Feature

Justice K M Sobhan-
the soldier who never quit

Abdul Mannan

IN our life time we come across people, especially teachers and parents who manage to create profound impact on the rest of our life. Some manages to influence the young minds through their scholarship, some with personality. The become our role model. In later part of our life we often strive to imitate these people in our own way. Often we fail and sometimes we are partially successful. One such person was my school teacher, Mr. Peter Shah, who recently expired at the ripe age of 93. Of Mr. Peter Shah I will talk some other time. Today I would like to recall the memories of another of my outstanding teacher, who would have been 84 if he lived another two years. Justice Kazi Mehboob Sobhan, widely known as Justice K M Sobhan breathed his last on December 31 in 2007. On that day the nation lost a great son, family lost a great husband and father and we lost an inspiring teacher.

Back in the mid sixties, when we entered Dhaka University as undergraduate students, the new Arts Faculty Building at Nilketh, was still struggling to come to terms with the new surrounding and environment. The wall paints were still fresh and the senior told us that the Dean of the Arts Faculty, Professor Syed Sazzad Hussain still loved to have candle light dinners in his home, though the British were long gone. We never saw the Dean (Commerce Department was then under Arts Faculty) or the Vice Chancellor, Professor Osman Gani. Deans and Vice-chancellors were like phantoms to common students unlike today when they are visible any where and everywhere. One of the first person to have attracted our attention as a teacher was Justice K M Sobhan. One Friday autumn morning in the corridors of the Arts Faculty building my first encounter with the learned professor, then a part time teacher, Barrister K M Sobhan had a long lasting impression on me. This was for the first time I see a person in the university, immaculately dressed, complete with three piece suit, business hat and a bow. He looked more like my child hood hero Carry Grant. Moving aside I wished him. He raised his hand and passed by and entered the teachers' room (in those days part-time teachers sat in 'Commerce Museum.' I am not sure if the Business Faculty still retains that museum.).

Next year Barrister Sobhan came to teach us Business Law on Fridays and Saturdays. Normally part time teachers were allotted classes on Fridays and Saturdays, and they would usually be professionals. Another teacher, by training a Chartered Accountant who came to teach us Cost Accounting was Mr. Zahiruddin (Son-in-law of our President). Both excelled in their art of teaching. Sobhan sir chewed something continuously, perhaps to keep his oratory smooth and going and explained all the intricate details of Business Law and in flawless English. Though most of the students came from Bangla medium background, they did not find it difficulty to follow English lectures as their English foundation was quite good, because the school had very good English teachers and curriculum. These days we talk so much of English and English medium education, but I still have a problem believing that current generation knows better English than our generation. I know people not agreeing with my comment will be quite large in number. Of course there were students whose command over the language was often not satisfactory. Sobhan sir went to an extra length to explain the concept and made sure that students left the class with full understanding of what was taught. Even after the passage of about four decades I still believe that his commitment towards teaching was total. Once he told the class that the time he spends as a teacher at Dhaka University is the best time of the day. Sobhan sir was very critical of my hand writing. Once he gave us an assignment.

I used the Black's Law Dictionary from the British Council to complete the assignment. Computers still was an unknown gadget and owning a typewriter was a luxury. We had to submit our assignment hand written. Sobhan sir returned my assignment next week after submission without grading. On enquiry, he told me he cannot read Arabic, refereeing to my terrible hand writing!! He asked me read it. When I did he had all the praise, may be not for the content but just because I consulted the Black's Law Dictionary. He told me he would have given me the highest mark only if my hand writing was legible. I am still struggling. Thanks I do not have to submit any assignments these days in long hand.

In the newly independent country of Bangladesh Sobhan sir had to leave teaching as he had more important responsibilities to shoulder. He was made the Chairperson of the body formed by Bangabandhu government to 'Rehabilitate the War Ravaged Women' and children. He devoted full time in discharging this very important responsibility. Tragedy befell on the country on August 15, 1975 when the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu was brutally murdered along with his entire family. Before the nation could recover from this shock the four national leaders were gunned down the Dhaka Central jail. As an eyewash the Justice Sayem-Zia government formed a Commission with Justice K M Sobhan as its Chairperson to enquire into the brutal killing. However the Commission was never allowed to work by the same government that constituted it.

On his retirement, Justice Sobhan never went into oblivion as judges normally do. He kept himself busy with different pro-people and pro-democracy movements, like movements for restoration of democracy, protecting the constitutional and religious rights of minorities and Ahamadiyas. He went on to become an eminent human rights defender. He traveled to the distant corner of Bangladesh as an advisor of the Ghatok Dalal Nirmul Committee to create awareness amongst the people for the trial of war criminals. He proved the Biblical saying 'a good soldier never quits' an appropriate way of defining himself. He never quit and believed 'whatever is to be done must be done.' The nation will have to wait for long for another Justice K M Sobhan to be born. A teacher, a jurist, a human rights activist, a father and a husband and on top of all a perfect gentleman. On his second death anniversary let us pray for the departed soul.

(Professor Abdul Mannan is a former Vice-chancellor, University of Chittagong. He currently teaches at ULAB, Dhaka. abman1971@gmail.com)