Tasruzzaman Babu
It is rare to find a regular passenger of Bangladesh Railways who does not know Tipu Sultan. This elderly gentleman is almost impossible to miss during a journey! Though he has aged, his face, work ethic, and spirit show no signs of it. From primary school students to highly educated young adults with honors and master’s degrees, there seems to be one common problem among them all – a weakness in English! A survey might reveal only a handful of people who can speak English fluently with a rich vocabulary. Even some BCS cadre government officials struggle to articulate two sentences in English without breaking into a sweat!
The root cause lies in the fear of English. From childhood, the rigid grammatical methods of teaching English only increase the distance from the language instead of fostering a love for it. To bridge this gap and present English in a fun and approachable way, this English-loving elderly man conducted his own research and wrote several books. Then, driven by the need to make a living, he started carrying his books and traveling from train to train, even at this age. Day and night, he peddles his self-authored books, and the income from selling them supports his household. Many passengers buy his books out of admiration, some find the content amusing, while others do not hesitate to mock him. At the last book fair, he went viral for organizing a quiz at the entrance to test readers’ knowledge of English. However, he also faced unjustified criticism from some journalists, but none of it discouraged Tipu Sultan. Among ordinary passengers, he is a popular figure, almost a celebrity. Many feel honored to take pictures with him. Some even call him the “Englishman.” His books have genuinely sparked interest in English and helped reduce the fear of the language among numerous readers.
Tipu Sultan teaches us how to remain steadfast in our goals and continue working despite criticism. He shows us how, as a nation, we sometimes fail to respect an elderly citizen passionate about English.
One day, this elderly but energetic “English-obsessed” man, who dreamed of teaching the nation English, traveled miles with a bag full of his self-written books, might leave this world with a heart full of unspoken grief. His efforts may remain overshadowed by the names of prominent scholars and researchers in the field of English education, but his relentless pursuit will silently influence the nation’s initiatives in learning English.