KOLKATA: Md Mansoor Alam, the board member of The Bengal, an organization of prominent individuals from West Bengal, has been awarded a certificate of honour by President Pratibha Devsingh Patil for his valuable contribution to the propagation and promotion of Persian language and studies in India for 2011. The certificate of distinction is conferred once a year on Independence Day in recognition of substantial contribution in the field of Sanskrit, Pali/Prakrit, Arabic and Persian. The award carries a certificate of honour, a shawl and a cash component for life as scholarship.
“We are proud of Alam’s achievements and more so since he is an important member of our organization. His experience and wisdom is a major guiding force and a source of inspiration for us,” said Sundeep Bhutoria, secretary general, The Bengal. Born in 1949 at Jagatdal in North 24-Praganas district , Alam has a brilliant academic career. He did his masters in Persian and Urdu with first class and completed his PhD from the University of Calcutta. He has been a successful teacher and was the head of Persian studies at the Guwahati University. He also served Maulana Azad College, Kolkata, as a senior reader and was attached to the departments of Arabic and Persian at the University of Calcutta as its guest lecturer for over 23 years.