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Adieu my colourful friend!

Al.Y Zaker
The sky full of sun and stars, the world full of life,
In its midst have Ifound my space, so My song awakens in wonder.
Rabindranath
THIS was the favourite song of Dr. Nowazesh Ahmed. Our Nowazesh Bhai. He had wanted it to be sung when he would be carried to his final resting place. He was about fifteen years older than I, but as my fellow traveller Sara Zaker would put it, he was the youngest of us all. It is difficult to describe what he was, a botanist, an agronomist, expert in plant genetics, a world class photographer a writer and, foremost, a lover.
Nowazesh Bhai was at a function of The Daily Star, judging films and photographs. The function was named "Celebrating Life." The man who was keen to celebrate every little thing that life throws across, from a blade of freshly spurting grass with dewdrops on it, to the smiling eyes of a
young village belle. From the glimmering, wet fishing net in the setting sun to the form of fingers of a classical dancer. From
the saffron clad monk carrying a bowl full of rice, to the dancing paddy field beside the Dhanshiri River. Every apparently' small detail caught his eyes and fancy.
He photographed these with fanatical devotion and enjoyed being immersed in them. He was one of the most colourful persons I ever saw. I have such a vivid memory of Nowazesh Bhai that it seems he is right there waiting to venture out on yet another mission of his eternal search for exhilarating natural beauty. I have been in his company on a number of such missions. We were photographing the wild flowers of Bangladesh together for about three years. And 1 had the privilege of being in his direct tutelage in photography or in discovering the wonders of nature.
I was a witness to his exuberance about the life in the tea gardens of Sylhet, or his errands in the corridors of Wisconsin University's dorms. There wasn't a time that I found him gloomy. He was at the forefront of all Bengali cultural movements, a personal friend of cultural icons like Sanjida Khatoon and Wahidul
Haq and a compatriot of the Chayanaut and all cultural movements of Bangladesh.
His work took him to the Mekong delta and he went down the Mekong river several times. He was our expert on the region. Whenever any of our friends went to Thailand, Cambodia, Laos or Vietnam we found enormous help by way of tips about these places. Even during the last Eid vacation, when we went to the north of Thailand, he gave us a rundown on the region and the must see places like Chiang Rai, the Golden triangle et al.
In fact, just about a week back, we were talking about touring Myanmar together to discover that country, its flora and the people. We will still be waiting for you Nowazesh Bhai. And find a sense of direction in our artistic endeavours that has been inspired by your untiring devotion to perfection. Adieu my friend, you will always be in our hearts and inspire us towards greater artistic glory.
AJy Zaker is an eminent theater personality