Golam Sarwar was my mentor in practical journalism

April 1 is Golam Sarwar's bhai's birthday. On this day in 1943, he was born in Banaripara, Barisal district of the then East Pakistan (now Bangladesh). Sarwar bhai never liked to celebrate his birthday. Rather he made fan of the day. He used to say, "If I tell people it's my birthday today, they'll think it's an April Fool's joke, and I never celebrate my birthday." Later, after his sons grew up, they organized celebrations for him.

In Bangladesh, there are several streams of journalism, several ideologies. In my opinion, Sarwar bhai is one of them those who represent the ideologies of Zahur Hossain Chowdhury, Abdus Salam, Manik Mia. Along with that stream, I consider myself the next generation journalist of Sarwar bhai. Among those who represent that stream, there are a few of us. Among us, those who possess honesty, intellect, ethical awareness, values, and professionalism all together are rare. Now, among those who practice journalism, there are many good journalists, but finding all these qualities together is difficult.

Sarwar bhai possessed all these qualities. He became an editor during the end of his career. He performed the role of a sub-editor and news editor throughout his life. In 1999, he first became the editor of the Daily Jugantar. Before that, for two decades, he worked at the Daily Ittefaq. Later in 2005, he became the founding editor of the Daily Samakal. Until his death on August 13, 2018, he remained the editor of this newspaper.

Even though he was an editor, he fulfilled the responsibilities of a news editor. It was almost impossible for him not to sit in the newsroom at night or not to see the copies. Nowadays, we see many editors not going to the office, working over the phone. Many times, we don't even see the news editors. In many big newspapers, there is no existence of news editors. The editor is the news editor. The news editor is the first teacher of young journalists in a newspaper. They teach them practically in the newsroom, which is their first classroom, where they learn practical journalism.
Sarwar bhai had all the qualities that a journalist should have. He was not just an editor; he was a mentor, a guide, and an inspiration to many young journalists. His legacy continues to influence journalism in Bangladesh.

When Sarwar bhai was the news editor of the Daily Ittefaq, I was the news editor of the Daily Sangbad. Both were influential newspapers at that time. During work at night, I used to call and inquire, "Sarwar bhai, which news are you highlighting today?" He wouldn't say which one he's making the top or second lead. I had to figure it out. Sometimes, he also asked, "Bulbul, which news are you highlighting today?" I would say, "I'm highlighting this one." He would ask, "How big are you making it?" I would reply, "Quite significant." I wouldn't say it's the biggest. Even without directly copying each other's news, we understood the importance of each other's news.

Let me share a significant experience. It was during Ershad's rule; a group of the military had severely mistreated the mob at a village in Narayanganj. Our reporter Bansi Saha had sent a report with all the details. I had all the information, but I couldn't decide whether to make it a news story or not. It was a very sensitive news. There was a risk in publishing it. Also, there wasn't much cooperation from the owner's side. If they don't cooperate, the boy won't be able to make a decision. Professionally, I felt a bit weak. This advice is taken by professionals. So, I called Sarwar bhai, "Sarwar bhai, I have the news about the incident in Narayanganj, what should I do?" He said, "Have you got the story?" I said, "Yes." He said, "Okay, I'll see." A little later, he called back and said, "I don't have the story, but I have the photos. There are photos of people running scared as their houses are being demolished." So, what should we do? I asked. He said, "Send the story. I'm sending the photos to the person who will come. Let's print the news together." The next day, the news was only published in Ittefaq and Sangbad. For this, both of us had to face consequences. We were taken to a special place. There was intimidation. I gave this example to show how even though being senior, he evaluated me, to understand the mutual respect and trust. This is professional unity. With whom is professional unity? When there is trust and confidence. I had faith and trust in Sarwar bhai.

There was a time when I had such a relationship with Sarwar bhai that no matter how much we spoke during the day, I knew that he would call me in the evening, and whatever decisions he made during the day, I could easily overturn them with one word. He had so much faith in me.

He was truly a 'people's journalist'. His partiality was there; he had weaknesses towards special politics, especially towards Awami League; but when it came to news reporting, he held a strong position. For example, when we worked together in Jugantar, there was an incident we covered. Among the many news pieces that made Jugantar popular, one was about Dr. Ikbal, the owner of Premier Bank, a leader of Awami League, an MP from Tejgaon area, firing a pistol in a rally in Shantinagar. We had this story. We also had the picture. I and Sarwar bhai decided in the afternoon that this would be today's lead. It must be the lead.

Awami League was in power at that time. The Information Minister of Awami League was Professor Abu Sayeed, and the Prime Minister's advisor was Dr. Abdul Malek. They got to know that Ikbal’s news was with Jugantar. At that time, senior leaders of Awami League thought that if they could take Sarwar bhai from the office in the evening, then the work would be done, and the news would not be published. Many people did not recognize me. I was much junior compared to Sarwar bhai; but we decided to publish it in the afternoon. So, in the evening, Dr. Malek himself came and took Sarwar bhai from the office. When Sarwar bhai was leaving, he told me, "Bulbul, I am going with Malek bhai for a while." Whatever we discussed turned out to be true. Malek bhai no longer knows what is true. Malek Bhai did not leave Sarwar bhai alone all night. He kept him engaged in conversation. Thinking that if he keeps the editor engaged, the news will not be published anymore.

The next day, the news was published in eight columns. Everyone went crazy. Despite having a good relationship with Awami League, the fact that Sarwar Bhai published the news made it his integrity and professionalism. As long as I have worked with him, he has never told me that even though this news is true, due to political reasons, you should drop it. This message was a great source of inspiration for me as an editor. Later, if I am a good journalist, it is because he has prepared me like a teacher.

I think Sarwar bhai is still an example in front of us as a journalist. He was a very passionate person. He had a very humane feeling. At one time, he left Jugantar and went to Samakal, then left Samakal and came back to Jugantar, then left Jugantar and came back to Samakal. I wasn't there at that time. When he was changing houses, one day he said, "Bulbul, I went to various places, but I couldn't do journalism the way I wanted." The reason for his great mental distress at that time was because journalism in Bangladesh means fighting with various types of bugs. He never expressed any self-esteem. He knew everything but never boasted about it. He evaluated everything correctly. Today's journalists have a big problem, everyone knows everything. He had all the qualities necessary for good journalism. He never compromised on professionalism. He did sometimes have to work under pressure. However, the pressure of failure, we could handle that pressure.

There is no role model in front of journalists now. The number of people who can be role models has decreased. In my opinion, Sarwar bhai is the last generation to be a role model. He took all the responsibilities of his newspaper on his shoulders. If anyone made a mistake, he didn't put the blame on them, he took it on his own shoulders. The tendency to take on these responsibilities made him great.

He was also admirable for his honesty. I don't know any falsehood about him. He had an unwavering sense of ethics. He was a lifelong devotee of the Liberation War and Bangabandhu. His career began with teaching. Then he came to journalism from there. He considered himself a student of Ittefaq. He was a student of Bengal. He had literary taste. He was a very humorous person. And he was also a very cultured person. He used to listen to a lot of songs. The ringtone of his mobile was 'Ami kaan pete roi'.

Author: Journalist & Media Personality