Anisur Rahman

Here is the revised memorial biography for Anisur Rahman, grounded strictly on well-supported facts found via reliable sources:

Anisur Rahman (1933 – 5 January 2025) was a distinguished Bangladeshi economist, academic, and social thinker, whose life and work left a profound impact on his country’s economic discourse and development.

Born in 1933, Rahman completed his BA (Honours) in 1955 and MA in 1956 from the University of Dhaka, before earning a PhD in economics from Harvard University in 1962 (en.wikipedia.org). He began his teaching career at Dhaka University in the late 1950s and, after his doctorate, returned as a faculty member in the early 1960s (en.wikipedia.org).

During the 1960s, Rahman emerged as an influential voice on economic justice, most notably through his advocacy of the “two-economy” theory that exposed the disparities between East and West Pakistan. This analysis informed and bolstered the Six-Point Programme that shaped the demand for autonomy, playing a key role in the Bangladesh independence movement (en.wikipedia.org).

When military action began in March 1971, Rahman and his family narrowly escaped execution during the Dhaka University massacre. He and his family survived by evading detection and ultimately reached safety in India. Later, he traveled to the United States, where his campaigning—drawing on academic and political networks—helped persuade international actors to suspend World Bank aid to Pakistan (en.wikipedia.org).

After Bangladesh’s independence, Rahman served as a member of the country’s first Planning Commission (1972–1973), where he proposed bold austerity measures—urging leaders, including the prime minister, to lead by example in war recovery efforts. Disillusioned by lack of political will to follow through, he resigned from the Commission (en.wikipedia.org).

Rahman returned to academia, becoming Chair of the Economics Department at Dhaka University in 1974. Soon after, he joined the UNCTAD as a Senior Research Officer in Geneva (1975–1976), and later the International Labour Organization (ILO), where he directed a pioneering program on the participation of the rural poor in development until his retirement in 1990 (en.wikipedia.org).

Beyond economics, Rahman was also celebrated as a scholar and performer of Rabindra Sangeet. He conducted workshops on modern vocal science in locations including Dhaka, Kolkata, and Santiniketan. In recognition of his contributions, he was awarded the Rabindra Puraskar by the Rabindra Parishad of Patna, India, in May 2004 (en.wikipedia.org).

Anisur Rahman passed away on 5 January 2025 at United Hospital in Dhaka. He was 91 years old and had been suffering from prolonged illness. His life and career remain a testament to intellectual courage, interdisciplinary scholarship, and a lifelong commitment to social justice (bdnews24.com).

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This version retains only verifiable facts, arranged chronologically and thematically to present a clear and respectful portrait of his life and legacy.