Kazi Ali Reza :
When he left the University Grants Commission as Director-Planning to join Dhaka Ahsania Mission in 1988 as a full-timer Kazi Rafiqul Alam wrote in his letter of resignation that it was not possible for him to serve the ailing humanity, working within the stipulated rules and regulations of the commission. He was imbued with the philosophy of great saint and renowned educationist Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah who founded the Dhaka Ahsania Mission in 1958 with the motto of Divine and Humanitarian Service. During the last three decades of his journey with DAM Mr. Alam dedicated himself to the task of alleviating the sufferings of the underprivileged. Under his able and dynamic leadership DAM grew and spread its wings in many different ways. The spiritual and moral services rendered initially by DAM were now added up with social and economic development activities.
When he joined DAM, many critics said that he had come to make money here. But he said in response that nothing great could be achieved if someone runs only after money and wealth. Since the beginning of his career as a self-motivated volunteer with DAM he has been serving humanity without any financial benefit from the organization.
Mr. Alam felt the great urge of a cancer hospital in Bangladesh when he failed to arrange proper treatment for his beloved wife who passed away untimely in 1999, suffering from cancer for more than five years. If that was the situation for him, he thought, how the under-privileged people of this country could afford treatment for their beloveds. Mr. Alam vowed that with the support of private and public sectors he would set up a modern cancer hospital in the country, where the poor and the distressed would have the easy access. His dream came true when the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the 15-storey Ahsania Mission Cancer and General Hospital (AMCGH) at Uttara, Dhaka in 2014.
The hospital has been financed by philanthropic individuals, institutions, organizations and government departments. Mr. Alam has proved that if someone has the honesty, sincerity, commitment and willingness to work for the nation, resource is not a constraint. That is why he could build the AMCGH at a cost of millions of takas.
Mr. Alam rightly realized that no nation can thrive without an educated population. In the 1980s, he took up the task of educating the adults by setting up the Institute of Literacy and Adult education with the help of ISESCO and UNICEF. He then turned to quality higher education in the 1990s and set up the first ever teachers’ training college – Ahsanullah Teachers Training College – in the private sector in 1992 and the Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology in 1994. These are the top-ranking institutions in Bangladesh in private sector. Apart from the above Mr. Alam has established a number of schools, colleges, vocational training centres, drug-addiction treatment centers and the Children City.
The Children City, situated at Panchagor, is a unique institution where hundreds of street children, gathered from railway stations, bus terminals and launch ghats, receive free food, education, accommodation and livelihood training. No other institution of this sort exists in Bangladesh at the moment.
Under the dynamic leadership of Mr. Alam, DAM received dozens of national and international awards including Independence Award of Bangladesh. DAM has also introduced Gold Medal award since 1986 to recognize the outstanding contributions of the organizations and individuals in the field of innovation, research and social development.
According to Mr. Alam one must have a role model to succeed in life. He had Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah as his model. KBA was a great saint, philosopher, renowned educationist and social reformer who dedicated his whole long life for the advancement of the backward community during early 20th century. Mr. Alam met him at the age of 13 when he was a student of class Vlll.
Mr. Alam firmly believes that Bangladesh will graduate into a developed nation only when its young generation is committed and can produce honest leadership. With the motto of Divine and Humanitarian Service, he has built Dhaka Ahsania Mission which is now one of the largest NGOs in Bangladesh. Mr. Alam hopes that many more such originations will be established to face challenges of the 21st century; and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by the year 2030.
Before his association as a full-timer, DAM used to run its activities through personal donations. Members of the Mission used to pay a scanty sum as subscriptions to the Mission activities. But he did not lose hope. He kept in mind the conviction of its founder that DAM will one day make its mark in the field of social service. Looking back to the fond memories of bygone days Mr. Alam tries to reflect on the ideas and principles of Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah who sacrificed his life to the wellbeing of common people. He believes that one needs money but that is not everything in life. One must try to inculcate the moral and religious virtues of helping others. Honesty, hard work and dedication are the most important wealth in life through which one can develop himself as well as the nation. He firmly believes in it and say with conviction that he never failed in his life because of his dedication and honesty.
Mr. Alam, the President of Dhaka Ahsania Mission, was born in Jessore and had his early education there. But due to his father’s transferable job he had to travel to Khulna, Dinajpur and Dhaka with him. He had his MA in Education from Langstar University, UK. On his 70th birth Anniversary today (14 November 2018) millions of well-wishers and beneficiaries humbly pray for his good health and long life.
(The writer is a, former UN official).
When he left the University Grants Commission as Director-Planning to join Dhaka Ahsania Mission in 1988 as a full-timer Kazi Rafiqul Alam wrote in his letter of resignation that it was not possible for him to serve the ailing humanity, working within the stipulated rules and regulations of the commission. He was imbued with the philosophy of great saint and renowned educationist Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah who founded the Dhaka Ahsania Mission in 1958 with the motto of Divine and Humanitarian Service. During the last three decades of his journey with DAM Mr. Alam dedicated himself to the task of alleviating the sufferings of the underprivileged. Under his able and dynamic leadership DAM grew and spread its wings in many different ways. The spiritual and moral services rendered initially by DAM were now added up with social and economic development activities.
When he joined DAM, many critics said that he had come to make money here. But he said in response that nothing great could be achieved if someone runs only after money and wealth. Since the beginning of his career as a self-motivated volunteer with DAM he has been serving humanity without any financial benefit from the organization.
Mr. Alam felt the great urge of a cancer hospital in Bangladesh when he failed to arrange proper treatment for his beloved wife who passed away untimely in 1999, suffering from cancer for more than five years. If that was the situation for him, he thought, how the under-privileged people of this country could afford treatment for their beloveds. Mr. Alam vowed that with the support of private and public sectors he would set up a modern cancer hospital in the country, where the poor and the distressed would have the easy access. His dream came true when the Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the 15-storey Ahsania Mission Cancer and General Hospital (AMCGH) at Uttara, Dhaka in 2014.
The hospital has been financed by philanthropic individuals, institutions, organizations and government departments. Mr. Alam has proved that if someone has the honesty, sincerity, commitment and willingness to work for the nation, resource is not a constraint. That is why he could build the AMCGH at a cost of millions of takas.
Mr. Alam rightly realized that no nation can thrive without an educated population. In the 1980s, he took up the task of educating the adults by setting up the Institute of Literacy and Adult education with the help of ISESCO and UNICEF. He then turned to quality higher education in the 1990s and set up the first ever teachers’ training college – Ahsanullah Teachers Training College – in the private sector in 1992 and the Ahsanullah University of Science and Technology in 1994. These are the top-ranking institutions in Bangladesh in private sector. Apart from the above Mr. Alam has established a number of schools, colleges, vocational training centres, drug-addiction treatment centers and the Children City.
The Children City, situated at Panchagor, is a unique institution where hundreds of street children, gathered from railway stations, bus terminals and launch ghats, receive free food, education, accommodation and livelihood training. No other institution of this sort exists in Bangladesh at the moment.
Under the dynamic leadership of Mr. Alam, DAM received dozens of national and international awards including Independence Award of Bangladesh. DAM has also introduced Gold Medal award since 1986 to recognize the outstanding contributions of the organizations and individuals in the field of innovation, research and social development.
According to Mr. Alam one must have a role model to succeed in life. He had Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah as his model. KBA was a great saint, philosopher, renowned educationist and social reformer who dedicated his whole long life for the advancement of the backward community during early 20th century. Mr. Alam met him at the age of 13 when he was a student of class Vlll.
Mr. Alam firmly believes that Bangladesh will graduate into a developed nation only when its young generation is committed and can produce honest leadership. With the motto of Divine and Humanitarian Service, he has built Dhaka Ahsania Mission which is now one of the largest NGOs in Bangladesh. Mr. Alam hopes that many more such originations will be established to face challenges of the 21st century; and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by the year 2030.
Before his association as a full-timer, DAM used to run its activities through personal donations. Members of the Mission used to pay a scanty sum as subscriptions to the Mission activities. But he did not lose hope. He kept in mind the conviction of its founder that DAM will one day make its mark in the field of social service. Looking back to the fond memories of bygone days Mr. Alam tries to reflect on the ideas and principles of Khan Bahadur Ahsanullah who sacrificed his life to the wellbeing of common people. He believes that one needs money but that is not everything in life. One must try to inculcate the moral and religious virtues of helping others. Honesty, hard work and dedication are the most important wealth in life through which one can develop himself as well as the nation. He firmly believes in it and say with conviction that he never failed in his life because of his dedication and honesty.
Mr. Alam, the President of Dhaka Ahsania Mission, was born in Jessore and had his early education there. But due to his father’s transferable job he had to travel to Khulna, Dinajpur and Dhaka with him. He had his MA in Education from Langstar University, UK. On his 70th birth Anniversary today (14 November 2018) millions of well-wishers and beneficiaries humbly pray for his good health and long life.
(The writer is a, former UN official).
