Ahmedul Kabir

A man of great erudition and enormous learning, Ahmedul Kabir was always creative. Never for a moment he would allow his friends a dull moment. Be it a meeting, a salon or a social gathering -- everybody noted his presence. When his brother, founder of the national journal, the Sangbad, Mr. Khairul Kabir expired I went to attend the condolence at the Sangbad office. It was a time pregnant with uncertainities. Many like me were engaged in grim battle with the government of the day for our honour and dignity, taken away by a corrupt, maleficent and non-transparent bureaucracy. We won the day. My visit was a symbolic show of solidarity with an institution standing for a cause, a vision of liberal and progressive Bangladesh. When I was asked to speak, I felt embarrassed. I had very little knowledge about Mr. Khairul Kabir. I valued reading national press particularly those with liberal and progressive views. But my knowledge on Khairul Kabir was entirely based on what Altaf Bhai told me about the progressive movement in Bangladesh etc. I can't remember what I said but the host thought I spoke well! Ahmedul Kabir was crisp and precise, always with a sense of positivism. But about our politics he was less so. The experience of his two parliamentary stints left him with a sense of indifference. The emerging political culture of Bangladesh -- divorced from the ideological moorings of the war of liberation, left him unhappy and disengaged. That's why he used to indulge in ironies and sarcasm. Like the Adlai Stevensons and Jimmy Carters of the world his place in our history remains that of a conscience keeper.

In my on-again off-again search for knowledge about the liberal movement in Bangladesh, I tried to look for occasions. The golden jubilee celebration arranged by the Sangbad family some years ago at the Sheraton provided me with one such evening. It was a feast for my soul. All and everybody with some contribution, however minuscule, in the development of liberal thinking and progressive politics of Bangladesh were around. I never did so much pacing up and down the Winter Garden as I did that evening. But the party was over so soon!

From my BILIA niche, I received the phone of Mr. Ahmedul Kabir. He wanted to know about a book entitled "evsjvi ivRbxwZ‡Z E`vicš’x gymwjg ivRbxwZK‡`i f~wgKv (1905 Ñ 1925)" by Imtiaz Ahmed published under the BILIA auspices. He asked for a copy. His main purpose for calling was something else. He was curious (though he was pleased) to know how BILIA had published a book in Bangla! I said if any manuscript of national interest is handed to BILIA, I would apprise the Executive Committee about it and the Executive Committee will decide. He read the book and shared his personal knowledge about Barrister Abdur Rasul, Moulvi Abul Kasem, Advocate Abdul Halim Ghaznavi, Moulvi Mujibur Rahman of 'The Mussalman', Moulana Moni-ruzzaman Islamabadi of the 'Sultan' and many others who were pioneers in the movement of liberal and non-communal politics in Bengal. I was a silent listener. We agreed that he would visit us sometime at his convenience.

Ahmedul Kabir had a dream -- dream of a society, a democratic country based on the immutable values of the war of liberation. He knew that it was not easy but he never gave in to despair. The daily Sangbad was his mirror image -- it gave us a perception about real Bangladesh -- its roots, its past and history that every Bengali writer, student or scholar must instill. This nation will remember him. We owe him so much. His efforts to see certain norms, certain civility established in the country will always remain a beacon for those who want to inculcate the spirit of Bengali persona, Bengali zeitgeist and Sonar Bangla for which the glorious war of liberation was fought.

Wali-ur Rahman is Director, Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs (BILIA)