Comrade Farhad

It was an October day of 1987. As usual after the class I went to see one of my friends. Those days I liked to visit friends just after doing my home task in the library. I mostly go to Plekhanov to see Ruma and Shusmi (before I went to MSU hostel, where Ruma and Shaon did their preparatory course). Second choice was to visit first medical to see Dipu. Other places were MEI where stayed Nabin, Arif and Sattar and MAMI, where lived Eqbal. Though I also spend a lot of time in other PFU hostels, mainly 7 th block (Ahsan, Anowar and Bimal) and 10 th block (Jalal and many senior students). So this day I decide to visit Eqbal. In the summer I visited Bangladesh after 4 years. Spend a few very good and active weeks in Bangladesh. Those days CPB was at its zenith. Its mass organizations like Khetmojur Somiti, Udichee, Students Union, Khelaghar were at their pick. I remember during that short visit almost every day I visited different meetings with Azhar Bhai. Farhad Bhai was then not only the unchallengeable leader of CPB or left front, but also one of the brightest stars in Bangladeshi politics.     
I can’t remember exactly, whether we came to Moscow in the same flight, but almost at the same time when I came back to Moscow after the summer vacation, he was there getting treatment at the Central Clinical Hospital. Thanks to my stay in Moscow I had come in close contact with many CPB leaders. Manik Bhai, Monju Bhai, Selim Bhai, Salam Bhai, Nurul Islam Bhai, Lenin Bhai and many other visited Moscow in regular intervals. While most of the others were easily accessible, it was not the case for Farhad Bhai. He was always very busy. I remember Manju Bhai staying until late night and singing revolutionary songs with us. All most all the leaders were available in small gatherings, so called adda, which mainly took place at the 10 th block. But I can’t recollect if Farhad Bhai did attend any of them. In one occasion he gave a speech at the Crest, I think it was during one of our national days. Another one took place at the 3 rd block auditorium during the 21 st February celebration. It my memory does not betray me, I think it was prior to his departure for Bangladesh, when the proposed famous 150-150 seats for Sheikh Hasina and Begum Khaleda Zia to contest against Ershad lead Jatio Party. I happened to listen to many prominent speaker of Bangladesh, but his speech was totally different, very analytical – less emotion but more fact and logic. I knew very few about him while living in Bangladesh. His name came to lime light after the famous speech on Afghanistan, for which, he was put into jail for treason.  But he came out of the jail as a mass- leader, and pushed the CPB to become one of the Parties, that can lead the political stream of Bangladesh by sheer intelligence.
So it was always a matter of great interest for us, when he visited Moscow. We were eager to see him, learn the latest political news of Bangladesh. This time was not the exception.  Almost every day Mokhtar Bhai informed us about his health. After a long stay finally he was released. I guess he was supposed to visit Cuba. He usually stayed at New October (now President) Hotel. It was always a favorite trip. It was not far from my hostel, no need to change buses and secondly, there was a good café. He was staying a big apartment there. So we were all happy that he is now cured and soon will be back in his regular life.
Let us back to that very day. I met Eqbal in his room and decided to visit Ruma and Shusmi. We left the room and after a few minutes for some reason we came back. There was a note on the door . It was completely unbelievable. We had no clue about who could leave it. We asked the guard at the entrance of the hostel, but she couldn’t say anything. I phoned the reception of October Hotel, but they did not clarify anything. So we decided to go to Patrice Lumumba as we were sure in the 10 th block there will be someone with correct information and we were not mistaken. Most of our friends gathered in 1417, the room where lived Mintuda and Mukul Bhai. Mokhtar Bhai was briefing the details of what happened there. As it came out Farhad Bhai suffered from jaundice long ago and it caused some complexity. No matter, what is the cause, everybody understood it was a loss that is hard to make up. Next day we went to the funeral hall of central clinical hospital.  It was a very big hall. The music by Chopin was being played. The body of Farhad Bhai was covered with flowers. On the other days we wait for him, as almost every single moment there was some CPSU man talking with him. Now he was in no hurry, lying there in peace.

After just four years USSR was lost in the history. CPB was also divided. There are many talks about what might be with CPB had he not died. We men are too big to experience the quantum reality, when a single electron can pass through two holes at the same time. Unfortunately, we can’t do that. Almost every moment we have to take decision. If we go right, a tiger will be there to eat us, if go left there will be wolves and if go straight – there will be snake. But we have to decide. And there is only one choice to make. Depending on that we will reach the goal. But we can never choose two ways and see what is better. I think the division of Party was inevitable. With the fall of USSR many lost their faith and on the basis of that they decide their future action. Even if Farhad Bhai was there, it might be just lengthen the divorce process. To live in a family is not enough the love for wife, or family members, you need something more – it is faith in family values. So when one losses his passion for some ideology, it is not possible for him to walk hand in hand with the comrades to bring that idea in reality. But Farhad Bhai did his job – he made us feel that the idea of socialism and equality can attract our people; it can manipulate our politics to some extent. And for that alone he will forever remain one of the greatest thinkers Bangladesh politics.    
I thought it is the end of my story. But for last few days I have got a few things to write. I am a core physicist inclined to mathematics. For last 25 years that I have been deeply attached to physicist community, I came to the conclusion that physicist (to be precise, theoretical physicist) community is the most conservative one. In our world two plus two always makes four. Everyone, who jumps from the tree, be it a religious person or an atheist, falls down, no one is taken upward by the angles. Every time, when you want to propose a new theory, you have to be sure that it fits with the old one in the classical limit. Newton told about standing on the shoulders of the giants. We have always to be sure that the giants are still there, otherwise there is a great chance to fall into something fathomless. But in social life things are a bit different. Here flexibility is a key word. If the physicists look for the shoulders of the giant, politician should look for the interest of the people or the country first. Many a time talking about the people, they think about party interest. Which is good for the party is good for the country. This type of partisanship makes the politician rigid. It is neither good for the country nor for the party. As far as I can understand, Farhad Bhai was a leader to whom country came first. Living in Moscow I had the opportunity to listen to many renowned leaders: Sheikh Hasina, Pankajda, Selim Bhai, Manju Vhai, Manik Bhai, Salam Bhai, Farook BHai, Taherullah Bhai, Akash Bhai and many others, who were definitely good speakers. But in his analysis Farhad Bhai was next to none. So though I believe that a lot of things that happened to the left politics in Bangladesh, was inevitable, nevertheless, I think Comrade Farhad could make a few things go otherwise by his magic touch.
Finally I would like to touch a point I never thought about. Last April, when I met a friend to collect some money for BSU 60 year anniversary, he told KGB might have a hand behind Farhad Bhai’s death. Logic was that Farhad Bhai was a leader who thinks about the country first and in doing so is not afraid of making ally with AL or other parties. It might not gladden CPSU bosses. I don’t know if there is any truth. But when there is some talks this in the air, it should be given some importance. I believe that the CPB and the Moni Singh – Farhad memorial trust has enough capacity to study the last days of Comrade Farhad in Moscow. I also think that the CPB and the Moni Singh – Farhad memorial trust  are duty bound to (on line) publish comprehensive biography of comrade Farhad as every conscious citizen of Bangladesh has the right to know more about one of the greatest politicians Bangladesh has produced in recent time.                      
Long live comrade Farhad!!!

Dubna, October 09, 2012

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