Kaler Nirantar Jatra: Living memories of a former bureaucrat

The author had the rare opportunity of closely observing the techniques and strategies of governance being a personal secretary to former President Hussain Muhammad Ershad and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The author as a bureaucrat came into contact with the people from lowest to the highest strata of society which gave him ample opportunity to learn about their philosophy of life, mentality and simplicity and the way people sitting at the highest tier of administration run day to day affairs. The early life of the author, his higher education at Dhaka University, experience as its teacher, closer observation of people, memories of Humayn Ahmed, thoughts and limitations coupled with his education abroad and assignment in foreign missions are reflected in the lines of this book.

His experience in the field administration as SDO, DC and Divisional Commissioner is living example of the field administration, its relations with the government and administration and also the simple and common people.

He has drawn the picture of the university campus during the 1960s and also a contrasting picture which we see today on the campuses.

As a diplomat he worked hard to attract the business tycoons of Japan to Bangladesh. The then Bangladesh Ambassador supported and helped implement the plan. In one chapter we get to know that he established Dhaka Forum along with some of his fellow retired colleagues to find out a solution to political chaos in the country. Some of the incidents have been written a little bit haphazardly. Had they been neatly arranged, the book would have been a far more interesting read.

He has drawn a contrasting picture of the behavior of the doctors of the USA and Bangladesh. The smiling face and cordial behavior of a doctor can lessen much pain of a patient which most Bangladeshi doctors don't practice so he comments, "We may be financially poor but our doctors should not be mentally poor as well. Doctors' good behavior is the first and very important treatment of any disease."

The book is a mixture of author's travelling, boyhood experience and the experiences during his service in the administration at various levels. The book comes in 316 pages divided into twenty-eight chapters.  

Published by Palok Publishers. 179/3, Fakirerpool, Dhaka 1000. ISBN 9789849097143

Email: masumbillah65@gmail.com