Madhusudan Dey, popularly known as 'Madhuda', was the founder of Madhur Canteen. ‘Madhuda,’ his wife, elder son and his newly wedded wife were brutally martyred by the Pakistani occupation forces on the morning after the night of March 25, 1971. Everyone's favorite Madhusudan Dey has been recognized as an intellectual on Sunday (March 24).
Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque made the announcement in the meeting room of the Ministry of Liberation War Affairs. In the list of intellectuals, Madhusudan De or Madhuda's father's name is written as Aditya Chandra De, mother's name is Jogamaya De.
AKM Mozammel Haque said, "In all the movements that have taken place in this country, from the national language movement to the independence movement, Madhusudan had a role in every case. He cooperated with everyone. Therefore, the government has kept ‘Madhuda’ in the list of intellectuals even though he does not fall under the definition of a martyred intellectual. He has been exceptionally given the status of an intellectual beyond his professional identity.
The Ministry of Liberation War Affairs has so far released the names of 560 martyred intellectuals in four phases. Among them, 118 more names were added on Sunday. Shaheed Madhusudan Dey is ranked among them.
Regarding the inclusion of ‘Madhuda’ in the list of martyred intellectuals, the minister said, 'Madhuda was a tea shopkeeper. He fed tea for free at that time. We have given the status of an exceptionally martyred intellectual to this one. However, this family will not get any allowance.
It is known from various related books including Shaheed Madhusudan De Smarak, Aditya Chandra was the founder of Madhur Canteen. After the establishment of Dhaka University in 1921, Aditya Chandra started business here. Aditya Chandra died in 1939.
Then his 19-year-old son Madhusudan Dey took over the business. The current owner of Madhur Canteen is Madhusudan's son Arun Dey.
Madhuda's grandfather was Nakri Chandra. In the early 19th century, Nakri Chandra had a business relationship with the zamindars of Vikrampur (now Munshiganj) Srinagar. Nakri Chandra's family moved to Dhaka to expand business. He took refuge in the house of the zamindars in Zindabazar Lane. His two sons are Aditya Chandra and Nibaran Chandra.
Anisuzzaman, a member of the editorial board, wrote in the preface of Shaheed Madhusudan de Smarkant Madhudar, "The use of Madhu's canteen as the starting point of the student movement, Madhu's love for students, the students' dependence and respect for Madhu, all made Madhu suspect in the eyes of the rulers."
According to the documents of Bangladesh's War of Independence, Volume VIII, on the morning after midnight on March 25, 1971, barbaric Pakistani soldiers attacked Shibbari adjacent to Jagannath Hall. Madhusudan Dey lived in Shibbari quarter with his family. Pakistani soldiers took Madhusudan Dey and his family members from that house and killed them.
Currently, Madhur Canteen is managed by his son Arun Kumar Dey. When asked about father's recognition, he said, "We applied for father's recognition long ago. Now it is very good to hear this news.