A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Friday, July 14, 2017
Bangladesh: A reader’s admiration for a journalist-cum- columnist par excellence
Creative capacity is the hallmark of a columnist because if it is not there, then he cannot make columns interesting, and hence cannot guide readers.
( July 12, 2017, Dhaka, Sri Lanka Guardian) All
developing countries face myriad issues on a day-to-day, short and
long-term basis, and Bangladesh is no exception. The media is to pursue
with an open mind, and a journalistic ethos that is not merely
investigative but is thorough, consistent and transparent. The function
of journalism is to teach one to think intensively and to think
critically. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true
journalism. Syed Badrul Ahsan (SBA) is an eminent senior journalist and
columnist of Bangladesh. The noted columnist previously was Executive
Editor at the Daily Star and Associate Editor at the Daily Observer. He
did his Masters in 1979 on English Literature from Dhaka University. He
served as a lecturer in English at Notre Dame College from 1982 to 1985.
He started his journalistic career at the New Nation in the early
1980s, he moved to other newspapers, among which were the Morning Sun,
the Bangladesh Observer, the Independent, News Today and New Age. He is
now at The Asian Age as its Associate Editor. He is also a columnist
with www.bdnews24.com, a reputed online internet Newspaper of
Bangladesh.
He is based in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He is also an author, political
commentator, and a literary critic, and has had a three-year stint as a
senior diplomat of Bangladesh to UK. SBA is by heart a journalist par
excellence in English journalism. To him journalism is what was said by
Joseph Pulitzer: “I am deeply interested in the progress and elevation
of journalism, having spent my life in that profession, regarding it as a
noble profession and one of unequalled importance for its influence
upon the minds and morals of the people.”
We are living in a time when obituaries are being written for newspapers
every day. Opinion writing is growing rapidly in the Newspapers like
never before. There are many great columnists in the country. The
essential quality for a great column is storytelling, the ability to
entertain as well as educate. This is to turn or place at an angle
toward the stylists who combine the urgency of news with the precision
of poetry, writing history in the present tense. So take it with a grain
of salt, as an appreciation, the start of a conversation. Columnist SBA
covers his columns with a seasoned storyteller’s eye that recalls the
classic correspondents of our times. The makers versus takers narrative
drive much of his columns. His every time spurs heartfelt columns arise
intense interest in the readers’ thoughtful minds. His first page
commentary is also in rare form all year, but his close-focus story and
his kindness resonate in an otherwise news cycle. His every column can
be considered as a masterpiece.
With his natural charm, wit, and intelligence, he is made for it, but he
only concentrates on human value-driven big bucks when he is finally
done with his columns. In an age of extravagant exaggeration, the term
“larger than life” gets kicked around a lot. Badrul is the original and
the best in that regard. His legend has reached down to the readers and
journalists who have come in his wake. He is a living giant, a very,
very, very erudite man. He has that gift of winning people over and
impressing them and he uses it to a great effect. He is a person of
great humanity and intelligence who actually are making a massive
contribution to journalism in this country. There is a kindness and
intelligence to him and that’s why, he is so different in so many ways.
He is an amazing friend, colleague, and intellectual who has made an
indelible impression on everybody he works and has been working with. He
is an astute, a tremendous and insightful senior journalist and
columnist. He is extraordinarily intelligent. He works from instinct.
Anybody around him who knows him knows how formidable he is when he puts
his mind to it to get things done. His record speaks for itself. He
really does believe in the State, our glorious Liberation War, its true
spirit and he loves this country passionately.
Journalism without a moral position is impossible. Every journalist is a moralist. It is absolutely unavoidable. A journalist is someone who looks at the world and the way it works, someone who takes a close look at things every day and reports what he sees, someone who represents the world, the event, for others.
Badrul Ahsan is best known for his work in the journalistic sphere; it
is his deep personal commitment to the cause of Bangladesh’s true spirit
and he has brought his vast experience to bear in support of the
newspaper industry. He is for rigorous consistency and ethical
orientation which he has stood for over the years. He is a world-class
scholar. The demonstration of passion for advancing the cause of
value-based society has been a way of life for him for close to four
decades. He strongly believes that the importance of public
administration lies in its critical role in ensuring effective
implementation of government policies and programmes. When there is a
weak capacity in public administration, delivery of services is largely
unsatisfactory.
He is a strong advocate of : corruption hates transparency. Transparency
and accountability help to reduce corruption. Badrul is a prolific
writer in English and has written many columns, poems, critical essays
in rich English which deserve high commendation by the readers. His
columns ask us to look back in order to look forward. His story, in
these many telling, becomes exemplary. His peroration perfectly Pericles
“for goodness sake, don’t letting the audience dosing-off.” His
fountain of knowledge is indelible as the country moves towards critical
political time where conflicting issues, fragmented interests and
competing sentiments have become the trend. He has managed to stay away
from controversies and live above parochial interests.
He has become a celebrity but never behaves like one. He is a very nice
person both on the personal level and in the world of journalism. We
should be most proud of him. We hope that readers would recognise the
immense good carries out every day by respectable, modest, diligent,
compassionate like SBA. It would just be nice once in a while to realise
how good he has it, when you have it. Like C. S. Lewis, we wish to
say:” You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new
dream.” A creative man is motivated by the desire to achieve, not by the
desire to beat others. Always do your best. What you plant now, you
will harvest later. “In the English language, it all comes down to this:
Twenty-six letters, when combined correctly, can create magic.
Twenty-six letters form the foundation of a free, informed society” -―
John Grogan’s very words are true to the case of Syed Badrul Ahsan.
Journalism is literature. Being a columnist is as much a diagnosis as a
job description. Mark Twain is absolutely correct when he said :”In the
real world, nothing happens at the right place at the right time. It is
the job of journalists and historians to correct that.”
Journalism without a moral position is impossible. Every journalist is a
moralist. It is absolutely unavoidable. A journalist is someone who
looks at the world and the way it works, someone who takes a close look
at things every day and reports what he sees, someone who represents the
world, the event, for others. He cannot do his work without judging
what he sees. Badrul first sees the inner meaning of any subject-matter,
only then he uses his keen edged pen. A columnist must possess some
qualities at the personal level, as these are essential for him to be
known as a better individual as well. He must possess certain qualities,
which are a must for any professional journalist or a columnist.
A columnist is to be well-read and educated. It is deemed so because he
will understand the changing times, and will be able to make readers
comprehend too. It is also important for him to having knowledge of the
related fields for which he is writing. Reading is a must for everyone,
but for a columnist, reading of almost all subjects is a necessity
because knowing everything around him and mastering one can do. One
subject, he must know it thoroughly because a columnist acts as a
preacher-cum-opinion maker; hence he must know things to put them in a
proper perspective. He should be well-versed in language. A columnist
has to play with words to create humour, situation, criticism, argument
and conclusion. So it is very important for a writer to present ideas in
better language. For columnists, it is a must that they write in the
best language; in rich language like Badrul. The columnists move around
and look at the society besides seeing through the news to get insight.
Moreover, they are also looking for a scoop and think and probe like a
reporter, while analysing things like a columnist. He must have complete
knowledge about laws and ethics of journalism. Huge responsibilities
are on a columnist’s shoulders, when he is writing. He knows the laws,
and keeps journalistic ethics in mind besides never relegating the
editorial policy to redundancy.
Creative capacity is the hallmark of a columnist because if it is not
there, then he cannot make columns interesting, and hence cannot guide
readers. A columnist must work hard besides earnestly using brain and
argument. He must know how to keep his readership intact. He must look
for new subjects because he does not want that his readers get bored
with the ideas often written about. A columnist never plays in the hands
of the corrupt elements, and he always keeps his honesty and integrity
unscathed. Syed Badrul Ahsan does have that much of those essential
qualities. His word is his bond. He is a humble, kind, generous and
courageous, and patriotic journalist. We ask for God’s blessings and
comfort for him all the while. May he find the courage and strength to
move forward in peace and confidence. Lead the right path that others
will follow, live a good life worthy of example. Long live Syed Badrul
Ahsan in good health and in good spirits. We wish he receives many
prestigious international awards for his great contributions to
journalism for long.