Ajoy Roy passes away". Prothom Alo. 9 December 2019. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  27. ^ "Prof Ajoy Roy, father of slain writer Avijit, dies at 84". bdnews24.com. 9 December 2019. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
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