My first meeting with him in 1985 was not a very pleasant one. I was then Additional Accountant General when one day Maqsood Choudhury, then Joint Secretary in the Ministry of Information, called me over the phone, asking me to see him at his office immediately. Though initially surprised at such a hasty summon from someone whom I could hardly remember having ever met before, in view of his long seniority over me, I decided to comply. When I entered his office in the Secretariat through the courtesy of his private secretary, he just started roaring at me with a loud voice, "What kind of officer you are that my cheque issued from your office bounces back from Bangladesh Bank for want of advice letter that your office was supposed to send to the Bangladesh Bank? Are you above all accountability?"

A stranger to me as he was, I could feel the pulse of the man and instantly decided to be on the defensive. "I am very sorry Sir. Such a situation is definitely undesirable. I myself would have reacted like this had it happened to me." It worked like anything. "Sit down. Look at my flight schedule. I am to leave tomorrow for a medical check-up in the US and the cheque is so badly needed but I have not yet got it. It has jeopardised my whole plan. I am so puzzled." Saying this in one breath he gave me a blank look. I asked him, "How quickly do you want the cheque?" "In an hour," he replied. I left his room without even saying good-bye and rushed to my office. I salvaged his advice letter lying unattended in the dispatch section, took my cash officer along to BB, got the cheque issued and went straight to his office well within his targeted time. "This is your cheque and you are flying tomorrow. Have a nice trip." The strong man as he was, just stood up from his chair, jumped at me and started embracing me like a child. "I am very sorry Mr. Additional Accountant General for being so rude to such a top brass." Tears rolled down his cheeks. This was Maqsood Ahmed Choudhury -- an unassuming person but a man of magnanimous mind.

That was the turning point from where on, my relationship with late Choudhury grew stronger and stronger. Soon after his return home after medical check-up I found him in my office, smiling and contented with a small packet in his hand. "Here is a token of my compliment, Mr. Additional Accountant General." We got closer still when he went on LPR in 1988. He became a regular visitor to my residence in Purana Paltan. Bought by my father in the early 1950s, it was an old house of about 60 years. Maqsood Choudhury started calling it "Nawab Palace' and became very fond of it. "It is this palace that attracts me, not you," was his favourite joke. He was a great lover of Shakespearian literature, having deep insight and proficiency on the subject. His prolific recitation was simply amazing. Helpless as I was on Shakespeare's works, he would say "You should have become a businessman who has nothing to do with Shakespeare." I also became a regular visitor to his house at Lalmatia. the austere but decent living style of his family was simply a treat to watch. Most informal as he was, there was no superficiality in him. "When you feel like having a cup of tea or anything else, please tell your Bhabi. I am a very bad host," was his usual remark.

Maqsood Choudhury was the rarest example of honesty -- a cardinal principle of his life. But he was never boastful of his virtues. He was deeply religious and articulately performed all rituals. His total commitment to his religion and his eloquent perception about life are worth emulating. But those were not merely his inert convictions. His tolerance, perseverance, simplicity, integrity, wisdom and magnanimity -- all proved that he was a true practitioner of what he believed.

Things were not going well for him in the domestic arena after his retirement. Heavy debts, swindler tenants, long detachment from elder son, education of the younger sons, etc. made his life difficult and painful. He was looking for a way to keep himself busy and to ease his financial exigencies. He studied law at the ripe old age with all dedication and started practicing law. But the unfortunate road accident in 1994 cut short his plans to face the challenges of life, not bowing down to harsh eventualities or cowed down by hostile circumstances.

It was very painful for me to watch a sick Maqsood Choudhury -- bed ridden, fragile and almost speechless. At the initial stage of his illness, he cold recognise his close ones in the family. Me and his batchmate Mr. Golam Kibria, ex-Finance Secretary and ex-CAG, were perhaps the few other lucky ones. But in the latter days it was all hazy for him -- staring at us with a blank look.

Maqsood Choudhury was born on May 2, 1932 in Sylhet. He did his MA in English from Dhaka University and received higher training on Accounting and Management from the University of Connecticut. He also did his LLB from Dhaka University after retiring from government service. He joined the erstwhile Pakistan Audit and Accounts Service in 1956 and held the important posts of Deputy Accountant General, Controller of Accounts NBR, General Manager of East Pakistan Investment Trust Ltd, Director of Audit of Defence Services of Pakistan, Financial Adviser, Ministry of Finance, Government of Bangladesh, etc. He also served as Joint Secretary of ERD, Ministry of Shipping & IWT, Ministry of Works, Ministry of Information, and lastly, Science & Technology Division before he proceeded for retirement in 1988.

Maqsood Ahmed Choudhury expired on Friday, October 03, 2003 at 3:30 AM in a clinic in Dhaka, leaving behind his wife, three sons, friends, relatives and many admirers. He was laid to eternal rest at the Mirpur Shahid Buddhijibee graveyard the same day. It was an irony that I was then in Sylhet on official tour, the place where Maqsood Choudhury was born. May his soul rest in eternal peace and his family face the realities of life with fortitude.

Asif Ali is Comptroller and Auditor General of Bangladesh