Departing from the Dhaka University would be sad because it would be permanent rather than temporary. There would be no come back. It felt like an impending and overwhelmingly tragic happening. There would be no interaction with youthful students of various years. I would miss their refreshing and enthusiastic company.
On the other hand, I would be sundered from the teacher's community of the Dhaka University in the 1960s. I would miss the inspiring and delightful company of teachers of various departments, who though senior to me were in their youth. Among them were Dr Anisuzzaman, Dr Rafiqul Islam, Dr Abu Hena Mustofa Kamal and Dr Mohammad Moniruzzaman of Bangla department, Mr Hassan Zaman and Dr Rashiduzzaman of the Department of Political Science.
Among the affectionate seniors were Dr Muzaffar Ahmed Choudhury, Professors Abdur Razzak, S.M Ali, Nur Mohammad Mia and Professor G.W Choudhury (who left on a government assignment in 1966) of the Department of Political Science. Another young teacher of Political Science whom I remember with Profound sadness was the late Dr Mahfuzul Huq. He was our teacher and then my colleague for a relatively brief period until the beginning of 1966.
He died prematurely in a PIA helicopter crash on 2nd February, 1966. He was an energetic and friendly teacher and colleague. As noted earlier, I worked with him on a research project on political parties of the then Pakistan in 1965. We had great liking for each other. He was dedicated to the cause of higher education through the mother tough. As a student he participated in the 21st February 1952 movement for recognition of Bangla as state language.
As I wrote in the then Pakistan observer on Dr Huq's first anniversary of death entitled: 'A Man and A Cause: "Though Death itself is inevitable, no death is ever really expected, the death even of a senile old man or of one suffering from incurable and fatal illness. To that extent, all deaths are accidental and sudden. There is no right time to die.
There may, however, be a time, an occasion when one would choose to die if die one must. What that time or occasion would be is a matter of individual choice and concern. Some would prefer to die fighting for a cause they think is right. Others may like to die on days or occasions religiously holy and sacred. Those who knew him and knew him closely enough would not possibly disagree that were the late Dr Mahfuzul Huq allowed to choose the time of his death he would have chosen this very month in which a year ago he was killed in a helicopter accident near Faridpur.
He would have chosen February because in our country this is the month sanctified by the cherished and noble memory of one of the greatest and most touching movements in the life of our nation the 21st February Language Movement. Few causes were dearer to Dr Huq than the cause of his mother tongue".
Other senior teachers with whom I had close relations were Mr Gyash Uddin Ahmed of History, Professors Jotirmoy Guha Thakurta, Dr KS Mushid of English department and G C Dev of Philosophy. They were martyred in March 1971 and thereafter by the inhumane attack of the Pakistani Army in East Pakistan. Besides, the family and the colleagues in the Dhaka University I would have to leave behind in Dhaka though for a brief time, close friends such as Shahed Kamal, Mia Md. Nuruzzaman, Aga Kohinoor Alam, Jahangir Mohammad Jasim, Jamilur Reza Choudhury, Komol Siddiqui and others.
Shahed Latif, Mohiuddin Mahmud Hafiz and Syed Abdus Samad already members of the erstwhile CSP cadre were either in the Civil Service Academy in Lahore or in various stations of the then East and West Pakistan. Thus, Shahed Latif who appeared and qualified in the Civil Service examination in 1963 was in the CSP batch of 1964. During 1967 Shahed was posted as Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) of Cox's Bazaar (later a district).
Shahed's placement as SDO at Cox's Bazaar deserves special mention. Sufia and I had been married for five years by that time. Our sons Nipu and Topu were respectively four and two and half years old. Since, we had not been on a pleasure trip before, we decided to visit Cox's Bazaar on a virtual belated 'honeymoon trip'. It was the late summer of 1967 when we took a flight to Chittagong on our way to Cox's Bazaar.
We stayed overnight in Chittagong. We were put up in the Chittagong Circuit House by curtsey of my close friend Mohiuddin Mahmud Hafiz, CSP. He was Assistant Commissioner, Chittagong District at that time. He was a wonderful host. Together with another close friend Ataur Rahman Khan Kaiser who hailed from Chittagong and was staying there in 1967, hosted us with great sincerity and warmth. They took us to a Chinese Restaurant Thomas and Thomas for lunch. As the food took time to be served, our Children started a row.
They ran helter-skelter in the restaurant almost threatening to break the plates and glasses on the tables. As Sufia and I were tried to discipline them Mohiuddin smiled affectionately endearing them. He looked at us and simply said, "Boys will be boys, do not be annoyed with them". We went to Cox's Bazaar on the next day. Shahed sent a motor vehicle to take us there.
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".
