According to his voter ID card, Abbas Ali Pramanik of Jogendranagar village in Gurudaspur upazila, Natore, is 123 years old; his family says he is older. He can no longer walk about, is hard of hearing and his hands shake, yet he reads the Quran with the naked eye, without glasses.

He was a primary school teacher and, alongside teaching, taught many people the Quran without payment. His family says neither age nor illness has kept him from his prayers.

In his long life he has seen the last years of British rule, the Second World War, the Pakistan period, the 1952 language movement and the 1971 Liberation War. Many of his grandchildren are past 60. The father of six sons and two daughters has never ridden in a vehicle, his family says.

He can hardly walk now and finds it hard to sit for long. The family was once well off, but he now lives in a dilapidated house, cared for by his children, grandchildren and their wives. The sight of him turning the pages and reciting verse after verse amazes local people.

Neighbours say that given his age and ill health he needs safe housing and proper treatment, and they want the local administration's help.

The report is by Our Islam.

Photo: Mark Fischer / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Source: Our Islam