Memoirs

By Sajeda Yasmin

Professor Dr. Mozibur Rahman Biswas was my dear Mama (this is how a maternal uncle is addressed in Bangladesh) and my "life teacher."

Mama, do you know? Lots of things I have learnt from you, which is in my heart. I have been rearing them. I apply them in my personal and professional lives. Even though when I get a chance, I share them with my colleagues, my children as well as with my near and dear ones.

Many of my colleague know you through your philosophies and advices which have learned from you. Many of them wanted to meet with you and told me, “You are lucky to have such a person in your life”. Yes, Mama, trust me, it is true.

I always tried to have your company to learn new things. Dining table was most powerful platform where you have shared your philosophies. Once, unconsciously, I lost my attention and you became angry; you told me, “go away, you didn’t come to hear from me, I’ll not talk with you." Mama, I begged forgiveness from you and told “Sorry Mama, this mistake will not repeat again."

Mama, I have learned the following life lessons from you:

• Hard work is the great asset of human. Train your children to be a hard worker.

• When you will travel abroad, keep in mind the PMT formula: P for Passport, M for Money and T for Ticket. Mama, I always take care about it.

• Mama guided me for my children to apply KSF formula. K for King, when their age is between 1 to 10; S for slave, when their age is between 11 to 20; and F for friend, when their age is 20 above. Mama, I’m applying it for the development of Robi and Shoshi.

• Since my Mama used to do scientific research and teach reserach methodologies at the university, he derived an interesting life-related throught from this research technique of hypothesis testing. A hypothesis of truth can be rejected because of a type of error. Also, a false hypothesis can be accepted because of another type of error. Mama used to compare such errors in research with errors in our life, such as "sacrificing the truth" and "compromise with a lie." Mama, this is our family ethics that “Nobody will tell a lie, always speak the truth."

• Don’t disrespect your job. Maintain time discipline and official norms; otherwise, “Your office will be temporarily be affected, but you will be affected long-term to go forward with your career." Mama, I’m very much caring about that and follow your guidance in every step of my career. You used to tell me, “You know very well about my language, what I would like to explain."

• Mama, you were an advocate for women's empowerment. I received many guidance from you regarding women's economic empowerment. At CNFA, a USAID-funded project, I applied your dress code concept for women agro-inputs retailers, which was highly appreciated by our management. When I shared this with with you, it made you very happy. You offered me guidance on “Women's Economic Empowerment." Mama, I’m following them and I will follow them in the future.

• Mama's definition of "poverty" is not based on whether someone has access to food or not. Rather, to him, someone without education is in poverty. So he advised me to help those who asked for assistnce with their children's education.

• You were very conscous about the use of language and its pronunciation. You asked me to take care about it for our children. I’m taking care of it every day of my life.

Mama, you used to see me as “Boto Brikkha”(a figurative expression, i.e. a large Banyan tree type of figure in a family) like my mother (Mama's elder sister). Mama, I don’t know how much I’ll shoulder my responsibility according to your given title. But I’ll try my best.

You had a lot of affection for my Mami (i.e. Mama's wife) and you also gave her a title, “Iron Lady." If I have a scope to calculate monetary value of the contribution of a mother, I’ll do that. I salute you for such type of respect for women and their invisible contribution.

Mama, I love you. I respect you and pray to Almighty for granting jannatul ferdous. Ameen. You are my shadow guide. May Allah keep you in peace.

Your loving,

Sajeda.

Posted on July 5, 2022.