Abu Sayeed Mahmud: A Tribute

Mahmud in one of his jovial moments with the Star staff. PHOTO: AKM Mohsin

None of the sponsors were ever in the media nor did they harbour any desire to be in it, at least not at that stage of their lives. Print media was hardly an attractive investment and none of the existing newspapers held any prospect of being one in the near future.

It was in those circumstances that AS Mahmud brought into the print media industry some of the most talented, creative and visionary business leaders all of whom were individuals of impeccable reputation, personal integrity and social commitment. Most importantly they all had tremendous respect for the role of the independent media and believed, as a matter of faith, in the freedom of the press. Mahmud's selection of the sponsors of The Daily Star was to prove extremely farsighted and crucial for the future growth of the newspaper. It was also to have a profound impact on the print media industry in Bangladesh as a whole. Entry of these business leaders into the media, as happened in the Star, later encouraged many others to see it also as an area of profitable investment. It thus brought in a whole new generation of entrepreneurs who gave the country some of the best newspapers that it ever had. It all started as an indirect result of AS Mahmud's efforts in bringing new business leaders into the print media.

He was the first Managing Director of the Mediaworld, the owning company of the Star and helped to give the paper the business ethos that lay at the heart of the paper's later success. From the very beginning The Star developed a strong internal management system which helped to make the organisation both efficient and cost-effective. It was to the credit of AS Mahmud that such a system was put in place.

It was my privilege to know him and enjoy his affections. As a colleague of my elder brother Mahbub Anam in the Pakistan National Oil and later Jamuna Oil, Mahmud Bhai became a family friend. Throughout by 14 year stint with Unesco his constant message to me was to return to Bangladesh and do something in the area of print media. On every occasion we met, either in Bangladesh or abroad, he would say "Come back to Bangladesh and we will do something together in journalism". The idea of a newspaper was not openly discussed but something in that line was definitely in his mind. He was always talking about Bangladesh and thinking how he could himself contribute to it and how he could inspire others in doing so.

His love for Bangladesh permeated his every thought and action. His emotional and spiritual involvement with our Liberation War was most inspiring. He was a great admirer of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and a great patron of Mukti Juddhas and all things related to our Liberation War. He was a firm believer in democracy and all the values of our Mukti Juddha and, consequently, was pained by the rise of military dictatorships and the attendant distortion to liberal values, especially secularism.

I saw tremendous empathy for the poor in him. Though a firm believer in the private sector he was conscious of the limits of capitalism in addressing social issues and thus spoke a lot about corporate responsibility in development. He was always available for social causes and philanthropic initiatives.

However his most bold, dramatic, visionary and successful (outside The Star) initiative was the Ekushey Television. In dreaming about it, organising it and finally bringing it to fruition he showed an admirable entrepreneurial acumen and dare that has assured him a permanent place in the history of the media, especially of electronic media in the country. It was not only the first ever private terrestrial television channel in the country it was by far the best in terms of quality programmes, professional news coverage, innovations to give the underprivileged and the younger generation their respective voices. In covering the rural Bangladesh ETV showed a freshness and creativity that made it an instant hit with the masses of Bangladesh. ETV was new, it was good, it was educational, it was inspiring and, oh yes, it was entertaining. All in all Mr. Mahmud's ETV was a gift to the people of Bangladesh.

He died a sad man because of the way ETV was treated. Whatever may have been its legal flaws the ETV as an institution could have been allowed to serve the people of the country, who loved it so much.

We in The daily Star, its Board, its management, and its entire staff pay our highest tribute to him as one of our founders and a leader who got us started. We especially remember him as the person without whom we might not have been born at all. We remember his frequent visits to the office, the innumerable meetings to get us started and countless hours of discussing together as to how to prepare the best paper for our people. Here we recall our other founders whom we miss so dearly today- Mr. SM Ali, founder editor-publisher, Mr. Azimur Rahman founder chairman of the Board, and Mr. Towfiq Aziz Khan, out first managing editor. These were the people for whom we are today where we are.

We share the grief of AS Mahmud's family, we express our deepest sympathy and condolence and we pray for Eternal Peace of his soul.