I remember meeting him for the first time at his bungalow in Hyderabad, probably in 1970, when my wife and I accompanied our friends Iftikhar and Risalat in a day trip from Karachi. It was Iftikhar who made an appointment for me to see Mr. Subhan, ten years or so later, at his office at Duncan Brothers (BD) Ltd. in Dhaka.

Anyone entering the Camellia House (Duncan's office) in Paribag might think that he has stepped into an art gallery. The big hall downstairs displays a rich collection of paintings by renowned artists of Bangladesh. As you go up, the staircase, the walls, the open spaces, are all nicely decorated with paintings and sculptures, which make the workplace so aesthetic and charming. This has been possible only because the Managing Director of Duncan, Mr. Subhan, was a passionate art connoisseur. He used to regularly pass on the artworks to different gardens of Duncan, too.

When I approached him first, sometime in the 90s, to help us with advertisements in our quarterly magazine, Theatre, he highly appreciated our endeavour and readily agreed to patronise us by placing a back page advertisement of Duncan in every issue of our magazine.

His successor, our young friend Imran Ahmed, has continued the legacy. The other major contribution of Mr. Subhan was the sponsorship of the biennial publication of the International Theatre Institute, "The World of Theatre."

Since 1997, he had been offering sponsorship of Duncan for all the editions of this prestigious book. After publication of the first edition with their support, he just told me that Duncan would be with us in all our subsequent editions as he liked the good work. Bangladesh today enjoys a respectable position in the international theatre community primarily because of this flagship publication of the International Theatre Institute.

My daughter once asked me: "Have you ever visited Mr. Subhan without asking for any favour?" Probably not. Whenever I went to his office with a request for help in organising a festival, producing a new play, bringing out a souvenir for an art exhibition, or for any other good cause, he would just look at the bottom of the letter where the sponsorship rates were mentioned, keep the letter aside, and discuss the political situation and different issues with me. In the next two or three days a confirmation of the sponsorship arrived, sometime even with a cheque.

While he was in the civil service, he had the opportunity of working as the private secretary to our illustrious leader late Tajuddin Ahmed. He believed that we were doing some positive work in the cultural arena, and commended our social commitment. He used to express his concern for my well being as a genuine friend at times of political crisis, when we took to the streets in protest.

ASMO Subhan's working style always fascinated me. He would come to the office at midday, as he used to work out of his home in the morning. His decisions were always quick. He was very meticulous, be it in his attire, office atmosphere, Duncan's magazine, or advertisement. He could command respect from his colleagues because of his great leadership quality. I always found him working in a casual mood, never stressed.

He was a large-hearted man who ignored the petty things we often look into. His colourful personality could easily attract anyone, but he always preferred to be behind the scene in any event. I could never make him agree to come to any of our functions as a guest of honour. Once he was in the audience in one of our theatre festivals when, after the performance, I offered my thanks to him from the stage for his sponsorship. When he was leaving, he said to me, "You have embarrassed me." Such was the person!

With his passing away, we have lost a sincere friend, a great patron of our art and culture, and a colourful icon of the corporate sector. I am so unfortunate that, on Thursday when I went to his DOHS home to pay my last respects to his mortal remains, his family members, friends, and colleagues had already left with his body for burial at Brahmanbaria. In a way it was good that I didn't see him lifeless, I will always remember Mr. Subhan as being full of life and dignity. May his soul rest in eternal peace!

Ramendu Majumdar is President of Bangladesh Centre of The International Theatre Institute.