M Harunur Rashid (born 28 December 1939) is a distinguished teacher of English literature and language, a notable educational administrator, editor and translator of modern poetry and prose, in Bangladesh, a noted writer of Sufism and Sufi literature and a commentator of social, political, cultural scene and literary texts.

education

Rashid was born in Tinsukia, Assam in British India on 28 December 1939. On the eve of the Second World War, his father late Rahimuddin Ahmed, an employee of the Assam Bengal Railway was transferred to Chittagong. He spent his early childhood in the idyllic environment of the Pahartali and Chittagong hills. When the Japanese bombed Chittagong, his father sent them to his village home in Nabinagar, Brahmanbaria. His village home at Meratali stands on the river Titas and his stay in pastoral surrounding nourished his sensibilities. His early education started with his mother, Salema Khatoon, who was the only literate woman in the village. Later a Maulana was hired for the village boys and he always remembers him with profound love and respect.

His family moved to Pahartali and he read in the Pahartali Railway High School in 1947. Next year the family moved to Chittagong and he got himself admitted to Chittagong Collegiate School. Here he read up to class nine and on his father's retirement moved to Brahmanbaria town. He passed his matriculation examination from Annada Model High School in 1955. He got himself admitted to Brahmanbaria College, and passed his Intermediate in Arts examination (1957) under Dhaka University standing 5th in the merit list.

He did his BA honours (1960) and MA (1961) from Dhaka University. He later went to University of Cambridge (Fitzwilliam College), UK and obtained his B A honours (1966) and M A (1970). In the mid-seventies he went to the East West Centre, Hawaii and did his ESOL training which included a visit to the mainland to see some of the important language schools in the States.