The New Nation - Internet Edition

Alfaz Tarafder

Quazi Mahmudur Rahman, a goody-goody sort of person in the technocracy of broadcasting in Bangladesh, has done the job. True, writing a history of broadcasting in this deltaic part of the sub-continent was never his forte. After geting an M.A. degree in International Relations from the University of Dhaka in 1964 he entered in Radio Pakistan to begin the career of a radio professional heedless of mundane pursuits. He is beter known for his itch for penning a good number of popular radio dramas and producing effective radio programmes in his long tenure of services in Bangladesh Betar.

But after his retirement from Bangladesh Betar he was enthused by his colleagues and friends to accomplish the task. He however found a niche for himself in editing 'Betar Smriti' in 2007 and authoring 'Betar Katha' in 2005 much to the relief of the new-generation readers, the media researchers and the freshers in radio profession. These groups of readers have actually been reduced to mere starvelings because of dearth of reading materials on the evolution of broadcasting in Bangladesh. Mahmudur Rahman's puny litle effort might offer succour to them.

Smriti' is a handy, albeit quite interesting, compendium of broadcasting anecdotes recollected by the doyens of broadcasting in this country ever since its inception in 1939 down to the eventful high dramas of the War of Liberation in 1971 and onward. The book contains a pot-pourri of divergent thoughts and actions as narrated by the radio idols, mostly in-house personalities, who had to work and perform in a state-run radio station pussy-footing on a rugged terrain against mounting challenges to keep up professionalism in the 40s, 50s and 60s of the last century. Personalities like Shamsur Rahman, Singer Laila Arjumand Banu, Ashrafuzzaman Khan, Prof. Syed Zillur Rahman, Tagore maestro Abdul Ahad, Singer Ferdousi Rahman, Poet Abul Hossain, Prof. Askar Ibne Shaikh, Prof. Kabir Chowdhury, Poet Shamsur Rahman, Prof. Zillur Rahman Siddiqui, Vocalist Mustafa Zaman Abbasi, Singer Farida Yasmin, Prof. Abdullah Abu Sayeed, Zia Haider, Saiful Bari, Sports Commentator Abdul Hamid, Atiqul Haque Chowdhury, Abdullah Al Mamun, Singer Rowshan Ara Mustafiz, Abul Hayat and others have all recollected unforgetable mementoes of their time in broadcasting in their respective roles either as a professional or as a performer. All those biter-sweet memories of the first, second and third generation of broadcasting reveal one certain fact that radio was the solitary wonder-box of information, education and entertainment for the listeners. 'Betar Smriti' edited by Qazi Mahmudur Rahman is not a necklace of faux pearls. Scanning it by any curious reader will obviously lead him to a trip down the memory lane of broadcasting in Bangladesh. Specifically speaking, the greyhaired readers in their sixties and seventies might come across dozens of known names and faces who happened to be the pampered prima donnas of radio programmes.

In 'Betar Katha', the author poses neither to be a bonafide chronicler of divergent events happening in and around Bangladesh Betar, nor to be a historian par excellence of broadcasting in this country. But he has made some sincere efforts to pick and choose a number of significant national events and has beaded those to a synchronised wreath. That in turn speaks out the gradual evolution of broadcasting amid social, cultural and political milieu.