At 77 years of age, freedom fighter and retired college teacher Abdus Samad Pramanik continues to defy his years by commuting daily on a British-made Raleigh bicycle he has maintained for nearly six decades. Widely known in his community as Samad Professor, the resident of Nazirpur village in Bagmara upazila of Rajshahi remains a familiar and inspiring figure to locals who have watched him ride the same two-wheeler for the past four to five decades.
Born in 1949, Samad received the bicycle in 1966 when his family purchased it for 280 Taka. On Saturday, he was spotted outside the Upazila Forest Department office in Bhabaniganj, where he had parked the historic cycle while chatting with fellow freedom fighters about the past.
The bicycle has been a silent witness to pivotal moments in Samad's life, including the turbulent political landscape of 1969 when he rode it to Rajshahi city for higher education. When the Liberation War began in 1971, he left the bicycle behind at home to join the battlefield. Upon returning after independence to find widespread destruction, he discovered his bicycle miraculously intact, and subsequently rode it to Rajshahi University, where he earned a master's degree in social work in 1973.
His professional life was similarly intertwined with the vintage machine. After beginning his career as a librarian at Bhabaniganj College in 1977 and later joining its social work department as a teacher in 1984, Samad cycled six kilometers from his home to the campus every single day, including on his retirement day in 2009. Even in retirement, his daily routine involves cycling 12 to 15 kilometers for morning gatherings with fellow veterans and afternoon errands, maintaining the bicycle with replacement parts whenever original components became unavailable.
Local residents and former students continue to express deep admiration for his enduring vitality and dedication. Abbas Ali Mollah, a retired bank official, freedom fighter, and neighbor, noted that Samad's youthful ease in riding at his age serves as an inspiration to everyone around him. Rafiqul Islam, an assistant professor at Bagmara College and former student of Bhabaniganj College, reflected that seeing Samad ride today evokes the same regularity he witnessed during his own student days. Reflecting on his lifelong companion, Samad emphasized that regular cycling is the primary reason for his continued physical and mental well-being, describing the bicycle not merely as a vehicle, but as a cherished family member that he maintains with deep affection.
