At a time when most voices get lost in the din and bustle of pretentious rhetoric and philistine discourses from conceptual bankruptcy, only a handful opinions and ideas expressed find their target in a country where people are either highly opinionated or talk too much. Former chief justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman's was once such exceptional voice that rarely went without being noticed, no matter even if the audience did not quite subscribe to his views. In fact, what he wrote or uttered was dipped in his personal conviction -a conviction nurtured by truth and commitment to the people. Deeply rooted in the unalloyed knowledge of history and culture of the land, the man of erudition and enlightenment had no problem in synthesising between his secular self and the religious self.
Himself a victim of mass exodus triggered by poisonous politics hatched by domestic and international conspiracy, he went through the first-hand painful experience of severing the roots with the land of birth. Born in Murshidabad, West Bengal now Paschimbango, he always carried in his heart a patch of his birthplace all through his life. Who else could see better than him, a student of history and law, through the political falsification and abuse that plays a major role in separating a loyal child from his/her motherland? In the prime of his youth, Habibur Rahman had to set out from his ancestral home in Murshidabad for Dhaka where he studied, taught and practised law and finally served as the chief justice of the Supreme Court. He also studied law in England before having a second stint of teaching at Rajshahi University.
None of these professions could however satiate the scholar in the man whose life-long love for literature, anthropology and of course social dynamics of the Bangalee race remained deeply embedded. Thus there emerges a man religious enough and yet secular, vastly juristic and yet a down-to-earth people's man who could be easily approached, highly sophisticated and yet very simple in his living. An author of 70 books in Bangla and five books in English dealing with subjects ranging from law to language, anthropological history, poetry and religion, he never ceased to continue his search for knowledge. His scholarly view however centred around a philosophy of life that is uncomplicated and draws sustenance from close observation of the ordinary people of the land and a feeling of empathy for them.
It is because of this he could write poems trite and satirical on political subjects. His mind was not at peace to see the incongruities in societies and the hollow protestation by politicians. In his articles he penned he could not be so sarcastic and yet so unfailingly to the point. So he tried his hand at poetry. His articles were however full of information and the analysis he made opened up layers of possibilities even at times of great crisis. A man of vision, Justice Rahman conducted the 1996 election most efficiently. Credit goes to him for averting a political crisis at that point of time. Yet to him, more important was to serve the nation as a friend philosopher and guide. Consequently, he became no less than the conscience of the nation.
A man of unrivalled integrity, the former chief justice set examples by his own words and deeds. What he said, he believed in. What he did not believe in, he did not utter. It is because of such rare qualities, he commanded respect from camps not likely to get any favour from him. As a justice he was merciless. Where he thought the law dictated otherwise than what he liked it would be, law and logic got the upper hand, confirm his close associates. With his death, the country has lost one of its highly revered persons in whom there was a combination of virtues, human qualities and moral asceticism free from prejudice. He left when the country needed men like him most.
It is a misfortune that political leaderships on both sides of the divide have not paid heed to the warning sounded and advices given by men like Muhammad Habibur Rahman. Sure enough, he was greatly pained by the political bickering and violence that have caused it so much haemorrhage over the past few months. What he witnessed before his final journey was the farthest from an ideal farewell this nation could bid him in return for all that he has done for the land and its people. It was fitting only for an ungrateful nation. The best sons of the soil deserve better than how its internecine politics treat them. A nation that does not know how to pay respect to its illustrious sons and learn lessons from their lives is a most unfortunate one. That society today is falling apart with no ideals and principles to hold it together owes to this sense of general irreverence. The country will pay through its nose, if the trend continues awhile.
A standard-bearer of the Bangalee nation, Habibur Rahman is now beyond all earthly considerations. The new generation will immensely benefit from his writings and the lessons he has left through living a simple and dignified life. May God rest him in eternal peace. Â
nilratanhalder2000@yahoo.com
A quiet but undiminished voice
Nilratan Halder as a tribute to justice Habibur Rahman | Published: January 17, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2024 06:01:00
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