Life scratch of a General

Life scratch of a General - Mahmudur Rahman Choudhury 

LUBNA MAHMOOD CHOWDHURY,  Belal a i mahmood , Shakeel a i mahmood 

The British (white Christian of European origin) were the rulers of our subcontinent for more than 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 1947. He became naïve to the cruel world. My grand dad (the settler) left his landed property in India (Karim Ganj), 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 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 when  he was very young. My grand mom was only 9 when she  was  married (childhood marriage). My grand dad remarried to improve the family condition after the death his first wife  but the family only got bigger.  When my dad  lost his mom, he never accepted the changes came to the family without his approval. As he was a good student always  he had no problem 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 Bengalese . Poverty started to take all over the country , poor remain 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 Mymensingh . He accepted the proposal. My mother completed her bachelor degree was also the eldest among  brothers & sisters. Soon the marriage took place  in the district of Mymensingh . 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.

 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 .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 grandson( my son) was born in CMH- combined 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  executive director in National health 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., Bengali  intellectuals were killed. My dad decided to come back. He also wanted to raise us in a Bengali way. The Pakistani Rupee was banned & a new currency was introduced i .e. Taka . War damaged the country's infrastructure. We were taken to the camp where all Bengalese were held up in the west . Finally, we came back to BD in 1974 .

 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 Bangladesh government  time to time . 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 Laboratory (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 ( Chairperson ), ICDDR,B (in research review committee), member of academic of science & WHO. He traveled worldwide , which brought 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.

 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, an orderly , 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 everyone 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 moments 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 & tailored . He was man of exquisite taste in selecting clothes, perfumes odd best choice  & 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, sometimes he used to take us, especially to our ancestral village in Karimganj crossing the Indian border.

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 with  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 health 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.

 I  always  pictured my dad  sitting in his out house , surrounded by the heavy sets of books, working on his laptop late at night  with baggy eyelids, his white hair showing  which he was never bothered. Long awaiting death peeks through a foliage behind the garden;  thinks, is it time to take his soul......

This is the portrait picture of my late paternal grand father - Monower Ali Choudhry from Karimganj Sylhet ( Indian Sylhet), which is surrounded by beautiful, scenic Assam;   born in 1912  & died in 1958 before the birth of  my eldest brother  Belal Mahmood  phd  who was professor of  microbiology  in Sylhet.  Sylhetese  are mostly  peace loving people, honest & mind their business. His ancestors were coming  from the same place & owned  acres of land. Grand father grew up in Karimganj & later moved to  different parts of Sylhet, worked as district clerk in the court of greater Sylhet  when all other Sylhetese remain  villagers. He   participated in 1947 riot when India broke & new Pakistan was formed including East & West which was separated from India- which remained as a Hindu nation.   After the partition he moved to Bangal part of Sylhet leaving behind Indian Sylhet & landed property, he bought a piece of land in Kumar Para Sylhet  started to reside until his death & was buried there. He fathered 3 sons & 7 daughters &  my father  Mahmudur Rahman Choudhury Mrc (the eldest)  became world renowned microbiologist who died in 1999. My unties were happily married & have children of their own. My cousin Runni Afza lives in Sylhet went to Karim Ganj several times crossing the Indian border

For further info about my dad , type Mahmudur Rahman Choudhury on wikipedia.com