Abidur Reza Chowdhury

Khan Bahadur Abidur Reza Chowdhury (; 1872 - 16 January 1961) was a Bengali politician and philanthropist. He was one of the founding members of the All-India Muslim League. The present-day Cumilla District Board auditorium is named after him.

Early life and education

Chowdhury was born in 1872 to a Bengali Muslim family known as the Zamindars of Rupsha in the village of Rupsha-Singhergaon, Faridganj, Chandpur, part of the erstwhile Tipperah District of the Bengal Presidency. His father was Umed Reza Chowdhury, the former Zamindar of Rupsha, and the zamindari was founded by their ancestor Ahmad Raja. Chowdhury's mother, Syeda Aftabunnesa Chowdhurani, was the daughter of Syed Badshah Alam of Rajganj in Noakhali. His maternal family were descendants of the Sufi military general Syed Sher Alam of Baghdad, who was said to be a descendant of Ali, the fourth Caliph of Islam.

Among his other positions were the chairmanship of the Tippera School Board and membership at the Dacca University Court. He established numerous schools, including Abidur Reza Pilot Model High School in Faridganj and the Rupsha Primary School.