Zafrullah Chowdhury, the most misunderstood man

Now that he was departed, we other overflowing with enthusiasm about him. The media gave ample coverage highlighting the news of his death. There has been the inevitable outpouring of condolences, recollections, tears of sorrow on social media, and it goes on. Then again, there are those who don't miss this chance to narrate their part in Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury's achievements. We all seem to be active partners in his accomplishments.

Zafar bhai actually did want to share his dream with everyone. He did want his achievements to be recognised as achievements of the country. But we must not forget those who, overtly and covertly, threw thorns on his path to hamper his way forward. We must reveal why they tried to trip him up at every step.

There are many who abandoned him midway to join the 'anti' camp. The anti-people agenda of these vested quarters will not end with his death. It will gain momentum.

It is said that he would not bother to pay heed to anyone at the Bangladesh field hospital in Bisramganj of Agartala, India. In 1971, Sirajuddin, one of the first recruits of the Tripura Students Company (a brigade of Bangladeshi students), was seriously injured. His mates didn't want to keep him at the field hospital, but rush him immediately to the hospital in Agartala. Zafar bhai refused.

Siraj had been injured in a serious road accident while moving from Matinagar to the freedom fighters' training camp Malighar. His fellow fighters, overwhelmed with emotion, protested out loudly, "How can he be treated in this jungle? He will die!" Zafar bhai did not budge, but firmly said, "We will treat him here, with whatever we have."

He said, "You all will be near him and that will make him feel good. Who will stay by his side in Agartala? He will suffer there alone." He always believed that the patient's diet was more important than medication. He would say, "It won't do for doctors to simply worry about health failure. You have to understand the link between crop failure and health failure."

And Siraj was able to return to training much earlier than expected. He himself frankly wrote about that recently.

It was a huge challenge to procure drugs for the field hospital. He worked round the clock, on one hand treating patients, on the other hand procuring medicines, and then again arranging to store these drugs as required. Then he got to hear that Oxfam had been receiving medicines from overseas and various sources in India, and these were piling up. It was a rugged route from Tripura to Kolkata, but he didn't lose a moment to rush there. Julian Francis was in charge of the Kolkata Oxfam office and he says Zafrullah literally raided the Oxfam office for the medicines!

The humanitarian aid organisation Oxfam does not work without a partner organisation. It follows certain rules and regulations and provides assistance on the basis of an agreement. They avoid direct link with the sides involved in war. But Oxfam eventually shrugged off these restrictions and stood by the non-government initiatives in the medical camps. Had Zafrullah Chowdhury not carried out that 'raid', it would not have been easy to facilitate this work. And in the days to come, a strong bond of friendship was forged between Julian and Zafrullah. But even that friendship didn't blind Zafrullah. He never hesitated to repeatedly challenge various measures of the foreign organisations.

The head of Oxfam's Indian chapter at the time, Canadian national Raymond Cournoyer, had been a teacher in Bangladesh in the sixties. He was Julian's boss. From his work experience, the teacher Raymond was fully aware of the capabilities of the people of this country, the achievements of their life struggles. Many could not even conceive that the people's war along with the refugee problems would end so soon.

When the war ended, Oxfam took a decision to hand over all the funds, resources and goods it had collected, to Red Cross or similar organisations. Raymond Cournoyer boldly opposed the decision. He had seen the commitment of the youth to rebuild the country. Today's BRAC was the first to receive a grant from Oxfam's surplus funds. The rest is history.

And now it was Raymond's turn to 'raid' Zafrullah's camp! He proposed providing financial and technical support. Back from Tripura, the Bangladesh hospital was gradually transforming into Gonoshasthaya Kendra. Zafrullah set up tents in the open fields of Savar, dreaming of establishing a new social order.

He was determined not to take foreign funds. The country was independent and would be built up on its own resources, he felt. He advised Raymond Cournoyer not to waste his time on him. But Raymond Cournoyer had an understanding of people and continued to visit the camp in Savar. He explained to Zafrullah the reality of a newly independent country. He used his own life as an example. He described how, after World War II, his family had been through extremely hard times. He pointed out how inadequate tents would be against Savar's rains. He said that Zafrullah would have to construct a building and that too before the monsoons set in.

Zafrullah finally accepted reality, but with certain conditions. Yet another chapter in history was created. When Raymond Cournoyer visited Dhaka for the last time before his death, Zafar bhai called all his co-workers, old and new, to the Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital. Many leaders and workers of other NGOs gathered there too. Over a cup of tea, I took Raymond to one side and asked him, "Tell me very frankly, how to you find Dr Zafrullah as a man?" He placed his cup down and answered quietly, "Perhaps he is the most misunderstood person in our time."

By then Zafar bhai had come up and was standing behind Raymond. Raymond sensed his presence and, without turning around, said, "Chowdhury, I am praising you to this young man. Don't mind." Zafar bhai had a good laugh and moved away, and we continued our conversation. Raymond said, "You all placed him in the leadership of NGOs, made him the chair of ADAB. Then before his term could end, you all removed him from office. Now you act all innocent and ask me what I think of Zafrullah as a man? You all should consider yourselves very lucky to get such a man of integrity."

It wasn't hard to teach women to ride bicycles, what was hard was for the women to go around the villages on cycles, speaking to women and girls on healthcare. A few years after independence, that freedom fighter who had undergone medical treatment at Bisramganj, went to visit a relative in Gazirchar, Savar. He was taken aback seeing women health workers on cycles. But this should have been only natural in a country where women and men had fought together for independence.

Unless a revolution takes place in all areas, the revolution remains incomplete. That valiant freedom fighter wrote, "I was taken aback because in the social scenario of Bangladesh back then, this was unimaginable. It was unthinkable that women would ride cycles in such a conservative society. I asked and was told they were from Gonoshasthaya Kendra."

True, it was no easy feat. Some people would even lay in wait to throw stones at them in all righteousness.

Many of these women were hurt, returning to the centres, bleeding. A health worker Jharna was killed when a brick was thrown at her. She indeed was a martyr of an unfinished liberation war. The local quacks were unhappy that they would lose business and in the deep of night, miscreants killed Nizam, health worker of the Shimulia sub-centre. Those responsible were never punished.

A law pertaining to the drug policy drawn up by Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury was enacted and all the multinational companies went all out to foil it. Writer and journalist Kazi Jawad wrote, "The pharmaceuticals were raided. I dropped him (Zafrullah Chowdhury) back to Savar quite a few nights."

During Siraj Sikder's case, he was "picked up in a different manner". The days were not so dark as the nights back then. At the behest of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, he was "taken back to from where he was picked up." There was a time when his car was regularly hit by trucks. His skilled and trusted driver Mostafa bhai who was with him towards the beginning, and later the first licenced professional woman driver, Saleha apa, have memories of those nightmarish incidents.

So many allegations and accusations were brought against Zafrullah Chowdhury over the years. He was accused of sedition, contempt of court, stealing fish, stealing flowers, extortion, assault, land grabbing and more. He was harassed incessantly down the years, the allegations leading to cases, cross examinations in court, hearings and more. The court displayed its magnanimity by giving him a one-hour sentence and a small fine.

But no one really wanted to understand Zafrullah Chowdhury, no one understood him.

The magistrates, who were supposed to be seizing adulterated food, carried out a raid on the medical centre of the poor -- Gonoshasthaya Hospital, and the pharmaceuticals, and imposed a fine on him. Giving him no chance to defend himself, the news was aired on television continuously. Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) cancelled Dr Zafrullah's membership and Bangladesh Medical and Dental Council (BMDC) at least twice mulled over cancelling his registration.

When Dr Zafrullah single-handedly strived for the drug policy, there were elements in the left-leaning camp who opposed him. These so-called progressive elements not only failed to lend him their active support, they sided with the profit-mongering multinationals. And it wasn't just because some of them worked for multinational companies that they sided with them. The country anyway was never as important to them as their jobs.

They keep their liberation war plaques in the museum or their showcases, not in their hearts. But the drug policy was eventually passed in 1982.

The national health policy, however, was held up. The physicians went on strike because the policy included a clause barring medical college specialists from private practice. Gonoshasthaya Kendra was even attacked. The health policy was politically made synonymous with the anti-Ershad movement. They instigated agitation against Gonoshathaya Kendra.

All wars end in victory and defeat. But everyone must face defeat in the battle of life. Death is the ultimate winner. Zafar bhai was no exception, but he fought till the very end. He had told some persons, "I want to live just two more years." Had he managed to live two more years, perhaps he would have been able to see the start of the cancer hospital. But his dream was to remove the cancer that gnawed at the nation. Will his compatriots be able to do so?

* Gawher Nayeem Wahra is a researcher and can be contacted at [email protected]

* This column appeared in the print an online edition of Prothom Alo and has been rewritten for the English edition by Ayesha Kabir