Six years have passed since I lost my father, yet the silence left by his absence continues to reverberate through my life. Until then, I had never confronted the death of someone so integral to my existence. Grief dismantled my emotional equilibrium, leaving me disoriented and unable to reconcile myself with an irreversible loss.
Time, contrary to popular belief, does not erase sorrow; it refashions it. Gradually, I accepted life's most inescapable truth-its breathtaking fragility and profound uncertainty.
Loss also revealed another enduring truth: everything in this transient world eventually fades. Wealth evaporates. Reputations diminish. Even cherished memories soften with time. Yet a father's love defies such erosion. It remains steadfast. It is a radiant constellation in life's darkest sky and, at times, the reassuring shade of an ancient banyan tree, sheltering weary souls from life's unforgiving heat.
Today, I remember my late father, Abdullah M Hasan. His physical presence may have departed, but his moral compass continues to illuminate my life. Quiet by temperament and uncompromising in principle, he belonged to that increasingly rare generation of journalists. They regarded integrity not as a virtue to admire but as a discipline to practise.
Born in Bogra on May 26, 1948, he built a distinguished career across several of Bangladesh's leading English-language newspapers. These included The Daily Star, The Bangladesh Times, The Sun, The New Nation, and finally The Financial Express, where he served as News Editor. Throughout his career, he earned respect not through self-promotion but through intellectual rigour, professional restraint, and unwavering ethical conviction.
After graduating from Fauzdarhat Cadet College, he went on to earn two Master's degrees from the University of Dhaka: one in General History; and another in Journalism. His academic distinction culminated in a Berlin Fellowship in Journalism, further reflecting his scholarly excellence and professional credibility.
Within our family, he embodied quiet grace. His humility, impeccable manners, and unwavering sense of responsibility shaped the atmosphere of our home. Even after his passing, his legacy continues to command admiration among colleagues, friends, and those fortunate enough to have known him.
Among my most treasured memories is a childhood accident when I injured my leg against a door. My father immediately came to my side and gently asked, "Are you hurt very much, my dear Mom?" No eloquent speech could rival the tenderness contained in those few words. They remain etched upon my heart with remarkable clarity.
Whenever adversity cast long shadows across my path, he would remind me with unwavering confidence: "Go ahead, my loving daughter. A golden morning is waiting for you."
Today, those words remain my quiet inheritance. His voice has long fallen silent, yet its resonance continues to guide my conscience. His values remain the architecture of my character, and his love endures as an invisible lighthouse, steering me through life's uncertain waters. Death may claim a human life, but it cannot extinguish the enduring radiance of a father's love.
Farah Hasan Moutushi is elder daughter of late journalist, a human resource professional and a Rabindra Sangeet singer and a researcher on Rabindranath Tagore.
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