In Memory of Dr. Anisuzzaman
Published: 01:25 AM, 28 February 2026
The Beacon Who Predicted My Future, Lit My Life
February is our month of language, the month of books. Throughout February, the festival of books—the Amar Ekushey Book Fair—continues. I wait the whole year for the arrival of February. From February 1, the grand book fair is held with great festivity at the Bangla Academy premises and Suhrawardy Udyan. The fair runs throughout February. I used to go to the book fair every single day as a routine.
Every day I wandered from stall to stall, browsing through books and buying many of them. Because this famous saying is etched into my mind: “No one ever goes bankrupt by buying books.” I am a beggar for books. I cannot control myself when I see them. One day, while buying books at the fair, I spent even my bus fare home. At 10 pm I walked all the way from the Bangla Academy premises to Farmgate to reach home. It was very difficult, yet deep inside I felt a kind of peace, thinking that I had suffered for a noble cause. Because there is nothing as noble as buying books, and nothing as good a friend as a book.
The time was 21 February 2019. This day is our International Mother Language Day. On this day in 1952, the sons of Bengal—Salam, Rafiq, Jabbar, Barkat—shed their fresh blood to establish Bangla as the state language. Their chests were riddled with the bullets of the oppressors. In exchange for their great sacrifice and blood, today we have the ‘A–Aa’ alphabet. We can speak fearlessly in our mother tongue, Bangla. On the occasion of 21 February, a delightful cultural program was arranged in the evening at the Bangla Academy premises. Over the microphone it was announced that the inauguration would be declared by our National Professor Anisuzzaman Sir.
Since childhood I had heard his name in books and newspapers, but never had the opportunity to see him in person. This day I felt extremely fortunate, because I would see him directly. I thought that If I got the chance, I would ask a question or two. I sat at one corner of the stage waiting for him. Within a short time, Sir arrived and stepped onto the stage. As he got on stage, everyone stood up and greeted him with applause. He inaugurated the program and began speaking about the history of the Language Movement.
In the middle of his speech, he recited a poem he himself had written about 21 February. After the recitation he threw a question to the eager audience: “What have the youth done today in remembrance of the language martyrs?” Suddenly the stage fell silent. Everyone was puzzled—what kind of question was this! One special trait of Anisuzzaman Sir was that he would ask spontaneous intelligent questions anywhere. After a few seconds, trembling with fear, I raised my hand. Seeing my hand, Sir immediately told the presenter, “Give him the microphone.”
As I took the microphone, Sir said, “Baba (My child), tell me—what have you done for Language Day or to remember the martyrs?” I immediately replied, “Sir, I wrote a poem last night to commemorate Language Day.” Hearing this, Sir became overjoyed and hurriedly said, “Wonderful, my child, wonderful!” Then in a gentle voice he asked, “Will you read your poem to us?” I said, “Of course, Sir, I am reading it now.”
This poem is:
“Today we
Speak in Bangla,
We move forward leaning
On the alphabets A–Aa–Ka–Kha.
That ruling power in ’52
Tried to snatch away
Our mother’s language,
But the brave sons of Bengal
Did not let that wish come true.”
After hearing just these few lines, Sir stopped me and said, “Bravo, bravo! Wonderful! You write very well. What do you study?” I replied, “Sir, I will sit for my HSC exam this year.” “Alright. Meet me after the program”, he said. I replied, “Yes, Sir.”
The program ended at 9:20 pm. Sir was stepping down from the stage. I was standing at one corner waiting for him. Noticing me, he stopped and called, “Come here, my child.” I went to him. He said, “You have a very good writing hand; I see the glow of something promising in you. Come to room 2011 of the Arts Building of Dhaka University whenever you have any problem—you will always find me there. We will talk about literature. I also wrote poetry from childhood and loved literature. Continue writing. I hope one day you will become a great writer.”
I never knew a National Professor could be so humble, gentle and friendly. Sir was extremely modest and kind. His words that day taught me to live anew and inspired me to immerse myself in writing. Carrying that inspiration in my mind, I have now become a writer. The hope he expressed about me that day has come true today.
To succeed in life, one needs inspiration from noble people. I received that from Anisuzzaman Sir. In my eyes he is “a blazing torch of inspiration.” When I heard the news of his death, I could not control myself; tears streamed down my eyes. It felt as if I had lost one of my hands.
In my life, two people inspired me the most—Dr. Anisuzzaman Sir and Dr. Jamilur Reza Choudhury Sir. I was fortunate to have their companionship, and that companionship changed my path, refined and shaped me into who I am today. Endless respect and gratitude to them. Today neither of them is alive. If they were, perhaps they would be happy to see me now and compare it with their prediction. They still remain the light of my life.
Regarding my writing, Anisuzzaman Sir once said, “The bird that will fly flutters its wings from childhood. You too are a reservoir of potential.” The bodies of great souls perish, but their legacy of creations never ends. Creations remain alive forever. Through his creations Anisuzzaman Sir will live among us eternally. My endless love, respect and gratitude to Anisuzzaman Sir.
Emran Emon is an eminent
journalist, columnist and
global affairs analyst.
He can be reached at [email protected]
