Dr. Md. Shamsul Arefin :
Mr. Md. Wazed Ali Khan was diagnosed by Covid 19 on 16.09.2020 and admitted in the BSMMU hospital on 21.09.2020 and died on 28.09.2020 at 1.30 pm there. It is unbelievable to me like others that a great man, a veteran freedom fighter, a truly patriot and an unparalleled courageous civil servant can breathed his last so quick. By his death, we lost an eminent and iconic former civil servant of our country.
Being the proud son of his father Md. Asmat Ali Khan and mother Mosammat Hasina Banu, he was brought up with pride and self-dignity. He gave credit to his family of instilling in him certain values that had served him well throughout his life. We pay our profound respect to this amazing officer who inspired us believe that there are good things can be delivered for the people though the endeavor may be small being a civil servant, but if we do it sincerely, it has infinite potential to wipe out evils. He was an ethical leader, spiritual front-runner and a benevolent civil servant who sacrificed his whole life for the cause of integrity.
Mr. Md. Wazed Ali Khan was born on Junuary 03, 1951 at Bhawra village of Mirzapur in the District of Tangail. After completing his master’s degree from the University of Dhaka he joined the Bangladesh Civil Service (Administration) Cadre on January 30, 1981.
Before joining as a member of Public Service Commission, he worked at various important positions in different ministries including the Managing Director, Jiban Bima Corporation, the Chairman, Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation and the Director General, Bangladesh Television. After his sudden death, from those places many well-wishers wrote remembering virtuous words in social media that triggered me to write a note in his tribute as because I had also the opportunity to work with him as Upazila Magistrate.
The longer we know him, the more we realize how remarkable of a man he was, how benevolent a civil servant, how devoted to his duty, how loyal and faithful to his jobs and how available he was to literally anyone who needed help. In these days, it is really hard to get a person having all qualities.
I witnessed that he was an officer of plain living and high thinking. Not only had I, those who worked with him, all learnt unforgettable teachings from his motiveless behavior.
Mr. Wazed Ali Khan always made us feel good as though we can’t do what we set out to do. He was beside usof our every step, cheering on our victories and comforting us during our defeats.He drove and rubbed off on us as he pursued his own passions. He wanted us to be comfortable and confident in our job.
It was natural to have disagreements and even arguments in a job, but he never made things personal, never became insulting or abusive. He remained calm and focused on the topic at hand. He had excellent communication skills in public relations, in decision-making, in problem-solving or in a coordination role that drove us to serve the best. A great freedom fighter Mr Wazed never made any empty promises, if he once promised that must be carried out. He strongly believed that honesty is always the best policy. He encouraged us to open up and share our feelings with honest understandings. He hated hypocrisy. Perhaps the most important trait was that he held umbrella over one on sunny days as well as on the stormy days.
He knew how to extract confidence by showing politeness. The excellence of his polite conduct was clearly expressed all the time. He used to say “you love someone till you find reason to hate him and you hate someone till you find reason to love him.” In this way he recommended every one with whom he came into contact. The virtue of patriotism is displayed at random in his work culture. He used to tell us to be patriot in public service otherwise we cannot do things well. His thoughts were centered for the under privileged and deprived persons. Whenever a calamity was faced, he never bypassed rather he was there and his very presence was a source of solace to the affected people.
However, his some words can never be forgotten. He used to tell “There will always be people who won’t be able to understand you, even when you try to be understood. Remember: that’s not your problem. Your self-confidence shouldn’t depend on people who are not smart or patient enough to take a closer look at you and see how beautiful, kind and smart you are.”
A lot of examples can be cited, but mentioning all examples may minimize patience to read, thus only a few examples I like mentioning here to understand how firm and courageous he was in his duties. It was a cold winter afternoon of December in 1990. A large number of people were waiting outside office to get down the portrait of a fallen President, but he made them understand that the right way to get down portrait is to follow the rule not by anarchy. Everyone listened attentively to his sweet-sounding words. The audience was immensely touched by his speech and went back. Another example of maintaining law and order at the time of crisis due to created riots by vested groups during demolition of Babri Mosque links, he handled situation with strong hand thus no loss incurred in that workplace though other parts of the country faced severe fatality. During transport strikes, or any hartals, if he got down on the street, his mere presence was so effective that unruly people went away just for his public image or for respect. We did not require any police or Border Guard (the then BDR) to face these kind of awkward situations. He made himself as a respectful man and was respectful to others. Others are also respectful to him.
He had a code of ethics that treats others as we would like to be treated. Actually not by his luck, but he had willfully chosen civil service to serve. He is no more with us, but his deeds will remain forever and will enlighten us for a long time for a meaningful civil service in our country. Mr Khan will be remembered and alive amongst his fellow colleagues, citizens of his workplaces for a long time for his genuine services.
I have memorized and mentioned the significant episode of journey of a passionate civil servant late Mr Wazed Ali Khan to make it distinct that a civil servant can be remembered and acknowledged by his good deeds even after his death. May Almighty Allah keep his soul in the greatest heaven.
Mr. Md. Wazed Ali Khan was diagnosed by Covid 19 on 16.09.2020 and admitted in the BSMMU hospital on 21.09.2020 and died on 28.09.2020 at 1.30 pm there. It is unbelievable to me like others that a great man, a veteran freedom fighter, a truly patriot and an unparalleled courageous civil servant can breathed his last so quick. By his death, we lost an eminent and iconic former civil servant of our country.
Being the proud son of his father Md. Asmat Ali Khan and mother Mosammat Hasina Banu, he was brought up with pride and self-dignity. He gave credit to his family of instilling in him certain values that had served him well throughout his life. We pay our profound respect to this amazing officer who inspired us believe that there are good things can be delivered for the people though the endeavor may be small being a civil servant, but if we do it sincerely, it has infinite potential to wipe out evils. He was an ethical leader, spiritual front-runner and a benevolent civil servant who sacrificed his whole life for the cause of integrity.
Mr. Md. Wazed Ali Khan was born on Junuary 03, 1951 at Bhawra village of Mirzapur in the District of Tangail. After completing his master’s degree from the University of Dhaka he joined the Bangladesh Civil Service (Administration) Cadre on January 30, 1981.
Before joining as a member of Public Service Commission, he worked at various important positions in different ministries including the Managing Director, Jiban Bima Corporation, the Chairman, Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation and the Director General, Bangladesh Television. After his sudden death, from those places many well-wishers wrote remembering virtuous words in social media that triggered me to write a note in his tribute as because I had also the opportunity to work with him as Upazila Magistrate.
The longer we know him, the more we realize how remarkable of a man he was, how benevolent a civil servant, how devoted to his duty, how loyal and faithful to his jobs and how available he was to literally anyone who needed help. In these days, it is really hard to get a person having all qualities.
I witnessed that he was an officer of plain living and high thinking. Not only had I, those who worked with him, all learnt unforgettable teachings from his motiveless behavior.
Mr. Wazed Ali Khan always made us feel good as though we can’t do what we set out to do. He was beside usof our every step, cheering on our victories and comforting us during our defeats.He drove and rubbed off on us as he pursued his own passions. He wanted us to be comfortable and confident in our job.
It was natural to have disagreements and even arguments in a job, but he never made things personal, never became insulting or abusive. He remained calm and focused on the topic at hand. He had excellent communication skills in public relations, in decision-making, in problem-solving or in a coordination role that drove us to serve the best. A great freedom fighter Mr Wazed never made any empty promises, if he once promised that must be carried out. He strongly believed that honesty is always the best policy. He encouraged us to open up and share our feelings with honest understandings. He hated hypocrisy. Perhaps the most important trait was that he held umbrella over one on sunny days as well as on the stormy days.
He knew how to extract confidence by showing politeness. The excellence of his polite conduct was clearly expressed all the time. He used to say “you love someone till you find reason to hate him and you hate someone till you find reason to love him.” In this way he recommended every one with whom he came into contact. The virtue of patriotism is displayed at random in his work culture. He used to tell us to be patriot in public service otherwise we cannot do things well. His thoughts were centered for the under privileged and deprived persons. Whenever a calamity was faced, he never bypassed rather he was there and his very presence was a source of solace to the affected people.
However, his some words can never be forgotten. He used to tell “There will always be people who won’t be able to understand you, even when you try to be understood. Remember: that’s not your problem. Your self-confidence shouldn’t depend on people who are not smart or patient enough to take a closer look at you and see how beautiful, kind and smart you are.”
A lot of examples can be cited, but mentioning all examples may minimize patience to read, thus only a few examples I like mentioning here to understand how firm and courageous he was in his duties. It was a cold winter afternoon of December in 1990. A large number of people were waiting outside office to get down the portrait of a fallen President, but he made them understand that the right way to get down portrait is to follow the rule not by anarchy. Everyone listened attentively to his sweet-sounding words. The audience was immensely touched by his speech and went back. Another example of maintaining law and order at the time of crisis due to created riots by vested groups during demolition of Babri Mosque links, he handled situation with strong hand thus no loss incurred in that workplace though other parts of the country faced severe fatality. During transport strikes, or any hartals, if he got down on the street, his mere presence was so effective that unruly people went away just for his public image or for respect. We did not require any police or Border Guard (the then BDR) to face these kind of awkward situations. He made himself as a respectful man and was respectful to others. Others are also respectful to him.
He had a code of ethics that treats others as we would like to be treated. Actually not by his luck, but he had willfully chosen civil service to serve. He is no more with us, but his deeds will remain forever and will enlighten us for a long time for a meaningful civil service in our country. Mr Khan will be remembered and alive amongst his fellow colleagues, citizens of his workplaces for a long time for his genuine services.
I have memorized and mentioned the significant episode of journey of a passionate civil servant late Mr Wazed Ali Khan to make it distinct that a civil servant can be remembered and acknowledged by his good deeds even after his death. May Almighty Allah keep his soul in the greatest heaven.
(Dr Arefin is a former Senior Secretary).
