Hasan Murtaza Masum
Assistant Director of BCS Administration Academy
Hasan Murtaza Masum was born in 1981 in the village Saroatoli, under Boalkhali Upazila of Chittagong district. His father, Md. Didarul Alam, was a former director of Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre and his mother, Mobaswera Siddiqua, is a housewife.
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“I was born in Chittagong but soon moved to Rajshahi due to my father's posting there. After my HSC exams, I came to Dhaka to study English Literature at the University of Dhaka. My father inspired me to join civil service,” said Masum.
Masum joined Bangladesh Civil Service in August 2006 (25th BCS-Administration) as an Assistant Commissioner and Magistrate at the office of the Deputy Commissioner, Madaripur. He worked there for two-and-a-half years. He was transferred to BCS Administration Academy in 2009. Earlier, he worked as lecturer in English at Satkania Govt. College after joining 26th (special) BCS for Education.
“I want to be a dedicated civil servant and serve fellow Bangladeshis in the most effective and efficient manner. Towards this goal, I want to continually develop my skills and update myself through learning, self-assessment and experience,” asserts Masum.
Masum completed his BA (honours) and MA in English Literature from the University of Dhaka; HSC from New Govt. Degree College, Rajshahi and SSC from Rajshahi Collegiate School. He stood 8th in combined merit list under Rajshahi Board.
Masum also did his master's in Public Administration in International Development from University of York, UK in 2011. Upon returning from UK, Masum was posted again to BCS Administration Academy in October 2011.
The public servant had professional training including a four-month long 40th Foundation Training from Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre in Savar, securing 1st position and obtaining Rector's Medal in 2007. He also completed a five-month long 66th Law and Administration Course at Bangladesh Civil Service Administration Academy, securing 2nd position in 2008-09; a three-week training programme on Civil Service Change Management at Maastricht School of Management, the Netherlands in 2009; a three-day Orientation Programme for the members of Bangladesh Civil Service at Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi in 2008 and a two-week Intermediate Course on Public Administration and Public Finance co-organised by BCS Administration Academy and Yamaguchi University, Japan in 2010.
While he was a Dhaka University student, Masum worked as staff reporter for the weekly 2000 for four years. He contributed to the weekly with more than a hundred published reports and features on national and international issues. Masum was an active member of Muhsin Hall Debate Club of University of Dhaka. He took part in inter-hall debate championship. Masum shined as the best debater at BPATC (Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre) during his foundation training there in 2007.
Questioned on how he wants to serve the public, Masum says, “In civil service, I have the greatest opportunity to work with people at the grassroots level. The nature of my service is such that I can deliver services to the most vulnerable and out-of-reach sections of the society. As Upazila Nirbahi Officer or Deputy Commissioner I will come in direct contact with cross-sections of the population, will have the chance to look into their problems and can mobilise resources to ease their worries. I can also involve myself in volunteer works such as relief and rehabilitation, mass education, sensitising people on social issues like eve-teasing etc.”
“Civil servants of today think of themselves more as service providers than administrators. This is a change that has taken place in the mindset of civil servants over the years since independence. As implementers of government policies, our priority is to bring services to the doorsteps of the citizens. However, this is not an easy task in the Bangladeshi context. Citizens who are to receive services are most of the times ignorant about their rights and obligations. This is an area where I think civil servants should work more to make the service recipients aware of their rights, privileges and obligations. Sensitisation on critical issues is in my view, half the work,” adds Masum.
Masum loves to read. Of late, he has read Will Cuppy's “The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody”, a humorous take on history with a very post-modern and deconstructive outlook. He recommends Amartya Sen's “The Argumentative Indian”. At his leisure, he watches TV programmes and tries to write adventure stories. He is inspired by many great thinkers and leaders but his favourite personality is his mother.
Asked about his views on future nation-builders, Masum says, “In my view, the next nation-builders should have a good game plan. They should apply scientific knowledge to solve problems. Besides, they will have to prioritise needs, should have a good appraisal system and should follow modern public management techniques. Moreover, we will have to cut short our unnecessary bureaucracies to speed up service delivery to the citizens.”
Masum belongs to the administration cadre of Bangladesh Civil Service. He enjoys the diversity in his profession. Moreover, in civil service these days, many windows of opportunity are opening up for young professionals under various human resource development schemes.
“Sometimes an undercurrent of frustration is felt in civil service. This is due to the erosion of administrative authority, irregularities, absence of proper posting and promotion policy, and superior-subordinate relationship that often becomes too rigid to the extent of bullying. The environment in which we work is very important for improved service delivery and efficiency. Moreover, young civil servants are in desperate search for role models who can inspire them,” says Masum.
By Zahangir Alom
Eshita Parvin
Lawyer
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Eshita Parvin started her career as a lawyer at Bangladesh Judge Court, Dhaka. She served there for last five years before getting herself enrolled in Bangladesh Supreme Court as a lawyer. Her school teacher father, the late Ruhul Amin, was Eshita's prime source of inspiration. Besides him, her mother Layla Yasmin, a housewife, constantly motivates her to serve the distressed, who usually don't have legal access.
“Law, being an independent profession, attracted me. Again, this is a profession through which I can serve the people who actually don't have any access to a legal course of action. My father always advised me to serve the common people with my professional expertise,” said Eshita.
“As I know the law, I can advocate for the distressed or serve the people in my own way under the jurisdiction of law.”
Eshita is involved with the TSC (Teachers' and Students' Centre, Dhaka University) based recitation organisation called 'Shobdartho'. She participated in many productions of the organisation held at different venues including the High Court auditorium, marking various occasions.
Born in Bogra, Eshita was actively involved with activities of BNCC (Bangladesh National Cadet Corps) while she was an intermediate student. She is married to AKM Manjurur Rashid.
Eshita is engaged in social activism. She went to Barisal to help the Sidr affected people with food, clothes and medicine after the disaster.
“I deeply feel for the homeless who, with their family and children, sleep under the open sky round the year. They embrace untold sufferings, especially during winter and monsoon. I wish I could have the capacity to accommodate them. I try to donate warm clothes among them during winter and encourage my neighbours to do so as well,” said Eshita.
The lawyer also educates the domestic worker at home.
“My dream is to shine in my profession while my philosophy is to stand by people who have been wronged and seek justice. Tree plantation is my favourite hobby. I want a green world free from pollution. We can combat the adverse effects of climate change through planting trees as part of a national movement,” commented Eshita.
By Zahangir Alom