Farewell meetings and parties

One morning as I was busy writing an article on culture and society Mr. Nurul Islam Anu and Mr. Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir, new entrance in the CSP cadre dropped in my University flat at 28/F Savage Road. I was pleasantly surprised and welcomed them warmly. They were my seniors as University students. While having tea they said, "what is this? We hear that you are not going to join the CSP even after securing a merit position?" I laughed in sadness.

This was how rumours distorted the truth as it traveled from mouth to mouth. When I explained the real circumstances, they became grim. They however, told me not to worry as they would pursue the matter. They infact did. They had a word with Shameem Ahsan, CSP, who was then the Secretary to the Powerful Provincial Governor Abdul Monem Khan. They asked me to contact him over telephone to follow-up the matter. I called him and he said that he was looking into it. After a few days as there was no evident development on Mr. Alamgir's advice, I again called Mr. Shameem Ahsan. His voice sounded as if he was annoyed.

He said, "Ask your friends not to be so impatient. Alamgir while discussing your case seemed to be pleading on a life and death question. Your matter will be taken care of". I appreciated the care and feeling that Anu Bhai and Alamgir Bhai had for me. Their perseverance worked. So did Mr. Shameem Ahsan's intelligence and tact. He himself told me later that he persuaded Governor Momem Khan to clear my case despite adverse intelligence report.

He told the Governor, since mine was a merit post, if I could not get in, my place would be taken by a West Pakistani who was relatively high on the merit list yet, could not get into CSP because of parity restrictions. Governor Momem Khan although loyal to Ayub Khan and unpopular in the Province was an enthusiastic keeper of the interest of East Pakistan in a quiet fashion. Mr. Shameem Ahsan knew this and put it to good use. My case was cleared in an intelligence coordination committee meeting chaired by the Governor. The obstacle to my joining the CSP was thus removed.

As I saw that change was inescapable, I attended to the winding up of business in Dhaka before October when we were scheduled to fly to Lahore and be in the Civil Service Academy for initial training. On the extended family front things were made easier as father obtaining a job on contract as Senior Development Officer of the East Pakistan Industrial Development Corporation (EPIDC). This meant that he would be able to rent a new residence for us after I left for my new job.

My responsibilities as a teacher were not vey complicated. It was easier to tackle matters. The head of the department Dr. Muzaffar Ahmed Chudhury assigned me the task of setting the question for two papers of the B.A (Hons.) examination of 1967. He told me that even after I go to the Civil Service Academy, he would see that the scripts of the examinees go to me as an internal examiner. I felt honourned and prepared the question papers with great care.

The months of August and September were busy with attending a number of emotionally charged farewell meetings and parties. The department of Political Science was one of the last to bid me farewell. Widely attended farewell parties were organized by the monthly Concept and by-monthly Moushum. The publisher and the Managing Editor of the publications of the Concept Group of Enterprises Mr. Masharraf Hossain and Mr. Zakiuddin Ahmed organized these events.

Mr. S.M. Shafiul Azam, CSP at that time, the Chairman of the EPIDC was the Chief guest of one such function attended by more than four hundred guests. The Political Science Association of the Dhaka University and various groups of friends and colleagues also held such functions. I enjoyed these as expressions of love and honour of colleagues and friends for me. At the same time I was sad thinking of the imminent parting of ways. My life as a teacher was coming to an end. Unknown future stared at me.

That imminent future would mean my temporary separation from the extended family for the first time in life. Since father, BM Rahman served most of his working life in Dhaka, I did not have to live in hostels or residential Halls of School, College and the Dhaka University.

As mentioned earlier, during 1957 and 1958 father served as member of the faculty in the V-AID (Village Agricultural Industrial Development) Training Institute of Gaibandha, then a Sub-Division of the Greater Rangpur district. During these years my brothers and sisters excepting my elder sister Rezina and I went to live and study in Gaibandha. Sister Rezina was a student in the Eden College, Dhaka and I was in class ten in the St. Gregory's High School in early 1957 and during the later half of 1957 and 1958 in the Dhaka Govt. College as Intermediate Arts Student.

We stayed on in Dhaka in our maternal grandfather Abdul Mannan Warsi's residence in 10 Mouttuly Road, Armanitola. Since father was transferred back to Dhaka in 1959 we did not have to go to hostels or residential halls of the University. The coming year from 1967 would find me in a hostel-like accommodation at the Civil Service Academy in Lahore.

Then there was also the painful prospect of leaving behind my small family, classmate and wife Sufia and our elder son Nipu and younger son Topu. Since 1962 when Sufia and I got married as students of BA (Hons.) class we continued to live with my greater family. The thought that I would have to leave them in Dhaka, created pain and sadness in my mind. Nevertheless, I prepared myself to face the new reality boldly.

Departing from the Dhaka University also seemed painful. This has been almost a second home for me since 1959 to 1963 when I was there as a student. Then again from October, 1964 to October 1967 I served the institution as a teacher. Thus over a period of long seven years, I remained a part of the institution and it also became a part of me.
Dr Mizanur Rahman Shelley, founder Chairman of Centre for Development Research (CDRB), and former technocrat Cabinet Minister of Bangladesh, died on August 12, 2019. He contributed his writeups to the Daily Observer which are being published regularly as "The Symphony of Our Times".