User:LUBNAMC/sandbox

Life scatch of a General - daughter's view February 26, 2011 at 5:13pm The scientist who wanted to fix the world After long years of my grand parents marriage, there first baby - my dad was born in 1st June, 1928 on the outskirts of Karimganj village in greater Sylhet  when India Pakistan was united under British rule. My grand parents can afford to raise him with special care because they had enough resources & money to educate him good. My ancestors were from Indian origin, had the luxury of good living ; kind hearted, educated , modest & good people , owned acres of land , loved to entertain people. They had ponds for breeding fish, lands for cultivate corps. People used to pay respect & listened to what they had to say. They could nurture the fine qualities of life by broadening their horizon with good thoughts & high thinking. The British (white Christian of European origin) were the rulers of our subcontinent for more then 200 years until the country split into three-India, Pakistan & Bangladesh. The traditional system from the British rule prevails all over the country still now. My dad was very young when 2nd world war broke out in 1945. He became naive to the cruel world. My grand dad (the settler) left his landed property in India (Karimganj), where most of population were Hindus & moved to Sylhet town after the split ,where there were more Muslims but fewer Hindus. He bought a cottage type of house in Sylhet town & settled there  but his cousin brothers who still lived in the Indian side of the greater Sylhet, paying tax to the Indian government became the owner of the land which once  belonged to him. My grand dad was only a district clerk in court house in Sylhet town, earned modestly & a good muslim. When my dad’s rest of his brothers & sisters came to this world, poverty started to pour in & unfortunately, he lost his mother who he was very young. My grand mom was only 9 when she was  married (child hood marriage). My grand dad remarried to improve the family condition but the family only got bigger with lot of chaos. When my dad, lost his mom , he never accepted the changes they made in the family without his approval  & when at one point of his life even  his brothers & sisters  turned their back on him. As he was a good student always he had no problem in finishing his school & college. He got the scholarship from the Assam government only one from Sylhet district. Once he left home, he never returned - that was an irony. He (maybe the only one from the east Bangal) later became an eminent microbiologist & M R khan from north bangal (notable pediatrician) also from Calcutta Medical college. The inhabitants of east & west bangle were only Bangali speaking people -speaks bangla. Fish & rice is the staple food for Bangalese. Poverty started to take all over the country, poor remained poor but rich got richer. The hindu -muslim started to fight. In 1952 Pakistan got separated from India. My dad finished his medical studies, joined the the Pakistan Army .The tough army training in West Pakistan may not be adequate but he always said -he is a healer, not a killer. My grand dad started looking for a bride for his son, send a marriage proposal to my maternal grand dad who at the time was the civil surgeon in the district Mymensing. He accepted the proposal after 2nd attempt. My mother completed her bachelor degree was also the eldest among sisters. Soon the marriage took place in the district of Mymensing where my grand dad (mother side) worked  there as a civil sergon. After the wedding, my dad got a scholarship to UK from the Pakistan Army for further study, where he  earned  the diploma in Bacteriology  &  also my elder brother was born in London , the same year in 1958. Few emigrants from Indian subcontinent started pouring in to Europe. My dad came back, recruited back to Pakistan  Army  with in few years , I was born  , he joined APL-Army Pathological Laboratory  in Dhaka , after few years , my younger brother was born.

On eid day my parents in '79. He came back to West Pakistan after finishing studies & joined the Pakistan Army. He was posted out frequently to & from east & west Pakistan for several years. My mother gave birth to three of her children(us) during this period, few years apart, later her grand son( my son) was born in CMH- combind army hospital. We traveled to east( speaks Bangla) & west( speaks Urdu) Pakistan several times with our dad as it was one united country but separated by India. My dad was appointed as an executive director in National heath center in west Pakistan - he was on deputation from the army to the civil side for 2 years. At that time the war broke out between east & west Pakistan in 1971. Important documents were destroyed., Bangali intellectuals were killed. My dad decided to come back. He also wanted to raise us in a Bangali way. The Pakistani Rupee was banned & a new currency was introduced i .e. Taka. War damaged the country's infra structure. We were taken to the camp where all Bangalese were held up in the west. Finally, we came back to BD in 1974.

My dad receiving national award from President Ziaur Rahman in 1977 in medical science. Soon, he became holder of Bangladeshi passport & gradually promoted to the rank of Major General in Army. He built a house in Dhaka cantonment where my family is residing. In this next 10 years, he devoted himself completely to medical science. He started writing a book on Microbiology which was widely read & appreciated by the medical students & doctors .He earned the title -man of achievement & whose who from UK. in March 77 &  got the national award on medicine. He also got gold medals from different political group when they were in power. He was the favorite army officer of Gen Osmani who played a big role on shaping up the army during war. of '71. He was surprisingly a good diplomat & always kept a good relation with the current government. Being a son of district judge, which he never forgot , he was ambitious, but at the same time very pious. His professional field started to broaden unexpectedly. With his unparalleled & dynamic administration  he upgraded the Army Pathological Labrotary (APL) into an institute. In 1981 he went to Tokyo, Japan & brought the electron microscope for the laboratory , only one which is working in the country. He visited many countries world wide & published a number of articles in the army medical journal. After his retirement from the army he engaged himself in a number of scientific activities -AIDS ( Chair person ), ICDDR,B (in research review comity), member of academic of science & WHO. He traveled world wide, which bought him name , fame , a high position in the society & a place where no one could reach him, not even my mother. His illness- he had his first heart attack in 1985 which made him quit smoking. when he turned 60, he outlived his own dad. As a dad I found him very disciplined person, a thinker , a great intellectual. He was soft spoken, honest, hard working, polished, little absent minded ,an angelic figure , religious but reasoned with science.

My elder brother ,my dad, myself, & my younger brother in 1999 at ICCDR,B He was rich - as he was a self made men, but in addition to his richness he got the property from his dad. He was not only an army General but a scientist, an educator & a microbiologist. There was always a car & a driver at his disposal as long as he was active in his service. a guard, a sweeper , a gardener & a cook .We see our dad as a lovable person , a mentor to his children. His great sense of humor always fascinated us. During the tough years after the war when every one was elbowing each other, he was firm as an iron. In our school years he was never seen by our side as he was busy busy busy- no moment to spare! but we also knew he will be there when we had no choice. Gradually when he retired from the Army he became our friend, he used to laugh at our jokes , we watched TV together , we discussed educational stuff. His cloths were specially laundered & taloured. He was man of exquisite taste in selecting cloths, perfumes & shoes. He was basking in his own glory later in his life. During his 39 years of military service he made extensive tours to different districts of BD, some times he used to take us, specially to our ancestral village in Karim ganj crossing the Indian border. I remember him, tears in my eyes , how much we missed him. The reason I see him as a modern Muslim because he used to see religion in a scientific way, never forced us to be religious , when we were busy our education. Every day he used to recite the Qur'an with English translation. He was a good conversant, highly intellectual, tactful, but a shy person in private life .On several occasion when he was visiting his sisters he was very comfortable as if he found his old home he left behind ages ago. .Now after many years his brothers & sisters after their marriages gain control of their life & became financially well off. In 1990 he was involved in the heath policy which was criticized by the doctors & also by us .The policy was never implemented but government was changed. He made many friends & foes & jealous people by doing that. Long awaiting death peeks through a foliage behind the garden; thinks, is it time to take his soul...... I  always  pictured my dad  sitting in his out house, surrounded by the heavy sets of books, working on his lab top late at night  with baggy eye lids, his white hair showing  which he was never bothered. For further info about my dad, type Mahmudur Rahman Chowdhury on wikipedia.com & also use this link -http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=197476

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