Enayetullah Khan: In fond remembrance
Enayet never compromised in what he thought to be unjust, wrong or improper. At the same time he was understanding, compassionate and benevolent. We become the best of friends right from the very first day we met, fifty five years ago. We were class mates at the same Mymensingh Zilla School, lived in neighbouring rooms at the Baptist Mission Hostel in Dhaka and, served in the same Students' Unity Executive Committee at the Dhaka College, went to at the same Dhaka University and mostly held similar views on almost all matters ranging from political ones to very personal. I had the opportunity of seeing him from very close quarters. Occasionally we competed against one another and at all times he exuded such sense of warmth, cordiality and consideration that we continued to remain the best of friends through vicissitudes of fortune and in the course of life.
His greatest quality, I thought, was his ready undaunted courage to speak up for truth and justice. This was the driving force of his life and this is why, inspite of so many other financially lucrative and risk-free comfortable careers which he could have chosen for himself, he decided to be a journalist, and totally dedicated his life to the profession. Journalism offered him the avenue to express, and he bestowed dignity to the profession.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The traits of his character were evident even in the early years of his life. In 1953 when I was General Secretary of Dhaka College Students' Union, I was expelled from the college (along with a few others) in connection with erection of a Shahid Minnar at the College premises and organising a cultural function where, inter-alia, Gaffar Chowdhury's immortal verse Amar Bhaier Rokte Rangano...... was publicly sung by late Abdul Latif for the first time. Enayetullah, who was the Cultural Secretary, organised a big protest meeting where I was given an address of appreciation written by him, the inspiring words of which I still remember and cherish. He also took a leading role in organising a students movement which led to the subsequent withdrawal of our expulsion order. An active member of EPSU (East Pakistan Students' Union), he participated fully in students' movements in the fifties and passionately continued his cultural pursuits.
I recall that when I was the President of Samskriti Samsad (and late Zahir Raihan was the General Secretary) Enayet always cooperated with us and once, presented, overnight composed, on an emergent basis, a beautiful Geeti Bichitra voicing strong sentiments against global imperialism. Subsequently, he also became President of this progressive vanguard cultural organisation. Many do not perhaps know, but Enayet, or Mintu, the nick name by which he was popularly known, was a very good vocalist, played guitar and harmonica well, and wrote excellent Bengali. In debates and recitation competitions, he used to earn laurels without much of an effort. I recall Professor Ahsan Ahmed Ashk, who taught us Urdu Literature at Dhaka College, once commented on Enayet's ability to coin ingenuous metaphors and similes by saying, "I wonder if this boy turns out to be a Mir Taqui Meer one day." Well he did not turn out to be a great poet, but he certainly emerged as one of the best journalists of the subcontinent in the contemporary period. Editor Mahfuz Anam of The Daily Star styled him as the 'icon' of the profession and commented, 'he was by far the best among us'.
When he was in his late twenties, Enayetullah became the owner-editor of the Holiday, which was not just a bold voice of political dissent, but also a fore runner of a style which embraced all aspects of a conscious liberal, forward looking middle-class existence, laced with articulate sophistication. His journal had a 'certain audacious urbanity', and his 'fuming radicalism spiced with cynicism' vigorously championed the cause of whatever could be visioned as goals of civilized existence -- egalitarian democracy, rule of law, freedom of thought and expression and global peace based on anti-hagemonstic world-order. The trend continued under all regimes and governments both in Pakistan and in Bangladesh. The weekly was banned, Enayetullah was imprisoned under authoritarian regimes, but he could not care less and the Holiday never changed. The quotations I give are from the eminent Indian economist, politician and columnist Ashok Mitra, who continued to describe Enayetullah as "extrovert, loquacious, steeped in bourgeois sophistication, generous to a fault, liking the good things in life". And yet the 'left' in Enayet never died. His concern for the welfare of people, for fairness and justice and his unflinching sense of patriotism continued to make their pronounced presence felt and taken note of.
As Ashok Mitra aptly commented, 'Enayetullah could not quite spell out what alternatives were available to the people of Bangladesh. That precisely defined his charm, just on this side of being irresponsible he still took his role seriously. For a fledgling people, open to many temptations, a journal of dissent ought to be worth its weight in gold'. Enayet thought that the victory of truth, reason and justice over short-sighted opportunism, ill motivated deception and narrow self-interest hung on a slender thread, and involved contingent circumstances not always under control. For a relentless struggle to win, not just unswerving conviction, but also extra-ordinary zeal and unflagging political courage of dedicated persons were required. And Enayet chose and decided to be one of them right from the day his mind opened up to the wide strange world.
Yes, he was courageous. Even in this personal life, he never hesitated to break norms, throw away practices and overcome all prejudices when reasons demanded. One could disagree with him, but Enayet saw to it that difference of views did not meet with intolerance. I thought that he wanted to prove the point in all his ventures, both in public life and in private, that the mind should not be shackled to a pre-determind pattern, and a practice followed just because it was there. He might have been right, or wrong, but that didn't matter. What mattered most was the recognition of the spirit of man arising out of an enlightened un-emasculated mind. Indeed to me his life itself is a historical milestone and his writings a testament of time bringing us all to an understanding of how evil can be masked by a surface of apparent rationality, declared faith and even veiled benignity. And he wanted to show as to how to take arms against a sea of evils and by opposing end them or at least try to. When Enayetullah refused to join the BAKSAL bandwagon, Bombay's 'The Economic and Political Weekly' of June 4, 1975 published this comment, "The non-joiners have a choice, they can go to prison and languish there. Fortunately, few of them will be as foolish as Enayetullah Khan". And the future course of events proved how Enayetullah made his point.
But with all his propensity of being a maverick, Enayet, when in power, stuck to rules and regulations which he thought were product of some principles embodied in law. I recall that once, when all our brothers and sisters were abroad, my widowed valiant mother brought up a land case in the High Court against what she thought to be an unjust act of the government. She managed to get around her a few legal luminaries like Late Asrarul Husain, Sabita Ranjan Paul, and Nurul Huq. Enayetullah was the Minister for Land Revenue those days. I came to Dhaka and explained to Enayet the weakness of the government position. Enayet agreed but said 'won't it be better if I fight against Chachi and lose' ? Amma also said 'I would not like to embarrass Mintu. Let me fight out in the open. I shall win'. So we mutually decided that the case should continue in the court so that the 'truth' is established beyond any pales of doubt. Ultimately, it was the wise and experienced Late Kazi Anwarul Huq, who succeeded Enayet as Minister in charge of land revenue, got the case settled in an out-of-court compromise and my mother got back her land. But if this would have happened when Enayet was the Minister the common inference in the outcome of this case which generated a great deal of public interest would have been an instance of 'a friend helping a friend'. An act of justice is not just done, but should also be seen to have been done.
Enayetullah took his assignments very seriously. As an Ambassador he used to send very incisive and analytical reports from the posts and came up with bright constructive suggestions. Once I visited him in Beijing and thought that I would spend one or two days a bit leisurely. But Enayet drew up such a heavy and full programme that I complained. He told me 'I would like to take the maximum mileage out of your visit'. He organised a number of meetings and even a visit to a university. I was pleasantly surprised to see so many dignitaries at the dinner that he hosted for me. He knew the Chinese leaders very well and it seemed to me that they also held him in high esteem. There was always added a touch of class to whatever he did.
Mintu really had a zest for life joie de'vivre, and wanted to experience the varieties and challenges that life offers. He was immensely well- liked in the social circles and was a popular President of the Dhaka Club. Even in the uncertain days of the early seventies, parties in Mintu's house in Lalmatia was a regular feature. And the practice continued till the end. Last September I visited Toronto to see him. I met him twice in two days, and the last meeting was at a nice dinner so kindly hosted by Doctors Nahid and Khaled, a couple close to both Mintu and me. All through the dinner we talked, and though he could not eat or drink, and continued to take just some health liquid, never for a moment did he regret this, so as to ensure that no wet blanket is thrown to sap the spirit of that vibrant and happy gathering. It was to be our last meeting and I would like to retain this image of him as long as I live -- a cheerful Mintu vigorously participating in discussions with his forceful views and opinions.
Enayetullah was a visionary. He kept on dreaming of a brave new world not fragmented by narrow self-interest. He kept on thinking about a country where we would live in peace, and in harmony, and where rule of law, and egalitarian secular democracy will prevail. He rose above all prejudices and hated divisiveness and communalism in all its forms of religious, linguistic, racial or regional. He might not have been precise but he had his ideas which lifted people's spirit and made them hopeful, forward-looking and conscious of goals worth-sustaining. Even when faced with imminent death, he did not cease from writing editorials and sending dispatches for the Holiday and the New Age and extending caring thoughts for the State. We know how the current spate of violence and bomb blasts, an outcome of religious extremism, pained him, and from his sick-bed how audibly he roared.
Enayet, you have left us at a time when we needed you the most. We are now really at crossroads in our history and we do want to move towards the right direction. Let the message that you left for us act as a beacon to inspire us, to guide us, and to make us abide by the voice of our conscience.