Faridur Reza Sagar:

During the time I am talking about, different anthologies on occasion of 21 February were published at the book fair. These anthologies were mainly published by school and college students. Those were collections of writings on a wide range of topics.

Writings on topics like patriotism, 21 February, and independence were emphasised. We tried to distribute these anthologies in different places on the morning of 21 February. There was no fixed price for these anthologies. People paid whatever they could. Some money was needed to publish the anthologies.

And to collect this money, we would go to different places to collect advertisements. At that time, the institutions would keep an allocation for these anthologies or for 21 February. I met Mr Abdus Sadeque for the purpose of collecting advertisements. He was the uncle of our school friend Habibur Rahman Bablu. He was the head of a big company at that time. The main office of this institution was in Bogura. Their sub-office was in Gulistan. Mr Sadeque used to sit in the Gulistan office. I have also been to Bogura.

I first met him when I went to the Dhaka office. I recognised him immediately because I used to see his picture in the newspaper from time to time. Right behind the chair where he used to sit, there was a picture of him standing with a hockey stick in his hand. I realised that Bablu’s uncle was not an ordinary person. Although he worked in this institution, he was also a player on our national hockey team. He was also the captain of the hockey team. We are very fortunate that we knew a gentleman like Sadeque uncle.

He used to help us with sufficient advertisements for this Ekushey Anthology. Sometimes we also received his help personally. As much as he was a player, he was also a lover of art and literature. Because he had a love for literature, whenever we went to him, he would not disappoint us. I would take Bablu with me to his uncle’s place.

Occasionally, he would come to our “Khabar Dabar” shop. He was affectionate towards me. Pratap Shankar Hazra, Rafiqul Islam Kamal and many others used to come with him at that time. We used to adore him because we were juniors. They used to tell us to focus on sports. They would also tell us that sports keep our bodies fit. Sadeque uncle studied at Armanitola School. Then he got admitted to Dhaka College.

There was a teacher named Monir Hossain in the school where we studied. Famous referee Nani Basak used to come with Monir sir occasionally. He was the father of famous film actress Shabnam. Nani Basak and Monir Hossain sir were involved in sports. Gradually, Bablu’s relationship with me developed. I also started calling Mr Abdus Sadeq ‘Mama (uncle)’. I met him at various times during various activities. The reason for this was that since our ‘Khabar Dabar’ bakery was in Gulistan, I used to meet Sadeque uncle often. He was a very cheerful person. Whenever we met, he would say, “Take care of your health and play sports.”

In Bangladesh, the hockey stadium was built in the Gulistan area of Dhaka, becoming the centre of hockey activities. One of the people who deserved credit for the development of the hockey stadium and hockey in general was Sadeque Mama, i.e. Abdus Sadeque.

Yesterday, on 20 June, the news of his passing made my heart very heavy. My eyes watered and old memories came to mind—that picture of my uncle standing in his office with a hockey stick in his hand.

Sadeque Mama, we are saddened by your passing. The country has lost a skilled organiser and sports personality. May you be well wherever you are.