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LEST WE FORGET

Bazlur Rahman: A truly professional newsman

Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury
THE first death anniversary of the Sangbad editor Bazlur Rahman brings back the memory of a distinguished journalist who combined in himself the qualities of a dedicated newsman, erudition of a gentleman and. last but not the least, an unremitting quest for the welfare of the hapless sections of the society
He used his pen during the longcareer as a journalist for promoting the essence of Bengali nationhood and for removing the yawning economic dispanties that exist among fellow human beings. His sudden death on February 26 last year robbed the country' of a person whose absence is badly felt for a variety of reasons.
A Greek philosopher once said: "Departure is the essence of life." The proverbial dictum sounds rational when viewed in the context of the kind of emotion and repercussion that death generally and unquestionably generates. The "departure" means a lot, something deep and covering a wider spectrum, but "advent" and "appearance" are normally greeted with joyous sentiments but not much significance, barring special cases.
In stark contrast, death evidently
causes much deeper feelings -- making people sad and even wail for the loss of near and dear ones. Trite, reactions to deaths vary, depending on different factors. Nevertheless, what is an undeniable aspect of the broad canvas is that departure" from life is something that creates havoc. Probably, this is the most important reason for which the philosopher saw the “essence" oflifelyingin "departure."
When Mr. Rahman left, we - his close circle -- felt how terrible the sorrow was. His death was simply a bolt from the blue. That the editor of Sangbad -- suave and often bashful, mostly buzzing with exuberance -- had gone forever was something difficult to reconcile with.
Bazlur Rahman's death was so sudden that all were simply stunned. He showed no sign of fatigue or uneasiness when he collapsed. He was as lively and vibrant as he often was, and was engrossed in discussions with friends on different issues as a good conversationalist when he was struck by a massive heart attack.
I had met him hardly two hours before his death, and this makes it all the more painful and unbearable for me, like for many others. We, a group of editors and senior journalists, were scheduled for a professional trip to
Netrokona on March 1 last year, where we were to attend aday-long seminar on the role of the media in the context of the coming national elections.
Golam Sarwar. Abed Khan, Hasan Shahriar, Shaukat Mahmood, Shaymal Dutta, Farid I lossain, Shah Alamgir and Bazlur Rahman were among others in team. Needless to say, Bazlur Rahman, whom all of us in the group lovingly called "Bazlu Bhai," was the senior-most and was enthusiastic about the visit because he hailed from greater Mymensingh.
He decided (hat we would spend the night in "Biri Siri" tribal cultural academy. But that trip never came through as he died just before the visit. Later, we made the trip to "Biri Siri, " as he had wished and planned, as a mark of respect to hi in.
"Bazlu" to his seniors and contemporaries, the Sangbad editor joined journalism around five decades ago and immediately carved out a niche for himself in the profession because of his simple nature and willingness for promoting the noble ethics that characterise the fourth estate. He remained attached to journalism, and those remained his cardinal principles till his death.
While Bazlur Rahman always held the
profession close to his heart he also had a dream, which was the creation of a happy and healthy society based on elimination of economic disparities. He was a socialist in approach, but was not stubborn and never appeared to seeking to impose his views. He would differ in arguments and would try to put across his views pun-gently, but seldom sought to impose them on others.
Bazlur Rahman was a reservoir of enormous experience and was conversant with the topsy-turvy history of this region, as well as of those of important countries. Five years ago, we were on a visit to Murree and Islamabad for a conference of South Asian Free Media Association attended by leading parliamentariaris and media people of the region.
During the week-long stay many of us, including Indian and Pakistani participants, would listen to him with rapt attention. Many unknown chapters of immense significance would unfold before us. One might have found variance in his interpretations but not in the information, as he could recall many important events and their sequence with accuracy.
Remarkably, he was one of the few persons who could take part in discus-
sions on various subjects that were even diametrically opposite in nature. On the one hand Bazlu Bhai would talk of Sania Mirza's success in tennis, while on the other he would quietly hum sonorous Bengali songs of yesteryears. Of course, he had a penchant for politics -- domestic and international -• but films, literature and many other subjects were not excluded.
On a philosophical note, no human being is perfect, and Bazlur Rahman was no exception. But the bottom line is that his qualities far outweighed his faults. He was largely free from meanness, which endeared him to his friends and critics alike.
An M.A. in Economics from Dhaka University, he worked with different dailies and weeklies before ending up with traditional Bengali daily Sangbad, with which he spent many years. Married to once famous student leader Matia Chowdhury, better known in those days as "Agni Kannya" (daughter of fire) for her courageous and able leadership, he was a freedom fighter.
Bazlu Bhai was an embodiment of journalistic, cultural and progressive political thoughts. The Sangbad family as well as Matia Apa and others definitely miss him. But he has countless admirers,
as he was also associated with the Kochi KacharAshar - a forum for the young - to whom he was known as Bhaiya.
We all miss him. On the occasion marking his first death anniversary, we pay our glowing tributes to the person who embellished and invigorated the journalistic world by his long association.
Zaglul Ahmed Chowdhury is the Chief Editor of BSS and analyst of international affairs