His clothes were always pressed. Perhaps a peculiar thing to remember fondly, but it’s true, his clothes were always pressed. I do not remember exactly when the white, special-cut, loose-fitting punjabi-pajama ensemble became synonymous to Kamal Lohani (Dulal bhai to us), but you would have always found him in the same ensemble without fail, be it his home, a cultural event, weddings or old pictures. And sometimes with a shawl draped over his shoulders. His ensemble alone symbolised his moral strength, charm and simplicity—and that too, all at the first sight.
In fact, Kamal bhai was quite adamant about his ensemble. Once he refused to wear a suit in order to participate in the Commonwealth Head of States meeting (1979) in Lusaka, Zambia as a selected member of the presidential entourage. Consequently, he was dropped from the list. At the time, he was working as the executive editor of Dainik Barta. But there was a rare sighting of Kamal Lohani in trousers, when he played the character of a middle class teacher in the drama “Ujan Paban”, directed by his very close friend, the famous director and playwright late Abdullah Al Mamun.
A multifaceted, larger-than-life personality, Kamal Lohani belongs to the same ranks as Fateh and Fazle Lohani. In fact, having lived a longer life than the brothers and his rigorous contribution to the country’s journalism and culture, Kamal Lohani is the magnum opus of the Lohani family. The language activist and freedom fighter navigated life with an astounding commitment to justice and uncompromising principles.
I always wondered when did he exactly start to foster his outrageous courage to battle for the Language Movement and the Liberation of Bangladesh, and I think it must have been from a very early stage of his life.
His father, Musa Khan Lohani, took him to his aunt, Salema Khanam Peara in Calcutta for better education opportunities. At the time, his aunt was teaching in a school with the renowned poet Begum Sufia Kamal and Fatema Lohani (Fateh and Fazle Lohani’s mother). Kamal bhai remembered how he had to take shelter in trenches with cotton plugs in his ear when the Japanese aircrafts bombed Calcutta in World War II. Perhaps it was the close proximity to war at an early age which inspired his thought, ideology and rebellious voice.
After the 1947 partition, Kamal Lohani came to East Pakistan to live with his uncle, educationist Tasadduk Lohani (my father). He got heavily involved with politics in the 1952 Language Movement, just having passed the SSC exams from Pabna Zilla School. This was also the time when the uncle-nephew relationship faced its own challenges because his uncle wanted him to complete his education before pursuing politics. But nothing could really sway Kamal bhai away from politics. He got admitted to Edward College in Pabna and became a disciple of Marxism. And during this time he mastered the ability to command people’s attention to his pro-liberation slogans and lectures.
At one point, he is said to have left for Dhaka with only Tk 15 from his uncle to pursue his calling of rebellion and patriotism. Education remained incomplete. He joined Daily Millat in 1955 with help from his cousin Fazle Lohani, marking the start of his journalism career. In 1957, when Moulana Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani formed the Pakistan Awami Party, Kamal Lohani enthusiastically joined.
Kamal Lohani got married to a remarkable woman in 1960. Dipty Lohani, was not only his life partner, but a collaborator and co-fighter. From taking care of the major portion of financial responsibilities to hosting hundreds of journalists, cultural activists and secular politicians, she did it all with so much grace. The couple felt a responsibility to the masses and dedicated their life’s work to it.
It was in the late 1960s during the autocratic rule of Ayub Khan, when the first cultural organisation in opposition to imperialism was born—”Kranti Shilpi Goshthi.” It is a big part of Kamal Lohani’s imprint on Bangladesh’s cultural activism.
“Do not come alone in the bloodshed.
Loneliness means daunting fear,
Loneliness means the shadow of monsters
On the extinguished body of the Sun
Do not float alone in the bloodshed.
Burn in the shining dream’s spear
And take us all with you .”
A translated poem written by Ashim Kumar Das which he dedicated to Kamal Lohani in 1993 in a Rajshahi programme honouring him. The poem reappeared in 2004 in one of Kamal bhai’s books titled “Shomoyer Shahosh” (Time’s Courage), a memoir to commemorate his 70th birthday.
A force of nature at home too
Beyond the accolades such as Ekushey Padak (2015), published books, the incredible legacy of journalism (spanning six decades) and cultural activism, beyond Kamal Lohani’s public life stood our Dulal bhai. He stood tall and strong, a guardian of the family for so many, many years. For at least four decades I have seen how active he remained in his professional life, but at the same time, managed to remain connected with extended and immediate family members. His house would always be abuzz with people, especially on occasions such as Eid (he absolutely loved having people over).
Kamal Lohani’s ability to love seemed limitless—country, people and the arts—there never was any semblance of restraint to how much he loved. Even his health complications could not deter the force of his personality—it was not until much later that his children were able to hold him back from attending cultural meetings and television talk shows out of concerns for his health.
His health deteriorated in the last few years with a body held captive to diabetes, lung problems and high blood pressure. But he still prevailed. Even when he started to partially go blind, he pushed his limits for his love to read and write. At one point, a person started to arrive at his home every other morning to write down what Kamal bhai dictated.
Kamal Lohani was never the one to say “no” to any reason to engage. As recently as three years ago, he enthusiastically agreed to go to a studio to record recitals for my second album. One of my fondest memories of him is his recitation of a poem called “Jelkhanar Chithi”, written in jail by the (Marxist) Turkish poet, playwright and lyricist Nazim Hikmet, and later translated to Bangla by Subhash Mukhopadhyay (Kamal bhai had his own illustrious jail experience).
It was not just his enthusiasm and the quality of recitation, but his gallant presence. The man standing in his white ensemble, reciting to his heart’s content while he pushed through all his physical limitations, reminded me of the Kamal Lohani the country knows, and reminded me of Dulal bhai who would always jump at any opportunity to engage with family.
Despite his three children’s best efforts, we lost our Dulal bhai a month ago today on June 20, 2020 to health complications exacerbated by the coronavirus. As we try to mourn the death of our family’s magnum opus under trying circumstances, I pray that we all continue to be inspired by this formidable Bangladeshi’s legacy who just always happened to wear a pressed, white punjabi-pajama ensemble and live a purely honest and multifaceted life. Rest in power, our dearest Dulal bhai.
Shakib Lohani is a writer and recitation artist. He currently works as a communications consultant in the pharmaceutical industry in Bangladesh.
