Dr. Ekram Rasool was born on 17 June 1871 to Moulana Syed Ataullah and Nasiren Bibi in Dariapur village of Cuttack district. In his childhood, he was educated by his parents as there was no primary school in his village. Thereafter for minor and entrance education, he had to move to Cuttack where he completed he successfully completed his entrance examination. Though he had a great interest in medical education his father did not like him to become a doctor and seek a job under the British government. But he allowed him to study medicine on the condition that he would not accept any government job but would devote himself to the service of the people. In 1893 he successfully completed his medical education to become a Sub Assistant Surgeon. Thereafter, true to his words, he began medical practices, not with any motive of earning money but to serve the people.
After his daily prayer and namaz, he used to attend to the patients in his home. As a matter of principle, his priority was on poor and marginalized patients. Thereafter he attended to middle-class and rich patients. He never asked for fees but gladly accepted whatever was offered to him. He never hesitated to pay for the medicines of poor patients. For this selfless service, he earned the epithet ‘Messenger from Heaven'.
At the beginning of the nineteenth century, he gradually plunged into politics. He got himself involved in the people’s movement in Kanika a massive peasant movement started in protest against many atrocious taxes by the zemindar. Thereafter, being inspired by Gopabandhu Das he took part in the non-cooperation movement in 1920. He became the vice president of the Pradesh Congress Committee to spread the message of Gandhi and non-cooperation.
Involvement in non-cooperation rendered him the wrath of the British government which issued a warrant to arrest him. But because of his extreme popularity in Cuttack, the police did not dare to arrest him which provided him to serve his patients unhindered. He was so much inspired by the Gandhian concept of non-violence that, he even did not hesitate to attend to the wife of the English Superintendent of Police who could not be cured by other doctors. At last, he was arrested by one of his relations who was also a policeman. However, fearing protest by the people, the government instead of lodging him in Cuttack jail kept him in Hazaribagh jail. He was sentenced to two years imprisonment. In jail also he devoted his time to curing inmates. The Superintendent was so much pleased with his behaviour that he recommended remitting his sentence which was accepted by the government. His arrest and imprisonment so much saddened the national leaders that Motilal Nehru consoled his family members by visiting his house in Cuttack.
Apart from selfless medical services to the people and participating in the non-cooperation movement he also took a great effort in establishing hospitals and schools in his village. Thus devoting his entire life to the service of the people and the nation he died on 3 April 1943. After his death, the school founded by him in his village was named ‘Dr. Ekram Rasool High School’.