Life & Legacy
Founder Biography
A. S. Abdul Qadir Mahmud was born on 30 September 1946 in Padunapur village of Moulvibazar district. His father, Moulvi Mohammad Idris, was a teacher at Moulvibazar Government High School. His mother was Taherunnesa. Unfortunately, his father passed away in 1948, when he was only two years old. Through the tireless efforts and determination of his mother, he continued his education and moved forward in life with courage and discipline.
He completed his higher studies from Murari Chand College, Sylhet, and the University of Dhaka. His educational journey shaped his intellectual life and later influenced his involvement in literature, public service, education, and social development.
During the 1960s, he played an important role in the progressive literary movement of Moulvibazar district. In 1965, under his editorship, Moulvibazar’s first little magazine, Diganta, was published. He also edited Samprotik and Surabhi magazines, as well as Shashwata, the annual publication of Moulvibazar Zila Samiti in Dhaka. His literary work reflects his thoughtful mind, cultural awareness, and commitment to progressive ideas.
His short story collection Shikarokti was first published in 1986. The stories were written from his student life in the 1960s to the early years of independent Bangladesh. Through his writing and editorial work, he contributed to the literary and cultural identity of Moulvibazar.
He began his professional career as the Principal of Chhatak College. After the independence of Bangladesh, he served the Government of Bangladesh for many years with dedication, integrity, and responsibility. He retired in 2004 as an Additional Secretary to the Government of Bangladesh.
In addition to his government service, he held important institutional responsibilities, including serving as Chairman of Bangladesh House Building Finance Corporation. He was also associated with financial institutions such as Sonali Bank (U.K.) Ltd., Sonali Bank, and Janata Bank in leadership and advisory capacities, according to organization-provided records.
Beyond his professional career, he devoted much of his life to education, culture, and community development. He was closely involved in the establishment and development of Padunapur High School, Moulvibazar, and contributed actively to many social and cultural organizations. He was also well known for serving for more than a decade as the General Secretary of Moulvibazar Zila Samiti.
His public service and community leadership extended to organizations such as Moulvibazar Zila Samiti, Jalalabad Association, Retired Government Employees Welfare Association Moulvibazar, Zila Durniti Protirodh Committee Moulvibazar, and Nazrul Academy Moulvibazar. Through these institutions, he worked for social awareness, cultural development, community unity, and public welfare.
In 1988, he founded Unnayan Sahayak Sangstha (USS) with a vision to improve the quality of life of poor, disadvantaged, and marginalized people. USS grew into a respected development organization serving communities in Moulvibazar and surrounding regions for more than three decades.
His dream was to improve the quality of life of the poor and underprivileged people of society. That dream continues through the work of USS, which has implemented development activities in areas such as education, health, poverty reduction, women’s empowerment, microcredit, disaster response, training, community welfare, and humanitarian support.
USS has earned recognition as an active NGO working for disadvantaged communities, including tea estate laborers, Manipuri Adivasi communities, rural poor, and haor dwellers. The organization continues to carry forward his values of compassion, service, dignity, and social responsibility.
A. S. Abdul Qadir Mahmud passed away on 1 October 2024, leaving behind a legacy of literature, education, public service, compassion, and institution-building. His life and work remain a source of inspiration for USS and for all those committed to social development and humanitarian welfare.