Anisur Rahman (economist)
Md. Anisur Rahman (born 1933) is a Bangladeshi economist and intellectual, known for his significant contributions to the Bangladeshi independence movement. Along with Dr. Sadeque, Nurul Islam, Habibur Rahman, and Akhlaqur Rahman, Rahman was involved in developing the two-economy theory, which helped in providing a scientific understanding of the economic disparities between West Pakistan (Pakistan since 1971) and East Pakistan (Bangladesh since 1971). This understanding played a crucial role in fomenting nationalist aspirations of the people of Bangladesh and the development of the 6-Point Programme presented by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to the West Pakistan government during the struggle for independence. In 1971, Rahman and his family narrowly escaped being killed by the Pakistani army during the 1971 Dhaka University massacre. He fled to India with the help of friends and sought refuge with Amartya Sen before lobbying for the Bangladesh cause in America, which played a key role in halting World Bank aid to Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Rahman served as a member of the Bangladesh Planning Commission, where he proposed and advocated for austerity measures to help the country recover from the War of Liberation, but his frustrations grew as the political leadership failed to respond to his suggestions. He concluded that socialism was not possible with such leadership and left the commission. He then went to serve as the Chairman of the Economics Department at the University of Dhaka and Senior Research Officer for United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva. He joined the International Labour Office (ILO) where he directed a program on the participation of the rural poor in development until his retirement in 1990. He became a strong advocate for people's self-development and participatory action research, while pursuing his passion for music and being awarded the Rabindra Puraskar in 2004 for his contribution to Rabindranath Tagore's music and literature. Early life and education Md. Anisur Rahman was born in 1933 to Anwara Begum. Her father was Md. Hafizur Rahman, who held several ministry posts in East Pakistan. He attended St. Gregory's High School where he was classmates with Amartya Sen. He went on to study economics at the University of Dhaka, earning his BA Honours in 1955 and MA in 1956. Rahman began his career in academia, teaching at the University of Dhaka from 1957 to 1959. He left to further his education at Harvard University in the United States, where he received his PhD in economics in 1962. Pre-independence contributions Rahman went back to teaching at the University of Dhaka from 1962 to 1965. During this period, he was part of the Economics Department and known for his anti-establishment views. The lines in the campus was sharply drawn by those who were pro-establishment and anti-establishment. During this time, the Ayub regime and its supporters appeared invincible, with most opposition leaders, including Sheikh Mujib, imprisoned. This made it difficult for serious scholarship and independent thinking to thrive at Dhaka University. Due to the pro-establishment Vice Chancellor's hostility towards Rahman, he