The first rule for eulogists is that this is not about them. It is about paying close attention to the way a person lived and drawing out the most meaningful, memorable bits.
by Anwar A. Khan
This write-up is related to grand written book by Prof Dr. Prothama Raymandal titled, ‘Ahmad Sharif-er Monanshil Sahitte Chintar Darshan’ (Ahmad Sharif’s Thoughtful – Intellectual Literary Pursuit in Philosophy of Intellection).
Prof Dr. Ahmed Sharif was an educationist, philosopher, critic, writer and scholar of medieval Bengali literature of Bangladesh. The book is an unfeigned presentment of Prof Dr. Ahmad Sharif, the North Star of Bangladesh, by her student andardent disciple - Prof Dr. ProthamaRaymandal.
Sharif Sir, the twinkle in our eyes, his exalting smile, Prothama’s beautiful artistic hands, her fine mind, Sir’s tender love for all of us they all combined to work a magic in this book. Who could resist Prothama’s purity, her sincerity, her drive to bring out the best in him she met, in everyone you worked with Sharif Sir, no matter what their age, what their standing in life, what their ideas or opinions? Meeting him was like begin to experience of feelings of obeisance towards himat first sight, over and over and over again, just as she too fell in love with the best in everyone, bringing out whatever they had to offer to make this world, "where tears are hung on every tree", a better place, a place in which this great humanity can realise its potential by the old forces at this time.
The righteousness of our cause must always underlie our strength. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of his deeds, let us go forth to love him.
This book, in lieu of a painful gift,is spreading diamond in the background of our minds.
The first rule for eulogists is that this is not about them. It is about paying close attention to the way a person lived and drawing out the most meaningful, memorable bits. Summing up a life in writing isn’t easy, but it’s an important exercise that serves anadorningpurpose.
“Death ends a life, not a relationship.” - Robert Benchley. Bearing so much pain, tireless work and with profound love and highest respect towards her revered teacher in Bengali Department at Dhaka University during the years of 1972-76, she has taken a very long and continual path sincerely and tried to grasp the ideals of Prof Dr. Ahmad Sharif like a great scholar teacher in her inward soul. All these have led her to veritably portray her Sir through this grand book of scholarly manifestation.
She has earnestly dived through the deep ocean of Sharif Sir’s life-cycle of research and unbounded and uncommon scholarly pursuit, then submitted her PhD and DLittdissertations to Rabindra Bharati University, Kolkata, India and obtained both academic degreesfrom there.
For her not only those accolades, Ahmad Sharif was the cardinal source of her inspiration, her end-point of researches, deep happiness of gaining knowledge. Despite she has no blood connection with him, Sir has always been deeply respectable to her like her father, nearest to her heart and adorable.
Prof Dr. Ahmad Sharif was one of the principal scholars, being a full-fledged institution in the Indian-Subcontinent. He was like a great light-house in respect of brightness of knowledge, conscientiousness andforesightedness in his school of thought.
He was keenly logical and thoughtful, open-minded lover of intellectualness, unabatedly universally rebelagainst religious superstitious, thoughtful humanist to the core, inflexible to keep his head high. He is widely known as atheist to the core with no scar on his life and non-believer of any religion. He had restrictiveness in any sort of myths, strongly logical, discarded slippery emotionalism, an idealistic of idealism - of or relating to the philosophical doctrine of the reality of ideas - of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style and he was strongly resolute in following the path of dialectic-materialism – creative in continuous vow, spent his full life and became a news-bearer of towering hopefulness.
It is very pitiful that we couldn’t keep him memorable like an outstandingly endearing and independent in behaviour or thought - maverick intellectual of high calibre that we shouldcommemorate, to assess his creative grandness to publicise, is of significant – but there is not found a little hopefulness and eagerness in the accomplished pedagogues in both Bengals.
After passing even his birth centenary, we have not been able for his adoration with all of our love and respect and to accept him with flowery wreaths by the Bangla-speaking Bengalis of both Bengals, but Prothama has relieved of us of to some extent of painsthrough her unabated arduous and parsimonious studying of Ahmad Sharif’s domain of intellectual humanist power. So, she deserves our special encomium.
In the past, subsequent two talk-show programmes on Sharif’s 100 years’ birth anniversary celebrated by Dhaka Swadeshchinta Sangha and Bengali Department at Dhaka University, Prof Dr.ProthamaRaymandal delivered out of the blue rich prefatory lectures with deep-thoughtfulness and did it with delicacy and skillful presentation on Sharif’s life and humanist philosophy.
Those who already listened to her speech, I think the preface of this book is emitting light in their minds. Ahmad Sharif has eliminated the roots of all baseless commonly used or practiced issues, baseless-beliefs, superstitions, unwarranted myths… with his intellectual abilities, reality, and keen-edged logic. His works are based on hard truths using dialectic materialism and his own thoughtful philosophy. Prothama has dived into the deepness of his thought-process and extracted the gist of his intellection and tried her best to present the same in this book. Her works on Ahmad Sharif may be considered as boldness of her tireless efforts.
Her lucidity in writing for presenting Ahmad sharif will definitely satisfy our many questions. The high-load of write-up on Ahmad Sharif, she has divided into six parts, she has made her analyses solidand put the same under her depth of psychologies.
The book of thoughtfulness, based on knowledge, with strong logic and Sir’s thoughtfulness covered her own domain of works. From all these clear-cut and undaunted philosophy of life familiarize us with in-depth, non-anomalous and not based on loose logic of research. In deep studying in conjunction with logical presentation, the book shows the star-light for farsightedness and significance in the world of reading of Ahmad Sharif though at his birth centenary, we are still not being able for adoration with all of our love and respect towards him.
The study on Ahmad Sharif like a great humanist figure of Bangladesh is made on a very limited scale. I could fathom only a few of the complex body part of enquiries - expressed in his huge numbers of writings. I have gone through Prothama’s book of an honest eulogium of her guru – Ahmad Sharif very minutely, but I can’t say for sure that I have understood this richly research-oriented book. But it has shown me the light to study Ahmad Sharif more smartly to understand him.
As a scholar writer and through her writing of this book, she has done an extra-ordinarily important duty to draw the attention of inquisitiveness to the readers of both Bengals closer to each other – she has acted as a bridge of connection. The study and inspiration on Prof Dr. Ahmad Sharif from East to West, thoughexpanded to fathom and follow him – the profligacy is lessened, placed him strong-boned intellectually humanist persona and urged us to study him. Prothama has also through her book allowed the intellectual classes of both Bengals to let them know of Sharif like a great humanist person to be inspired and tried her best to enrich the confidence between progressive and extreme right-winger forces and let us know of it in a coordinated way.
It is commendable that Prothama has taken the initiative by splitting Ahmad Sharif in several parts, prepared them and took the endeavour to publish her works on Ahmad Sharif in West Bengal. It is a great step forward for her to read and exercise the culture of him. By this time, the first part of her book on him is already published; the second part of it is expected to be published sooner. She has been continuing her relentless efforts to let us study on Ahmad Sharif and satisfy us.
Despite Ahmad Sharif’s birth centenary passed away, I have not yet heard that anybody has come forward personally with such a gigantic task…For this, Prothama deserves our exceptional laudation and gratefulness from us.
I am very happy to have read this invaluable book on Prof Dr. Ahmad Sharif by Prof Dr. Prathama Raymandal, our Dhaka University days’ class year-mate and great friend.
Ahmad Sharif was a free bird in the unlimited free sky. He will remain in our hearts with all his brightness. In his lectures, there was fiery eyes; firing spark in his honest soul. It seemed to us that he would reduce the existing capitalist society to establish a society of mass people. He was the grand writer which epitomes of rebellion and strong protestor of injustices prevailing in the society.
He was not emotional, but thoroughly ordered with all sharpness. He carried forward his pen of war of sharpness of writings against superstition of goldbricking of religions, blind-folded beliefs unto his death.
Prothama, in her book, has portrayed his universal philosophy of life and taken them to a new dimension - height by analyzing them to a great psychological depth. Her book has expressedevidently Ahmad Sharif’s iron-willed boldness against all superstitions. It has laid bare the unknown - terra incognitachapter of Sir’s life and deep devotion in the humanistic study of a body of literature of secular humanism.
The stylus of presenting Ahmad Sharif’s philosophy is veritably verbalized in this book. The book is the endowment of elevated gift of crème de la crème in the birth centenary of Prof Dr. Ahmad Sharif. He is the Bengali's Torchbearer - Bengali's Guiding Light!
When we lose someone special to us we never forget him. But we want to express what that person meant to us, show our love and remember the life he led.
Nothing can ever take away a love the heart holds dear. His love will light our way. His memory will forever be with us.
In memory of a faithful friend and companion – “the song is ended, but the melody lingers on.” -Irving Berlin. In the words of Lord Byron, “One who possessed beauty without vanity, strength without insolence, courage without ferocity, and all the virtues of Man without his vices.”
Always loving - Always loved. A lion indeed! Born on 13 February 1921, under the sign of the lion, into the people known as lions. Died on 24 February 1999, under the sign of the lion. We all know this lion, loved this lion, and will cherish him in our hearts and minds forever.
He was the light of so many in our lives. Remembrance never dies. Death only took one part; the rest is in our hearts. In memorial to Prof Dr. Ahmad Sharif, I can’t say,adieu!
-The End –
The writer is an independent political analyst based in Dhaka, Bangladesh who writes on politics, political and human-centred figures, current and international affairs.
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