BUET turns 60

Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) celebrate its 60th year of engineering education in Bangladesh today. Ranking 22nd in South Asia, the list of achievements of BUET is countless. Over the last six decades, it has undoubtedly given not only the country, but also the world, some of the most talented engineers and architects.

In the spirit of all the successes and failures of BUET, starting from today, they are observing a four-day long event to commemorate their long journey.

‘It is for the public to decide what we have done and how much we were able to achieve. We have tried to make students who are capable of contributing to the development of the country,’ Professor A M M Safiullah, the vice-chancellor of BUET.

‘Our goal is to make competent students who can be leaders in the technical areas, and who will think about the country and do something for the people. Our achievement is vast but our scopes are very limited. We are not celebrating our 60 years of engineering education. Celebration is a very light word to describe what we doing here. This event is a reflection for us. To try and understand why we are not getting the opportunities,’ he expresses.

Safiullah says that BUET does a lot of work but few people end up realising the extent of good work done by BUET. ‘We work for the people, but there is no realisation among the people. We engineers are too consumed in our work and research to do something about that.’

‘There should be ways for engineers to communicate with the people so that they can explain what the challenges are and what they are set out to do in simple terms for the general people to understand,’ adds the vice-chancellor.

BUET has a long and illustrious history, a journey which tells the tale of how a small rented house school transformed itself into the premier university of the country. ‘It is quiet astonishing how big this institution has turned out to be,’ reflects Imamuddin Ahmed Choudhury, an alumni of BUET and the first batch to graduate from this institution.

The record of this institution can be traced back to as early as 1876 when the British Raj had established one Dacca Survey School in Nalgola. Under the British colonial rule, the institution started fulfilling its duty of making land surveyors out of people, through two years of courses in a rented house. ‘The building was situated near the present day Salimullah Medical College,’ informs Imamuddin.

‘The school gained popularity and in 1897 the status of the school was raised and it became the Dhaka School of Engineering. The number of students was 400 at the time.

The school started to offer three year sub-overseer course,’ says an officer-in-charge of the event.

‘At that time the Nawab family of Dhaka took keen interest in the advancement of the Muslims and in 1902, Nawab Sir Salimullah donated 112,000 rupee as per the wish of his father, for the development of the school,’ adds the officer.

In 1905, a new curriculum was introduced. It was called the overseer course in civil engineering for the duration of four years. The next year, the school was moved from Nalgola to a specially chosen building near the present day Shahidullah Hall in the Dhaka University campus.

‘Those who are old enough would remember a Chimney near the hall which stood tall till late 1970s. That was the last symbol of the Dacca School of Engineering at that campus,’ remembers Imamuddin.

In the year of 1908, the name of Dhaka School of Engineering was changed to Ahsanullah School of Engineering as a tribute to the contribution made by the Nawab Family. In the same year, the engineering school was affiliated by the Overseers Examination Board of Bengal. Under the board, the study programs were modified, and the sub overseer course was reduced to a course of two years, and in the meantime, one year practical training course, for the overseer program was added. And subsequently, in 1913, a diploma course in electrical and mechanical engineering commenced. However the diploma courses were brought to an end in 1919. In the year 1920, Ahsanullah School of Engineering was again moved to a capacious building, which was originally built for the press of the then East Bengal.

In the mid 1940s, the then Government of Bengal felt the necessity for graduate engineers, after the historic division of Bengal. A committee was soon formed in May 1947, and they had decided to convert Ahsanullah School of Engineering into a College. And the college was affiliated with Dhaka University and formed the faculty of engineering.

The engineering college started its journey with Hakim Ali as the first principal. In the year 1958, the Metallurgical Engineering Program was introduced while the Department of Agricultural and Textile Engineering was closed. ‘In 1954, with the financial support from International Co-operation Agency (presently USAID), Ahsanullah School of Engineering started a very successful co-operative program with Texas A&M college,’ says Imamuddin. ‘This relationship assisted Ahsanullah School of Engineering to develop curricula, improve the teaching quality and physical infrastructure. The relationship continued for more than 20 years,’ Imamuddin continues.

‘In 1958, according to the Syndicate decision of Dhaka University of 1956 the diploma classes were held for the last time,’ says Imamuddin. In 1962, under the autocratic administration of Pakistan, Ahsanullah Engineering College was made into the East Pakistan University of Engineering and Technology (EPUET).

Afterwards, two faculties were introduced, one was the faculty of engineering and the other was the faculty of architecture. Under these faculties, very new and exciting subjects were offered to students wishing to acquire knowledge in those fields. Under the faculty of engineering, there were Civil engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Material and Metallurgical Engineering, Petroleum and Mineral Resources Engineering, Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. And under the faculty of architecture, there were Architecture and Humanities.

As the then East Pakistan reemerged as an independent nation, EPUET was renamed and given the name of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). Like every other educational institutes of Dhaka, the students of EPUET actively participated in the political development. After March 25 1971, the students, teachers and staffs of BUET fought with arms to liberate the country.

‘20 of the heroes never returned. On this occasion, we proudly remember their names,’ says Professor Shahidul Islam Khan, the director of Electronic and Electrical Engineering Department of BUET. From there on, BUET started a whole new journey of development and expansion. In 1972, a new program in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering was introduced to meet the necessity of naval architects and marine engineers in a riverine country. And in 1973, the first convocation of BUET was held with Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the chief guest.

Today, BUET consists of five faculties, 16 departments, three institutes, six research centers, 545 students and more than 8500 students.

‘In my personal opinion, the strength and the backbone of this university are the faculty members. It is the teachers that make this institution, but more importantly, they create brilliant engineers,’ the vice-chancellor of BUET, proudly reflects. ‘Most of the engineers working in Bangladesh are BUET graduates. Although there are other engineering institutions, but BUET is the leading contributor in educating engineering students.’

He goes on to elaborate on the situation, ‘I will not say that we have achieved success in all the areas, one of the big problems we face is the fact that a lot of our brilliant and talented students leave Bangladesh in search of better opportunities. Say I teach a student something and he does not have the opportunity to apply his or her knowledge and talent, that student will be very frustrated. Our students face a lot of restrictions as far getting the right kind of job where they can express their brilliance. If someone gets a job in a bank, the salary is very high, compared to the salary structure of engineers on average. But a banker does not require talent or specialised skills that an engineer does.’

‘But the biggest problem with BUET is that we stress too much on the undergraduate programs’, admits Professor Shahidul. ‘If we can stress a lot more on the PhD programs and research programs, students will be able to deal with our national issues’, he argues.

‘We are a public university, we are bound to have shortcomings,’ says Professor Mazharul Hoque, of the Faculty of Civil Engineering. ‘We have limited funding, laboratories are not being expanded, and we are not being able to bring in new equipments and not a lot of research facilities. If we cannot strengthen our resources and technically develop in the face of globalisation, we may not be able to survive.’

With a long and glorious history of BUET, it also has a long list of alumni. Many of them have found great success and some of them achieved recognition from the world. The name of the late Fazlur Rahman Khan is always the first name to be uttered by people when talking about high rise buildings.

‘Around three lakh students graduate high school, from there only 3000 students are eligible to take the admission test in BUET, and from there we select a little over 800 students. That is why I say we have the cream of the crop,’ concludes Professor Safiullah.

As BUET steps into its 60th year, they are busy developing themselves further and expand their horizon. They have plans of increasing post graduate studies and researches, and they are putting a lot of effort in cutting edge technologies like robotics, nano-engineering and multi-disciplinary subjects like bio-medical engineering, accident research, housing for poor and much more.

Duty first, duty last, and duty always

‘During our time, we always kept in our mind that “sebai manab dharma”. There were few private practitioners. We used to treat patients attentively in the hospital. At present, I see that almost all the physicians are busy with private practice. They may have forgotten that to serve people is supreme’ - Doctor Zohra Begum Kazi

Doctor Zohra Begum Kazi entered history at a time when Muslim women in the Indian subcontinent did not have a voice in the public arena. They were guided by superstitions and expected to remain within the confines of their home. As the first Muslim female physician in the British ruled Indian subcontinent, Doctor Zohra ushered the way for modern medical treatment, particularly for these Muslim women. Through her teaching, she paved the way to progress for the subjugated women of the then British Raj. Doctor Zohra Begum Kazi, a Bengali woman, not only provided medical treatment but was also responsible for inspiring a social revolution.

Zohra Begum Kazi was born at Rajnangaon in Madhya Pradesh (now Chhattisgarh), India on October 15, 1912. Her father Doctor Kazi Abdus Sattar grew up Gopalpur, a village in Madaripur, Bangladesh. After a neighbour died during delivery, Zohra’s father was determined to make his daughters physicians. Zohra attended primary school in different areas of India as her father was a physician he was often appointed to different places. She finished secondary school in 1926 and was admitted to the Aligarh University where she completed her intermediate examination in science with a distinction. She was the first Muslim female who received a stipend from the university as a reward for her academic excellence. In 1935, she completed MBBS from the Lady Harding Medical Collage for Women. The first ever medical college for women in Asia was established by the then viceroy of India Lord Harding and named after his wife. As she obtained first class first in MBBS, the British government awarded her the prestigious ‘Viceroy’s’ medal. She also received a scholarship from the central government of the then India. Zohra’s only sister Shirin Kazi was also a physician.

Zohra started her profession as a voluntary gynaecologist at Sebashram, a charity organisation organised by Mahatma Gandhi that provided free medical care for the poor. Zohra’s father also worked at the organisation as a volunteer. Both father and daughter strongly believed in Gandhi’s philosophy and devoted themselves to the pursuit of social development. Zohra’s relatives, however, disapproved of her and her father actions as they thought that she was spoiling her family’s reputation by constantly relocating herself to provide medical treatment.

Apart from being a government doctor she worked voluntarily in different charity organisations in India before she immigrated to Dhaka. She worked as an honorary secretary of the Kastura Bai National Memorial Hospital and worked hard to improve the hospital.

After coming back in Dhaka in 1948, Zohra was offered a teaching job at the Mitford Medical College which she declined as she wished to pursue her education and do research. Later in 1949, she received another proposal to join Dhaka Medical Collage as their resident surgeon. She agreed and joined as the only Bengali Muslim doctor.

Doctor Akhtar Iqbal Begum, former additional director general of health services of the government, was a family friend of Zohra Begum Kazi. ‘I knew her since my childhood. On 14 August, 1948, Zohra came to our house in Raipur, India, and told my father that she was immigrating to East Pakistan. She urged my father to send me to Dhaka with her to attend Dhaka Medical College. My father consented, hoping a bright future lay ahead in Dhaka,’ she continued, ‘I came with her leaving my family behind in Raipur and lived with her. She admitted me to the Dhaka Medical College.’ ‘She took great care of me and showered me with motherly affection. As a person, she had superb human qualities.’

When Zohra was 32 years old, she married the former lawmaker Raziuddin Bhuiyan of Narsingdi. Her husband died in 1963. They had no children together. ‘She did not regret her childlessness. She considered her students and patients to be her children. She devoted her life to serve people,’ describes Doctor Lutfunnahar, Zohra’s former student.

In 1964 the Pakistan government conferred Zohra with the title ‘Taghma-e-Pakistan’ for her contribution in the healthcare field.

Being the first Bengali female doctor of the country she had many opportunities to work in different areas within the healthcare field. She became the head of the gynecology department of DMCH. Zohra also worked as an honorary colonel of Combined Military Hospital and taught as an honorary professor of Holy Family Hospital and Bangladesh Medical College.

Kazi Ashraf Mahmud, Zohra’s elder brother also studied at the medical college until he was expelled for his political involvement. He later became a distinguished politician and a poet in Hindi. He also taught botany at Dhaka University and closely associated with Comrade Mozaffar Ahmed, the legendary left politician, who took an active role in the anti-colonial movement. He was the secretary general of All India Student Federation when the president of the organisation was the national poet of Bangladesh Kazi Nazrul Islam.

A 1952 Language Movement veteran, Zohra directly extended her help to the freedom fighters during 1971 Liberation War. She was the only female recipient of the title The Bangladeshi government had awarded her with the ‘Begum Roquiah Padak’ while the Bangladesh Medical Association honoured her with a gold medal for outstanding contribution to humanity and medical services.

Doctor Zohra also shared her brother’s affection for the Kazi Nazrul Islam, Mozaffar Ahmed, Sher-e-Bangla AK Fazlul Haque and other distinguished personalities of her time. Famously, Kazi Nazrul Islam is said to have once asked young Zohra about her aim in life and she replied, ‘I will read, and will teach and serve people. You will pray for me.’

Doctor Zohra had a specially soft sport for the Gandhi family. ‘Gandhiji used to say to me “never be scared in life. You may lose your life. As you have born you must die”, the advice still resonates in my ear,’ Zohra Begum Kazi would tell her students, relatives and well-wishers. Gandhi and his wife Kasura Bai were very affectionate towards both Zohra and her sister Shirin. Both the sisters worked at the Sebagram, established by Mahatma near Nagpur of India. ‘I have sweet memories with Gandhiji. When we went there we had a lot of fun. Gandhiji requested us to have this and that when we were having meal together. His wife Kastura Bai was a very kind person. It was a one hour journey from Nagpur to Sebagram and yet she insisted on always giving us food when we were coming back,’ Zohra Kazi recalled her memories in an interview to the magazine ‘Saptahik 2000’ published on April 21 in 2003.

Zohra Begum Kazi, widely known as the ‘Lady Doctor’, had inspired her students to strive for the betterment of people. ‘It was very difficult for a female doctor to go from place to place to visit the patients’ houses, but she did not hesitate to do so even at night. She fought against illogical superstitions and convinced female patients on the need for modern medical treatment,’ she added. ‘“Duty first, duty last, and duty always” was her famous line to all her students,’ said Lutfunnahar.

Zohra Begum Kazi died on November 7 at the age of 97.

Ramadan begins across Muslim world

Ramadan, a month of day-long fasting, spiritual reflection and sometimes night-long revelry, has begun for most of the world's 1.2 billion Muslims.

The holiest month of the Islamic calendar, the start of Ramadan is traditionally determined by the appearance of a new crescent moon. But the lunar sighting often divides Muslim communities over its exact date.

Across much of the Muslim world, Ramadan began on Thursday, although Libyans and Nigerians began the fast one day before.

During the month, Muslims are required to abstain from food, drink and sex from dawn until dusk. And in many Muslim countries, offices are required by law to reduce working hours.

Life thus slips into a lower gear during the day, and activity peaks between "iftar", the breaking of the fast at sunset, and "suhur", the last meal of the day before sunrise.

In Indonesia, the world's most populous Muslim nation, Ramadan began under the shadow of an earthquake, after an 8.4 tremor struck off Sumatra island.

At least nine people were killed and dozens injured as emergency teams headed for the remote region.

Restricted hours

Meanwhile, conservative Indonesian Muslim groups have warned they will act against nightclubs and other "dens of vices" that disregard restricted opening hours for the month.

Elsewhere in Southeast Asia, Thailand's army on Wednesday lifted a night curfew meant to pressure separatists in Muslim provinces, where people will also begin fasting on Thursday.

Singapore is marking Ramadan alongside the Chinese mid-autumn festival and the Indian Deepavali festival next month.

In Bangladesh, the government has offered rice at a 20 per cent discount around the country, while also opening 100 convenience stores in capital Dhaka to sell other foods at reduced prices.

Dhiraj Malakar, secretary for food and disaster management, said: "We want poor and middle class people to have a comfortable Ramadan."

In Cairo, a shopping frenzy began weeks ago despite soaring prices. Egyptians prepared for the first day of fasting, gathering extended families to break fast traditionally on Thursday with dates and milk.

Traffic police have been banned from taking time off during Ramadan in the teeming city of 18 million notorious for gridlock. Extra wardens have been deployed to control pre-iftar accidents as cars clamour to get home by sunset.

Public eating

Gulf countries, including Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have banned restaurants from operating during the day throughout Ramadan.

The Kuwaiti interior ministry threatened a 100 dinar ($356) fine or one month imprisonment for anyone caught eating in public or encouraging others to do so before dusk.

Confusion about when Ramadan was starting led some people to wake up in the Afghan capital Kabul at 3am on Wednesday for a pre-dawn meal - just in case it was the first day of the month-long fast.

Once the sun was up, broadcasters said that the holy month would start on Thursday, with restaurants opening only in the evenings and government offices closing by 1pm.

The Taliban has threatened to use Ramadan to launch a new wave of attacks on government and Western military targets throughout the country.

But in Baghdad, where thousands of US troops are deployed, the US military said levels of pre-Ramadan violence were lower this year and expected the trend to continue.

The nightly curfew in the Iraqi capital and a vehicle curfew are to be eased during Ramadan to help families break fast together.

Baghdad's 400-year-old Shorja market has been bustling with activity with war-weary residents stocking up on spices, sugar, tea and nuts - mostly imported from Syria.

Iraq's Sunni community will begin observing Ramadan from Thursday, followed a day later by the country's Shias, religious leaders in Baghdad said.

Unity

Rival Palestinian governments in the West Bank and Gaza argued over the content of mosque sermons and collection of donations during the month, but agreed to start observance together on Thursday, nominally preserving unity during the holy period.

Gaza residents are bracing for clashes after Fatah and other Palestinian groups called for sunset street prayers despite a Hamas ban.

Nabil al-Ali, one Gaza resident, said: "The prayers and religious practices should not be transformed into manifestations of violence and hate.

"We just want a little serenity and calm to bring us closer to God."

In a gesture of good will, Hamas announced on Wednesday plans to release on bail about 80 prisoners, including 25 Fatah supporters, Abu Obeida al-Jarrah, a Hamas commander, said.

Saudi Arabia, the birthplace of Islam, is preparing to receive an expected one million pilgrims to perform Umrah, or a smaller pilgrimage, to Mecca during the month.

As generosity towards the poor peaks during the month, Kuwait is monitoring fund-raising activities by Muslim charities and has banned any cash donations to make sure that charity money does not reach extremist organisations.

Begum Zia arrested

Authorities in Bangladesh have jailed former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on corruption charges.

Ms. Zia, who left office last October, and her son, Arafat Rahman Coco, were detained early Monday.

A judge in Dhaka refused Ms. Zia bail and sent her to jail, while her son will be held in custody for questioning about the case.

The charges filed Sunday allege that Ms. Zia misused her powers in awarding government contracts, including one for development of port facilities in Chittagong, to a private company.

Ms. Zia's older son, Tarique Rahman, has been in jail since March, and he is currently awaiting trial for extortion.

The military-backed government that took power in Dhaka nearly nine months ago also filed new charges Sunday against Ms. Zia's bitter rival and predecessor as prime minister, Sheikh Hasina.

Ms. Hasina already is in jail, awaiting trial on previous corruption charges.

The additional charges filed Sunday against Ms. Hasina allege that she illegally took payments of more than 400 thousand dollars during her term as prime minister, from 1996 to 2001.

Ms. Hasina is said to have used the money to buy land for a charity that she heads, the Bangabandhu Memorial Trust.

Months of violent clashes last year between supporters of Ms. Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Ms. Hasina's Awami League prompted the military to cancel scheduled elections and take power in Dhaka on January 11.

An interim government appointed by Bangladesh's military has ruled the nation since then, vowing to fight corruption, reform electoral rules and clean up the nation's politics before calling new elections.

Mannan Bhuiyan expelled from BNP

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia Monday expelled Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan from the party as secretary general.

She made the announcement while on her way out of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court, Dhaka where she had been produced following arrest in a corruption case.

Khandaker Delwar Hossain replaces Bhuiyan and will work as the acting secretary general, said the former prime minister, after she was ordered to jail.

Delwar will be assisted by two senior BNP leaders—ASM Hannan Shah and Gayeshwar Chandra Roy.

Bangladesh honours Nobel laureate with stamp

Bangladesh Chief Adviser Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed Wednesday formally released a commemorative postage stamp along with a first day cover on Nobel laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus and Grameen Bank for winning the most prestigious international award.

the Bangladesh Postal Department published the commemorative stamp of 10 taka (1 U.S. dollars equals about 70 taka) denomination and a first day cover of 6 taka, private news agency UNB reported.

The commemorative stamp and the first day cover are being sold in all main post offices of the country from Wednesday. The stamp and inaugural envelope would be available in sub-district post offices too.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Adviser Dr. Fakhruddin Ahmed said it was a very joyful moment when entire Bangladesh got overwhelmed hearing the news on Oct. 13 last year that Prof. Yunus and Grameen Bank won the Nobel Prize.

He said this achievement is not only for Prof. Yunus but also for whole Bangladesh as it brought pride for the country.

Expressing his feeling over publishing the commemorative stamp, Prof. Yunus said it will help keep the big achievement of Bangladesh memorable and further encourage all for attaining bigger achievements for the country.

BD stoped exporting Hilsha fish

The Government yesterday decided to ban exports of the much-adored Hilsha fish from Bangladesh for at least six months, with a view to reducing its high price in the domestic market during the current peak season resulted from the supply constraints. An inter-ministerial meeting took the decision as in the recent days huge quantity of Hilsha known as the' king of fish' to the Bangalees of both Bangladesh and the West Bengal of India for its delicious and unique taste have been exported to India at a price which is lower than the domestic sales price.
Bangladesh is the top Hilsha producing country and this year the production is higher than that of the previous years due to the ban imposed on catching of Jatka (Hilsha having a length of 6 inches or less) during the breeding season.
Livestock and Fisheries ministry adviser Dr CS Karim who chaired the meeting told newsmen that though the amount of Hilsha yield this year is higher than that of the previous year, yet due to the massive exports of it to India, domestic market was experiencing a supply crisis during the ongoing peak season. He hoped that the decision to ban the export would reduce the prices of Hilsha in the domestic market.
The meeting was also told that in April this year 6700 KGs of Hilsha were exported to India at 2.5 US dollar per KG whereas the price of it in the local market is nearly 5 US dollar per KG.
The meeting also asked the joint forces, BDR and Coast Guard to prevent the smuggling of Hilsha following the imposition of this ban.
Bangladesh Fisheries Development Corporation and Fisheries Department would monitor the prices of Hilsha in the local markets to assess the impact of the ban, the meeting decided.

Abahani limited: pioneer of modern sports in BD

‘Abahani’ is a well known name in the Bangladeshi sports world. Today Abahani is a large, very popular sports club. They have a huge number of fans, supporters, and well-wishers spread all over the country. Abahani didn’t take long to put themselves into that position. They earned the glory and the honor in an amazingly short period of time. It was possible by displaying their quality, highly skilled and magical performances on the field; and of course, it was all about soccer. Abahani is the founder of modern soccer in Bangladesh. They have always been a very strong side in every soccer tournament. They are one of the two giants in the country’s sporting arena. They have gained the same prestigious positions in cricket and hockey as well. “Abahani Limited” used to be known to people as “Abahani Krira Chakra”, and before that, it was called “Abahani social welfare co-operative”.

Abahani was not the result of any long term plan. However, Abahani formulated a number of long term plans and brought them to fruition as a part of their contribution to the country’s sports. That is the basic structure of today’s Abahani Limited. Abahani’s birth was prompted by an individual instance. Forty one years ago, in 1966, the former Pakistan Government suddenly decided to use the playground next to 22 Dhanmondi (today’s Abahani field) in Dhaka city for residential buildings. Local students, teenagers, and young players had been using this ground for everyday practice and other activities for a long time. This playground meant a lot to them. They all stood united against the Government’s decision. At a certain point, young student political leaders encouraged the protesters and eventually got involved into the protests, too. The whole thing turned into a social movement. Finally, the Government had to step back from their plan under this pressure. That’s how the playground stayed as it was and became Abahani field later on.

After this movement, it was necessary and demanded by the time to form an organization to hold the unity among everyone. That’s how “Abahani social welfare co-operative” began. Literature, culture, and sports – these were the three major sections that Abahani started with. Abahani’s victory over the Pakistan Govt. caught the eyes of the political leaders. Harun ur Rashid (the general secretary of the club later and now one of the directors), one of the protesters, personally knew Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Bangabandhu very often gave advice and guidelines to carry this club toward a bright future. Sheikh Kamal and Sheikh Jamal, two sons of Bangabandhu, got involved with Abahani at this point. With Kamal’s true affection to sports and Bangabandhu’s proper guidance, Abahani got a new life. At Kamal’s suggestion, Abahani arranged a cricket tournament in honor of Tofazzal Hossain (Manik Mia) [founder editor of the daily ittefaq]. This was their first tournament. It was before the Bangladesh liberation war. The liberation war took place at the end of that tournament. A number of brave hearted Abahani club members including Sheikh Kamal, joined the battle of liberation in 1971.

Abahani started their journey again after the glory of independence. Since Abahani was starting to focus exclusively on its various sporting activities, Kamal proposed to reform Abahani as a sports club. Everyone else agreed with him. That’s how “Abahani Krira Charka” was formed. However, Abahani faced great obstacles to their joining the Dhaka soccer league. By the rules and regulations, any team who wants to participate in the league, has to qualify by playing and winning third and second division soccer leagues. Abahani did not have any experience playing either of these leagues, but this was not enough to stop them. Abahani found a good way out. There used to be a non-bengali club, called “Iqbal Sporting Club” in Mohammadpur. Most of the officials of this club were involved in anti-Bangladesh activities during the war. Therefore, after independence almost all of their executives were gone. Iqbal sporting club had only a few Bengali officials and clerks, but they helped and played effective roles when the Abahani and Iqbal sporting clubs were unified. After that there were no more worries about Abahani’s enlistment in the league. In a similar way Abahani started hockey and cricket too. The “Ispahani sect” officially proposed that Abahani manage and direct their hockey and cricket club under Abahani’s name. Abahani officials accepted their offer. That was a good turn in Abahani’s journey. After getting their chances in the three major sports, Abahani tent in Dhanmondi was full of happiness.

Abahani wanted their players to be confident about their paychecks. They offered a generous amount of money to the players. They wanted the players to take sports as a profession, not just entertainment. That’s why Abahani had kick starts in all of the three (soccer, cricket, hockey) major leagues when they started. They had a good collection of talented and skillful players on their teams. Therefore, they were able to get the desired result. In 1973 they were runners-up in the soccer league and held third position in hockey. Next season, in 1974 Abahani was champion in all three leagues, which really brought them into the front row. After that, Abahani did not have to look back any more. Abahani has made great contributions in modernizing Bangladeshi sports. Abahani presented and introduced a number of new ideas and styles into our country’s sports. It enriched Bangladeshi sport’s glamour. Foreign players have been playing in the Dhaka soccer league for decades, but Abahani tried something different. They began hiring players who performed in FIFA world cup soccer. Other big clubs in Dhaka could not do this before Abahani did. In 1987, Abahani surprised everyone by hiring Karim Mohammad and Samir Shakir. They were from the Iraqi national soccer team which played in the world cup. Also Sri Lankan Layones Pirich, Pakir Ali, Prem Lal, Najar Ali, Russian Sergi Moiechiv… played in Dhaka Abahani for several seasons. Later on, Samir Shakir even coached the Abahani soccer team.

Also, in Bangladeshi cricket, foreign players used to mean sub-continental players only. Abahani broke this cycle in 1993-94 when English national cricket team member Neil Fairbrother and Ellingworth came to Dhaka to play for Abahani. Another English national player, Defrites played on the Dhaka Abahani cricket team also. The list of star players that played in Dhaka Abahani is quite long. Pakistani Wasim Akram, Basit Ali, Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hossen, Iqbal Sekander, Naved Anjum, Jahoor Elahi; Sri Lankan Delip Mendis, Ashoka de Silva, Samara Sefera; Indian Romon Lamba, Ajay Jadeja, Arun Lal….a lot of star players in world cricket came to play for Abahani. Abahani is not behind in hockey either. High class standard players like Indian Dhanraj Pellai, Abu Baki; Pakistani Kamar Ibrahim…played in the Dhaka hockey league wearing Abahani’s blue-yellow jersey.

Abahani constantly makes star players for Bangladesh national teams. Talented players like Kazi Salauddin, Asraf Chunnu, Amili, Mohsin, Monem Munna, Rumi, Satyajit Das Rupu, Mamun Joarder, Zakir Hossain, Dhonu, Aslam, Nazrul, Arif Khan Joy… kept the Abahani tent and national team happy all the time. Abahani’s Amlesh Sen is a legend to those who are just starting soccer coaching in Bangladesh. Bangladeshi cricket found promising crickers like Gazi Asraf Lipu, Golam Nowsher Prince, Minhazul Abedin Nannu, Akram Khan, Khaled Masud Pilot, Naimur Rahman Durjoy…from Abahani. All of these men gained respect and made our country’s name brighter in worlds of soccer and cricket.

Abahani has very impressive statistics. There are no domestic tournaments (soccer, cricket, and hockey) where Abahani did not perform and could not win the championship. Abahani is the very first unbeaten champion in Dhaka soccer league history. It’s astonishing that Abahani was also the first to win hat trick championships in all of the three (soccer, cricket, and hockey) different leagues. In the hockey league, it was in the 1974-75, 1975-76, and 1977-78 seasons (there was no league in 1976-77). In cricket, 1984-85, 1985-86, and 1986-87; and in the soccer league, 1984, 1985, and 1986 Abahani won hat trick championships. Later on, they won hat trick hockey championship again in 1987-88, 1988-89, (there was no league in 1989-90) and 1990-91 (jointly champion).

Abahani won a number of international championships and brought respect for our country. In 1989-90, Abahani won the “Nagjee cup” soccer tournament in India, also in 1994 they were unbeaten champions in both “Charms cup”, and “Invitation cup” soccer tournament in Calcutta. Abahani was also champion in the prestigious “BTC club cup tournament” at Dhaka in 1991. The six top ranked soccer clubs from both Bengals (East Bengal, Mohunbagan, Mohamedan from West Bengal and Brothers Union, Mohamedan, Abahani from Bangladesh) had played in this tournament.

In our country, usually a sports club runs on donations from businessmen or by the sponsorship money from Government executives. Abahani is very different from other clubs in this respect. Abahani has found some great hearted sports organizers in their long, progressive journey. People like Salman F Rahman, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Kazi Shahed Ahmed, Ajan Chowdhury, Pintu, A H M Mostafa Kamal, Harun ur Rashid, Afzalur Rahman Sinha, Ali Asgar Lobi…. they have altruistic love for the Abahani club. They have always helped Abahani to get over any obstacles. Indeed, an infinite amount of love will always remain for our favorite club, Abahani, from fans and supporters all over the world.