The man in white and all he stood for

Speakers at a commemorative discussion yesterday said journalist-columnist Syed Abul Maksud was a true patriot, who used his attire as a symbol to lodge a "one-man protest" against imperialist aggression.

Maksud was a tireless advocate of the disadvantaged and marginalised, as a writer as well as an activist, they noted.

Syed Abul Maksud Smriti Sangsad organised the discussion on "Syed Abul Maksud: Life and Glory" at the capital's The Daily Star Centre to observe his 75th birth anniversary.

Maksud died in February this year.

Addressing the discussion, Prof Emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury of Dhaka University said Maksud's departure has created an irreplaceable void in the country's intellectual arena.

"He was a living archive," said Prof Serajul, adding that Maksud's presence is even more needed in the present-day situation, when the nation is undergoing a crisis.

Presiding over the discussion, Prof Serajul said Maksud turned his attire into a "symbolic flag" and lodged a protest by himself which was unique.

In his remarks, Communist Party of Bangladesh President Mujahidul Islam Selim termed Maksud a "comrade". Maksud was a politically conscious person who possessed left-leaning ideals, said Selim.

DU's Prof Robaet Ferdaus said whenever the country's small religious and ethnic communities faced violence, Maksud was there to support them.

Chief Coordinator of Ganosamhati Andolon Zonayed Saki said it is sad that the nation had to lose a personality like Maksud.

Awami League lawmaker RAM Obaidul Muktadir Chowdhury said all his life, Maksud was on a quest for the truth. He would not believe in rumours but give extra effort to find the truth.

Former vice president of DU's Jagannath Hall students' union Subhash Singha Roy said Maksud was an inspirational figure.

Among others, Sheikh Hafizur Rahman of the the smriti sangsad, and Humayun Kabir, coordinator of Mahatma Gandhi Smarak Sadan, spoke at the discussion.