Achintya Sen: A journalist with rare qualities
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Zaglul A Chowdhury
Achintya Sen died quietly. His death did not come as something surprising as he was quite ill for the last few years. He was battling a deadly disease and finally had to embrace death. Births and deaths are part of a cycle, with which we all are too familiar. The latter causes shock at varying degrees and when judged from the point of view of his unremitting struggle against the disease, Achintya Sen's departure was a relief in a sense that he did not have to bear the burden of the excruciating pain. He died quietly, symbolising his usual calm nature. But his death has robbed the country and the profession of a journalist of rare breed. He was outstanding and stood tall in the midst of many because of his qualities It is precisely for this reason, Achintya Sen, who died the other day at the age of 64, will remain in our midst and will be fondly remembered by us all. I had the opportunity of knowing late Sen, whom I called "Achintya Da", closely, and I am sure that many others knew him more closely and intimately. A senior journalist who worked in different newspapers of the country during his long career, Achintya Sen had definitely carved out a niche for himself. He maintained a low-profile, but his qualities of head and heart were too distinctive bringing him to the fore in the domain of journalism. As such, Achintya Sen was not a stranger, but a force to reckon with in this profession in Bangladesh. Many are familiar with his facile pen, which he used for highlighting the political, economic and social problems. He dealt with them, through his writings in an objective but incisive why. He would write columns, reports and articles as a full-time senior journalist in a number of well-known publications both using a "pen name" and that of his own to sensitise all concerned about the wrongs in the society. He was particularly appalled at the yawning economic and social gaps among the fellow human beings and was relentless in his efforts. A radical leftist, Achintya Sen would always espouse and dream of justice and fair play that are of consequences for establishing a happy and healthy society. He maintained a ceaseless campaign to that end, as a writer and a journalist. However, it would be an incomplete description of Achintya Sen's chequered career if no mention is made about his extra-ordinary academic brilliance, which is not known to many and a neither a common feature among the members of the journalist community. He was a brilliant student of the physics department of the Dhaka University, but had to discontinue studies on the subject under extra-ordinary circumstances. He later appeared at the regular B.A. examination. Here too, he came out with flying colours. Imagine someone securing a first division with record marks in the mid-sixties in the regular Bachelor of Arts examination! And in the mid-sixties, he was too actively involved in student politics. He was an endearing personality to many of his friends who respected him for his sharp and in depth analyses of socio-political developments and economic issues at home and abroad in those turbulent times. And his qualities of heart were unmatching on many respects. He took up journalism as a profession and never looked back, although he never believed in a stable career. Physical handicap bothered him badly in the profession. His wife Dipa Sen always stood by him like the beacon of inspiration during the trials and turbulence. Probably, Achintya Da believed in a rocky pattern of life, the turns of which he liked to negotiate by his own choice and terms. He and I came from same region and would talk in the "Sylhet" dialect. A gentleman par excellence, he would wear a broad smile whenever I met him. His closer associates and friends like N.M.Harun, Hasan Shahriar, Moazzem Hossain, Pinaki Das Gupta, Jalal Ahmed Chowdhury and Jehangir Hossain would know more about him. Whatever I saw him, I took my hat off in reverence to a person, who not only invigorated the journalistic arena of this country, but also embodied certain qualities, which are, indeed, rare in our society. zaglulbss@yahoo.com
Achintya Sen died quietly. His death did not come as something surprising as he was quite ill for the last few years. He was battling a deadly disease and finally had to embrace death. Births and deaths are part of a cycle, with which we all are too familiar. The latter causes shock at varying degrees and when judged from the point of view of his unremitting struggle against the disease, Achintya Sen's departure was a relief in a sense that he did not have to bear the burden of the excruciating pain. He died quietly, symbolising his usual calm nature. But his death has robbed the country and the profession of a journalist of rare breed. He was outstanding and stood tall in the midst of many because of his qualities It is precisely for this reason, Achintya Sen, who died the other day at the age of 64, will remain in our midst and will be fondly remembered by us all. I had the opportunity of knowing late Sen, whom I called "Achintya Da", closely, and I am sure that many others knew him more closely and intimately. A senior journalist who worked in different newspapers of the country during his long career, Achintya Sen had definitely carved out a niche for himself. He maintained a low-profile, but his qualities of head and heart were too distinctive bringing him to the fore in the domain of journalism. As such, Achintya Sen was not a stranger, but a force to reckon with in this profession in Bangladesh. Many are familiar with his facile pen, which he used for highlighting the political, economic and social problems. He dealt with them, through his writings in an objective but incisive why. He would write columns, reports and articles as a full-time senior journalist in a number of well-known publications both using a "pen name" and that of his own to sensitise all concerned about the wrongs in the society. He was particularly appalled at the yawning economic and social gaps among the fellow human beings and was relentless in his efforts. A radical leftist, Achintya Sen would always espouse and dream of justice and fair play that are of consequences for establishing a happy and healthy society. He maintained a ceaseless campaign to that end, as a writer and a journalist. However, it would be an incomplete description of Achintya Sen's chequered career if no mention is made about his extra-ordinary academic brilliance, which is not known to many and a neither a common feature among the members of the journalist community. He was a brilliant student of the physics department of the Dhaka University, but had to discontinue studies on the subject under extra-ordinary circumstances. He later appeared at the regular B.A. examination. Here too, he came out with flying colours. Imagine someone securing a first division with record marks in the mid-sixties in the regular Bachelor of Arts examination! And in the mid-sixties, he was too actively involved in student politics. He was an endearing personality to many of his friends who respected him for his sharp and in depth analyses of socio-political developments and economic issues at home and abroad in those turbulent times. And his qualities of heart were unmatching on many respects. He took up journalism as a profession and never looked back, although he never believed in a stable career. Physical handicap bothered him badly in the profession. His wife Dipa Sen always stood by him like the beacon of inspiration during the trials and turbulence. Probably, Achintya Da believed in a rocky pattern of life, the turns of which he liked to negotiate by his own choice and terms. He and I came from same region and would talk in the "Sylhet" dialect. A gentleman par excellence, he would wear a broad smile whenever I met him. His closer associates and friends like N.M.Harun, Hasan Shahriar, Moazzem Hossain, Pinaki Das Gupta, Jalal Ahmed Chowdhury and Jehangir Hossain would know more about him. Whatever I saw him, I took my hat off in reverence to a person, who not only invigorated the journalistic arena of this country, but also embodied certain qualities, which are, indeed, rare in our society. zaglulbss@yahoo.com