From Love Lane to the World : Tales of Travel and More

Shamsul Alam

Shamsul Alam He was born in Love Lane, Chittagong (now Chattogram), second of eight siblings. He had his schooling in Comilla Zilla School and Chittagong Municipal High school. Graduated from the Victoria College; he obtained his LLB and MA from the Dhaka University before proceeding to England to obtain the Degree of Barrister-at-Law. He spent more time in the academic world in England than Law and had stints of Fellowships in the Cambridge and London Universities. Late Nazir Ahmed, his father, was the first English educated person in 1918 from his rural neighbourhood in Mirsharai. He served for nearly a decade in the then British army in Mesopotamia now Iraq and then a minor official in the Bengal Civil Service. Died prematurely of stroke, the family was held together with very limited resources by Fatema Begum, widowed mother, whose intense love for education and active encouragement made three sons go to England by their own efforts for higher education and the others had their college and university education in Bangladesh. She did succeed in establishing two schools-a Primary and the Fatema Girls' High School to encourage education in rural Mirsharai. Mr. Alam never aspired to be writer although, while a student in the university, he worked as a part time journalist and wrote Bengali short stories and essays which were published in college and University literary magazines. Mr. Alam has an insatiable passion for travel and says that he has learnt more by travelling than by reading books and attending Universities. He lives in London. His wife, Dr Shirin Alam - a research chemist/ teacher was claimed by terminal cancer several years ago.