Educationist Dr. M. A. Ataulla passed away in Bengaluru on April 27 after brief hospitalisation. He was 86. A noble soul, Ataulla sahib was a widely respected figure in Karnataka who served several institutions with distinction and a high degree of integrity. A very well-read person, he served the public sector undertaking Indian Telephone Industry (ITI) for over three decades as Personnel Manager with deep engagement with the vast workforce. He retired as General Manager of HRD and HRM. Following his retirement, he got associated with the Al-Ameen Educational Society as Director, Al-Ameen campus. Even as he served Al-Ameen, he would lecture and interact with students at DarulUmoor at Srirangapatnam, an institute set up by business tycoon Janab Ziaulla Sheriff for training madrasa graduates in contemporary sciences and humanities. A man of frugal habits, he wore integrity on his sleeves even while keeping company with bigwigs of corporate world and the academia. Ataulla sahib hailed from Mudigere and had his higher education in Mysore. He was a post graduate from Mysore University and had the distinction of being an inmate of the Muslim Hostel at Mysore. He went on to acquire a PG diploma in Management Studies from the University of Leeds and visited Alcatel in Paris for an orientation.
Ataulla sahib contributed several papers on human resource management and was on the governing and advisory board of several professional bodies. He authored the book titled Dawati Tarbiyati Guide baraye Management wo Shakhsiyat Saazi (Training Guide for Management and Personality Building). It was published by Darul Umoor in 2004. The book is one of its own kind in Urdu as it entwines modern psychology with Quranic insights. An ardent and voracious reader, any interaction with him would bring bucketloads of insights suffused with wisdom and references to latest books on diversity of subjects. This writer’s frequent personal and telephonic interactions with him were often followed by delivery of a few books that he would have referred.
He is survived by three erudite daughters, two of them journalists. His wife had passed away in 2009. He was buried in the Neelasandra graveyard the same evening. (Contributed by Maqbool Ahmed Siraj)
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