Azharul Islam Khan: A man whose entire life is about trees

Many people have hobbies that are considered quirky and unconventional by the common people; however, some are not widespread but serve a good purpose for society. 

Such is the hobby of Mohammad Azharul Islam Khan, who is popularly known as 'Brikkhomanob' due to his obsession with trees. He was born in Mymensingh in 1970, and ever since childhood, he developed an obsession with trees, something he carried with him throughout the rest of his life.

He was not quite serious about his studies as a kid, which disappointed his father greatly. His obsession with trees became so intense that he left his home once, as his parents disapproved of this hobby. 

From that time until now, he has dedicated a substantial portion of his life to being one with trees, finding solace in a tree's calm and rooted nature. Consequently, even as he reaches the age of 50, he continues to toil tirelessly, venturing into botanical gardens, hiking trails, and forests to discover diverse plant species, most of which are quite unheard of in our day-to-day lives.

Another coincidence in his life is that he got into the Department of Botany at the University of Dhaka, which aligned his academic discipline with his hobby and allowed him to conduct academic research on trees and plants. 

Azharul has been making videos on trees on Facebook since 2008, and many of them are related to the various impacts of trees that are unknown to the common masses. He has also amassed quite a large follower base on Facebook, as most people are unaware of the unconventional truths about trees.

In his personal life, Azharul Islam Khan is a trained botanist, and all his life revolves around information related to trees of various sorts. He takes help from some of his university friends when it comes to properly detecting the trees, as many of them are quite acclaimed botanists.

Azharul's passion for trees is a testament to the fact that hobbies can often make good professions themselves, and with more people like him in the research related to trees, we would learn about a lot of unconventional trees and their uses.

rassiqakabir@gmail.com