Great Sopooh Mia of Nawabbari

Great Sopooh Mia of Nawabbari

“True believers believe in a common humanity and richness of its diversity”


Here is a story of a great nawabbarian worth remembering. While he was not as famous as Nawab Khawja Sir Salimullah or Khawja Nazimuddin. But he remained my hero on his own right since I was about 9 years old along with my childhood friends like K. Hyder Reza (Hola) Mister (later Pir Sahib) Ozair, Shafi Ali 9now in England) and few others as his most obedient and devoted young disciples.

I still haven’t slightest clue, as to, what was his real name. I only remember him and used to call him as Sopooh Mumma. His friends from Deen Brothers called him Sopooh Bhai, elder ladies around chaman refer to him simply, as Sopooh. I think, some called him Sopooh Pehelwan too. Whatever he was, he was one in a million.

Make no bone about it, our Sopooh or Sopuh Mummah was the strongest man of Chaman area within nawabbari. Everyone was kind of scare of him. Particularly, man like Khawja Badir Bohm and Khawja Kamel. I even remember once he was chasing Nawabzada Khawja Tofail and his brother Khawja creamroll Asef from chamman area to baraf kall area with a bamboo strip talwar in his hand and yelling loudly.

With extra-ordinary talent and personal discipline, always full of life, energy and soul, yet simple! He worked full time over at Deen Brothers as stock clerk ( was one of the finest Asil Rooster (fighting Cock) Breeder and used to organize cock fights around various maihellah’s (neighborhood) of old Dhaka. Our Sopuh Mummah was also a great artist, (drawing his colorful cocks (roosters) with colored pencils and he himself framed them and than hanged them over the grave of his shahid fighting Asil Rooster (Murgas), as they died from injuries suffered during cock fight. We even used to offer janaza prayer for his fighting Murgas, behind Sopuh Mumma as Imam, his chicken kabarstan was located behind Khawja Kumruddin Mia’s back windows). He was also an exercise teacher for the kids of Chaman ( he used to call excersize “KASRAT” during wee hours in the morning) A devoted chess player and the most juicy story teller at night, while he sat half sleepy on Talab ka main ghat until very late at night.

Among the most interesting story of Sopooh Mumma was how one can convert “ 5 legged (Makras) spiders from Assam into pure 24 carat gold” by using controlled tempreture during cooking, and how he once spied on one Bolbay-dada (the JINNor Ghost) as the JINN picked him up from the Talab kenar ka main ghat and drop him on the top of the roof of Khawja Noor Mohammad sahib’s roof and once Noor Mohammad Sahibs son Chatgaiyan saw him on the roof. He ran away after dropping his lungis and jump on the Talab.

I remember seeing the great Sopuh Mummah after fajar prayer in his Lungi only and he first tought us how to tie and convert the lungi into Lingoti (or Kaachha) before starting “KASRAT”. Well, all of us wore shorts (half pants) and we had no need to tie our lungi except for a fellow name Goli (Nephew of K. Abdul Rahim, Injection Doctor of Khoti). Than we used to run behind Sopuh Mummah around Chamman to K. Najmu Mias gate and back. Than we waited there for MUTTHA WALLAH (bitter Lassi Walla) to arrive. Sopooh Mummah would buy us cold Mauttha and he would buy some raw butter to feed for his Asil chicken and Asil Murg’s mixed with flour and fish eggs. He used to call it secret "GUNDA" that one pir sahib from Bagdad gave him (how to make it and we are not to tell anybody about it)

By 7.30 a.m. it was all over and Sopooh Mummah would shower, put on his long clean shirt (he only had two ) a loose Pajama and his rubber shows to go to work. During late afternoon some chess players would come for a game of chess with the great Sopooh Bhai, followed by training of his fighting roosters. We were so lucky he would sometime let us hold his fighting roosters.

He used to make all kind of face including scaring ones to show us that he can can be a Jinn too.

So long our Sopooh Mummah. Rest in peace

By Iftekhar Hassan
Respectfully Submitted