Md. Shoyb Hossain —
In Sirajdikhan, Munshiganj, Syed Tipu Sultan, R.Ph—a renowned herbal scientist, freedom fighter, and president of STS Foundation and TSI—is deeply cherished by the people of Kusumpur village. His tireless efforts in passionate farming and humanitarian service for the underprivileged have earned him immense love and respect. Through his leadership, the STS Foundation and TSI have become symbols of sincere dedication and public admiration.
After Bangladesh’s independence, the communication infrastructure between Kusumpur village in Sirajdikhan and the capital Dhaka was underdeveloped. As a result, the villagers lacked access to quality education and healthcare. In the early 1980s, the STS Foundation was founded to address these challenges and improve the well-being of the local population.
As Chairman of STS Foundation and STS Multi Agro, herbal scientist and freedom fighter Syed Tipu Sultan R.Ph has personally initiated 28 humanitarian and development projects. These efforts have been met with heartfelt appreciation from the villagers of Kusumpur.
Some of the major projects include:
Arsenic Mitigation Program
Eye Camp / Blindness Prevention / Free Eye Medication
Free Cleft Lip Treatment Project
Artificial Limb Distribution for the Destitute
TSI Palliative Care Center and Hospital, Bikrampur
Kusumpur STS Medicinal Plant Research Center, Bikrampur
Kusumpur Plant Distribution and Plantation
STS Library
Scholarship and Exam Fees for Poor and Meritorious Students
School Establishment
Evening School “Akshar” for Illiterate Adults
Fellowship on Environmental Journalism
Monthly Honorarium for the Poorest
Financial Assistance for Terminal Patients
Emergency Response Projects
Self-Reliance Projects
COVID-19 Awareness and Care Project
Sponsored Projects at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Palliative Care Center
Regarding the Arsenic Mitigation Program, the national coordinator of TSI and STS Foundation, Syed Mahmud Hasan Mukut, explained that under the guidance of Syed Tipu Sultan, awareness programs were carried out in 44 districts. These programs covered 80% of educational institutions, markets, and public representatives across the country. Awareness leaflets were distributed widely.
Specialists tested tube wells to identify arsenic contamination—those with arsenic were marked red, while safe ones were marked green.
The Eye Camps are held regularly across various sub-districts of Bangladesh, providing free quality healthcare, eye examinations, glasses, and medicines to elderly and impoverished individuals.
The TSI Palliative Care Center and Hospital, also known as Tania Bagan, is the first satellite palliative care hospital in Bangladesh. Operated by registered doctors, nurses, and trained pharmacists, the center provides free treatment and medicine four days a week. Doctors and nurses also visit elderly patients at home to provide services.
Under the Scholarship Program, STS Foundation supports underprivileged students in local institutions by providing books, tuition, and exam fees, especially in memory of Syed Tipu Sultan’s mother, Sufia Khatun. This effort has greatly encouraged students in Kusumpur to pursue education.
According to the Principal of Bikrampur Government KB College, the foundation’s contributions have been a blessing for students unable to afford books or tuition. Many have continued their education thanks to the support of Syed Tipu Sultan R.Ph, whose passion for farming and humanitarian work has earned him deep affection and respect in Kusumpur.
Furthermore, the establishment of Kusumpur High School and other educational initiatives by Syed Tipu Sultan R.Ph and his family remain a source of pride and inspiration for the people of Kusumpur.
Activities on River Water and Environmental Issues:
Due to India’s Farakka Barrage, Bangladeshi farmers suffer crop losses during the dry season. Moreover, without prior warning, India often withholds water during critical times and then suddenly releases large volumes, endangering livelihoods and biodiversity.
In an effort to secure Bangladesh’s fair share of transboundary river water, Syed Tipu Sultan R.Ph, a decorated freedom fighter and the founding secretary-general of the International Farakka Committee (IFC), followed the path of the people’s leader Maulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani. On March 4, 2005, he played a pivotal role as the secretary-general of the IFC in organizing a historic long march along the Brahmaputra River bank at Chilmari Port in Kurigram, gathering over 1 million people. This massive environmental rally, held with patriotic devotion, is a rare event in global history.
To expand this movement, Syed Tipu Sultan traveled to more than 50 countries including China, Nepal, India, and France. On March 5, 2012, he led a protest rally against India’s construction of the Tipaimukh Dam and its inter-river linking project. The rally concluded with the submission of memorandums to the World Bank, the Indian High Commission, the IMF, and the U.S. State Department.
He also submitted a memorandum on behalf of the Bangladeshi diaspora to Bangladesh’s Consul General Shamsul Haque. In addition, he raised these concerns with the United Nations, the World Bank, and the White House long before they gained broader attention.
Interest-Free Microcredit Project in Kusumpur:
Through 22 different microcredit initiatives, the STS Foundation and TSI are providing interest-free loans to poor and underprivileged families in Kusumpur. These microloans have enabled families to engage in cattle farming, open grocery stores, purchase sewing machines, and operate rickshaws—helping them attain financial stability. Both STS and TSI are currently working jointly to successfully implement these programs.
Evening Literacy Program “Akshar”:
Under the STS Foundation’s evening school program Akshar, highly educated and meritorious students are tirelessly working to teach literacy to illiterate elderly individuals in the village, giving them the gift of education.
Financial Assistance for the Elderly with Age-Related Illnesses:
TSI provides monthly financial aid and round-the-clock care to physically disabled, elderly individuals who are too poor to work and who have no one to care for them.
Housing Project:
Every year, TSI helps build new homes for 10 poor families who have lost their homes due to natural disasters. Notably, in Padmaghat and Patkhori, there are two-story houses featuring architectural replicas of homes from seven different countries.
COVID-19 Relief and Treatment Project:
During the global COVID-19 pandemic, STS took initiatives to raise public awareness and distribute health and hygiene supplies. In addition, they provided essential food items to low-income, daily-wage earners as emergency support.
Hobby Agricultural Farm:
Through STS and TSI, valiant freedom fighter Syed Tipu Sultan R.Ph has established three farms in Bangladesh and five in North America, all personally maintained by him. These farms have garnered widespread recognition and admiration both at home and abroad. Due to his relentless dedication and deep love for plants, his farms boast over 250 varieties of fruit and medicinal trees, along with a wide range of vegetables — captivating the attention of locals and internationals alike.
In recognition of his outstanding contribution to agriculture, a special feature on Syed Tipu Sultan R.Ph’s farm in the heart of New York City (Washington City) was broadcast on Channel i’s renowned program Mati O Manush, hosted by Shykh Seraj. Large numbers of visitors come to witness this exceptional hobby farm, often leaving deeply impressed.
To meet the nutritional needs of the people of Kusumpur, Syed Tipu Sultan R.Ph, as Chairman of STS Foundation and STS Multi Agro, initiated a large-scale Multi Agro project featuring 160 varieties of mango trees. Profits from the sale of mangoes, fish, and nursery saplings from this agro-farm are fully dedicated to the welfare of poor and underprivileged patients receiving care at TSI Hospital.
Some of the notable mango varieties in the Multi Agro farm have high commercial potential for marginal farmers in Bangladesh. Among them:
Miyazaki Mango (Japan): One of the top 240 mango varieties in the world, known for its premium quality.
Banana Mango (Thailand): A sweet, juicy mango that commands a higher market price than local varieties.
King of Chokapat Mango: A unique, apple-flavored, beautifully colored Bangladeshi mango.
Bari For Mango: A scientifically developed, seedless, sweet mango available after the regular mango season ends.
Kingjai Mango: A globally renowned mango weighing about 1 kg; so sweet that if eaten raw, you won’t want to wait for it to ripen.
Alphonso Mango: Extremely flavorful, juicy, and seedless; widely cultivated in India and exported to Dubai and Muslim countries.
Deori Mango: Known for its sweetness, juiciness, and delightful fragrance.
Additionally, the farm grows year-round mangoes (Baromashi), Bari-11, Kakimon, Rupali, Haribhanga, Deori, Blackstone, RTEP, Dokmai (5 types), Chokapat, Kent, Gourmoti, Lima, African Jumbo, Totapuri, and many more prominent mango varieties.
Philanthropic & Social Contributions:
Grants to Mosques and Madrasas: One-time financial donations via STS Foundation.
Marriage Support: Financial assistance for the weddings of poor and underprivileged boys and girls.
Sports & Entertainment: Organized recreational activities for the local community.
Institutional Donations: Contributed to Kusumpur Jagoroni Club and Kusumpur Diabetes Center.
Kusumpur Library: Made a notable contribution to the local library.
Highest One-Time Donation to the Upazila Education Trust.
School in Kishoreganj: STS operates a school named Banail High School in Banail village of Tarail Upazila, Kishoreganj, with around 1,000 students.

Library & Art Gallery in North America:
Syed Tipu Sultan R.Ph also established an extensive library in North America, housing a rich collection of Nobel Prize-winning literature spanning 120 years.
He is the founder of the first Bangladeshi-owned art gallery in North America, inaugurated on September 27, 2009. The gallery was officially opened by City Mayor Joseph Carey.
Among the published works of valiant freedom fighter and herbal scientist Syed Tipu Sultan, R.Ph, are the following notable books:
Smriti, Rohossho, Onneshona Deshe-O-Probashe (Memories, Mysteries, and Explorations at Home and Abroad)
Smriti, Rohossho, Onneshona Deshe-O-Probashe – Volume 2
Amazon Forest and River — A Mysterious Green World
The Warmth of Fog (Poetry)
Moonlight Wedding (Poetry)
From Long March Concert to Chilmari Port
A Movement in Pursuit of Resolving Water & Environmental Problems in South Asia
The First Bangladeshi American Art Gallery Abroad
Syed Tipu Sultan, R.Ph, a renowned herbal scientist and freedom fighter, was born in 1952 into a respected family in the historic village of Kusumpur in Bikrampur, Bangladesh. His father, Syed Mozammel Hossain, served as the president of the Muslim League in then-India.
He completed his Master’s in Pharmacy from the University of Dhaka and later earned his R.Ph (Registered Pharmacist) degree in the United States. Since 1977, alongside his professional career, he has remained actively engaged in writing, and in various social, cultural, and humanitarian initiatives.
To preserve and promote Bangladeshi heritage and culture among the younger generation growing up in the United States, he founded the Bangladesh Cultural Center in New York in 1990. He also served as Member Secretary of the second FOBANA (Federation of Bangladeshi Associations in North America) convention and was elected Chairman of the Election Commission of Bangladesh Society New York three times.
In addition, he was Election Commission Chairman of the Dhaka University Alumni Association in the U.S.
He is the Founder Chairman of the first-ever Bangladeshi American Art Gallery abroad.
Every year, he awards a fellowship in environmental journalism in recognition of outstanding contributions to the field. He was also the first to form a dedicated media cell comprised of print and electronic journalists to highlight the worsening condition of Bangladesh’s rivers and environment.
All of these successful initiatives and projects are being carried out under his leadership as the President of the Maulana Bhashani Foundation, as well as President of STS and TSI. He continues to serve as a pharmacist, herbal scientist, writer, and social leader, combining professional excellence with a deep commitment to public welfare.