We deeply mourn the 50th death anniversary of Tofazzal Hossain Manik Mia today, who was a towering personality in the country’s media and worked hard for freedom of speech and expression. His life-long struggle was to establish people’s rights. Side by side, his courageous role to establish the unity of the people for democracy and justice was remarkable. The pioneer of country’s journalism Manik Mia, founder-editor of The Daily Ittefaq, also had fought against all odd throughout his career as an editor, publisher and political philosopher. The Ittefaq under the editorship of Manik Mia was completely a different era.
No doubt, country’s Liberation War was fought under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. But the person whose writing inspired the masses at that time was the one and only Manik Mia. His column under the pen-name ‘Musafir’ was most popular to the readers and equally thought evoking to the government. For his political write-ups, the Awami League leaders at that time had followed his editorials more than any actual decision of their party meetings. Manik Mia’s weapon was his pen and the chariot was The Ittefaq.
In fact, journalism was a tool of socio-political change to Manik Mia. His write-ups were aimed to establish Awami League as the party of democracy under the leadership of Mr H.S. Suhrawardy at first and later under Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He was Bangabandhu’s most dear ‘Manik Bhai’. The Pakistani government found his writings to be against them, which led him to face the court several times. Despite all that, he never bowed down to authority. Manik MIa also led the way of publishing The New Nation as an independent English newspaper to join in the struggle for democracy.
It is the time for the young media generation to take lesson from the life and works of Manik Mia. But unfortunately, today’s journalism is not for restoring democracy but for supporting autocracy. Today’s journalism is not for protecting people’s rights. Journalists are divided in many sects in line with their political ideologies; just like the political workers. We have failed to get lesson from Manik Mia.
No doubt, country’s Liberation War was fought under the leadership of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. But the person whose writing inspired the masses at that time was the one and only Manik Mia. His column under the pen-name ‘Musafir’ was most popular to the readers and equally thought evoking to the government. For his political write-ups, the Awami League leaders at that time had followed his editorials more than any actual decision of their party meetings. Manik Mia’s weapon was his pen and the chariot was The Ittefaq.
In fact, journalism was a tool of socio-political change to Manik Mia. His write-ups were aimed to establish Awami League as the party of democracy under the leadership of Mr H.S. Suhrawardy at first and later under Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He was Bangabandhu’s most dear ‘Manik Bhai’. The Pakistani government found his writings to be against them, which led him to face the court several times. Despite all that, he never bowed down to authority. Manik MIa also led the way of publishing The New Nation as an independent English newspaper to join in the struggle for democracy.
It is the time for the young media generation to take lesson from the life and works of Manik Mia. But unfortunately, today’s journalism is not for restoring democracy but for supporting autocracy. Today’s journalism is not for protecting people’s rights. Journalists are divided in many sects in line with their political ideologies; just like the political workers. We have failed to get lesson from Manik Mia.
