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"You will be a free bird of a free world!"
By Masudul Biswas
(July 5, 2022): It was the summer of 2005. When all processes were completed for me to leave for the USA to pursue my master's in international affairs at Ohio University, Abba (a familiar form of address for a father in Bangladeshi society), who was also an alumnus of a U.S. university, told me that "you will be a free bird of a free world."
Abba used "free bird" many times to refer to my passions for journalism, writing on current affairs, and the freedom of expression. With Abba's encouragement and moral support, I, as a high school student, began writing opinion pieces and letters to the editor in local as well as national newspapers. I still remember those days when he will bring a copy of the newspaper that published my article. He bought me a notebook to archive the cuttings of my newspaper publications. My writing gave him so much joy that he used to share the main messages of my "letters to the editor" or an op-ed with his colleagues and friends.
This was one of our last photos together during our visit to Dhaka in July, 2017. In this picture (from left to right): Me (Mitul), Amma, Karen (my wife) and Abba.
Though my parents had a wish that I would pursue a legal profession, they were quite okay with my decision to pursue an undergraduate degree in Mass Communication & Journalism at Dhaka University.
Yes, my parents gave me the FREEDOM to pursue what I am genuinely interested in and what I love to do -- research, analyze and write.
Since my father was a professor, both my parents had a bias toward a teaching/academic profession. Though I could not be an attorney, I became a professor of a discipline -- communication/journalism/media -- with which the variation of the word "freedom," such as free press and media freedom, is intertwined.
The U.S. is a free society that nurtures free press and freedom of expression. So when Abba learned that I would pursue an interdisciplinary field of study of international affairs, development communication and media at Ohio University, his immediate reaction was, "you will be a free bird of a free world!"
On December 21, 2021, my iPhone's AI-generated collage surprised me as it detected similarities among three generations: my father (on the top), me (in the middle) and my son, Amit (at the bottom).
Before I conclude this piece, I wanted to share two philosophies of my father that have shaped my thought patterns.
Secularism
When I was a Dhaka University student, I used to talk about politics with Abba pretty much every evening after dinner. Similar to writing, politics was my another interest. Abba indulged me in political discussion with him. In fact, a good number of my writing for the newspapers were on political issues. He made it comfortable for me to share my views and analyses. We both could connect on many interpretations of contemporary happenings and insights. In a Muslim-majority society, where meritorious religious minorities had been deprived of proper professional recognition for a long time, my father stood up against this discrimination when he had the opportunity as a member of the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (1997 - 2001), an autonomous body to recruit government officials. He embedded the philosophy of "secularism" in us. He reminded us that Bangladesh was born in 1971 as a secular country.
In the future, I will plan to write more about my father's political philosophies, which were very rare and courageous things to express in Bangladeshi society.
Don't run after money
When it comes to career advice, Abba used to say, "don't run after money, money will run after you." It means, we first need to earn our worth with hard work and demonstration of talent. When employers and others observe those attributes, we will earn more opportunities to thrive. Hard work and talent leads one to growth and opportunities, and more opportunities can lead us to success.
Abba, Thanks for the freedom, the best gift one could wish for.
Abba, Thanks for the education, the best gift one could wish for.
Abba, Thanks for being a role model of honesty, integrity and hard work.
Thanks for everything.
You are the best Abba ("Dad") ever. Rest In Peace, Abba. I love you. We love you.