A nephew's tribute

ALEXANDER Smith had written that “memory is a man's real possession … in nothing else is he rich, in nothing else is he poor.” Perhaps that is why my eldest uncle Syed Mohammed Ali (Boro Chachu as we fondly used to call him) is still remembered and missed by his family, friends, peers and many others who had the opportunity to make his acquaintance. On days such as today (December 5), I miss him more because if he was still with us we would be able to celebrate his birthday together.

My Boro Chachu was one of the most charismatic, dynamic, helpful and knowledgeable persons of his time. His life was built on the belief that everyone should be treated equally and fairly regardless of their race, background, ethnicity or social status. Perhaps one of the reasons why my Boro Chachu was so loved and respected by his peers was because he always believed in doing the right thing. He earned the confidence and trust of the people by providing them with news which was reliable and motivational, encouraged freedom of the press and ultimately led the people of the oppressed countries towards their freedom.

My Chacha S. M. Ali was fortunate enough to be selected to travel abroad at the very early stages of his career. He was assigned various projects by prestigious international organisations such as Unesco, The Press Foundation of Asia in Manila and The New Nation newspaper in Singapore. He was always keen to not only develop his skills as a journalist, but also to encourage the development of press institutions wherever he got the opportunity.

Even though Boro Chachu was living abroad during the Liberation War of Bangladesh, he successfully managed to spread the news of the genocide taking place in Bangladesh and gain the attention of the international media, which had a tremendous impact on the liberation movement in Bangladesh.

One of his dreams came true with the help of other dynamic minded journalists like him, when The Daily Star was born on January 14, 1991. This marked a significant milestone in the press history of Bangladesh, firstly because the standard of the newspaper was comparable to other leading international circulations and, secondly, because of his editorial column titled “My World” that reflected his integrity, knowledge, charm, and wisdom. His name is still mentioned in this column as Founder Editor as a tribute towards him. He will always be missed by all of us in the years to come.