Syed Tafazzul Karim (1886-1964): A Rare Missionary of Modern Education

In the post-independent India, more specifically in Bihar, educational institutions emerged more because of private initiatives, often by landlord politicians. Subsequently, these High Schools and Colleges were aided by the provincial government, and finally taken over by the government. These institutions often recruited employees along caste-lines; these employees also acted as electoral resource persons and “booth-managers” of the landlord politicians.

A look at history reveals that very few Muslim landlord politicians ventured to this exercise, despite the Constitutional facilities under Artcile 29 and 30.

The Waqf resources fell victim of gross mismanagement and even appalling irregularities, became known more for corruption, fake-sales of landed properties, and many other ills. (For more on this aspect see my forthcoming book Contesting Colonialism and Separatism: Muslims of Muzaffarpur, Bihar, since 1857)

Syed Tafazzul Karim (1886-1964) however stands apart as a highly inspiring figure. Born in Nagpur, son of Syed Abdul Wahab Husaini, an army man, who shifted to Cuttack, Tafazzul Karim was educated in the Ravenshaw College, but later shifted to enterprising business of leather dying, then became contractor, and subsequently emerged as film distributor and Cinema Hall Entrepreneur with chains of Cinema Halls in Jamalpur, Monghyr, Darjeeling, Asansol, Dhanbad and Jamshedpur (Tatanagar).

In 1928, Tafazzul Karim settled in Jamshedpur where he constructed three Cinema Halls, viz. the Jamshedpur, the Star and the Karim Talkies.

He adopted the madrasa attached with the Gaushala Masjid of Jamshedpur and fenced and renovated the Sakchi Qabristan of Jamshedpur, besides donating Rs 1000/- for a High School in Kharagpur.

In 1945, he created a Trust, the Karimiya Trust, which started an elementary school, High School and in 1961, the Karimiya College. The earnings of the Cinema Halls were earmarked for the Trust. Indeed a unique way of financial basis for an educational mission! While supervising the construction of these buildings he also worked as labourer. Growing from strength to strength, the Karimiya College, added post graduate courses, B.Ed courses, LLB (now abandoned, which probably needs revival), and more recently graduate courses in Computer Science and Masscommunication. It has recently added one more campus for itself in Jamshedpur.

This college has recruited quite a few Aligs as its faculty, and undoubtedly the managing qualities as well as the in terms of quality education it imparts, it must be one of the best managed Muslim minority educational institutions of India.

In the horrific riots of 1964, Tafazzul Karim had given shelter to large number of people offering meals often co-cooked by him also.