A dream cut short

His love for food had just begun turning his life around. After marrying Farhana Islam four months ago, Sifat Rabby Siam and his wife began a new adventure together -- traveling around and reviewing restaurant food from all over the country.

Even though he initially struggled with body shaming, Siam and his wife soon began to gain followers on their YouTube channel "Khudhartho Khadok".  

But just as they were shy of 10k subscriptions – a milestone in any Youtuber's journey to fame – their dreams were cut short by a tragic accident on Wednesday night. 

Besides being a food vlogger, Siam, 28, was a junior outdoor assistant of Chittagong Port's traffic department.

That night, an RTG crane, used to lift containers, ran over and crushed him to death at No-2 yard of the port jetty when he was on duty.

Speaking to The Daily Star, Kazi Md Tareq Aziz, assistant commissioner (Port) of Chattogram Metropolitan Police, said, "On information, police rushed to the spot and recovered the body."

Siam lived with his wife and mother, Jebunnessa, in port city's High School Colony under Bandar Police Station. Local restaurants, well-wishers and followers mourned his death on social media.

Mehedi Hasan Mazumder, Siam's neighbour and a port staffer, told The Daily Star, "Siam was a jolly and innocent man. He would always keep himself busy with his vlogs, cycling and other work. It's hard to accept his sudden demise."

Siam's father Abdul Awal was also a port employee and passed away two and a half years ago.

A student of Collegiate School, he completed his graduation from International Islamic University in Chattogram and later joined the port as a worker in 2019.

He is survived by a sister, apart from his wife and mother.

Siam's brother-in-law Shamsuzzaman said, "His mother has totally broken down after the incident. Just before it happened, he had called his wife to ask what to bring for home. He never returned himself."

Siam's namaz-e-janaza was held at Chattogram Port administrative building at around 10:00am yesterday.