Fifty Years Later

                                                        S.A.Sobhan

May 1 is the fiftieth anniversary of the day when Allah decided to take my beloved father from this world. It was only weeks after the March 25 Pakistani military crackdown in the-then East Pakistan.

In spite of my father being diagnosed with an enlarged heart, living with blood pressure issues and cholesterol, and his bout with pethidine addiction – which also almost killed him – and two previous heart attacks, his passing was unexpected and untimely. It was not only the end of his life, but the end of the carefree life I and my siblings were used to growing up.

Given all his career positions in civil service, his brilliant academic achievements, his school life as captain of his school hockey team, a fervent tennis player, and accomplishments that could be envied by many, he died almost unknown an unrecognized son of Bengal.

 The just begun War of Liberation brought planted conditions exploited by his unscrupulous business partners to take full control of Hotel Purbani, which he had sunk his life savings and properties to bring into being. Having suffered financial setbacks, the hotel was economically salvaged by the new partners—only to brutally deprive the orphaned children upon his death.   They were not allowed to occupy any of the 2 houses, each 10 room homes that was owned by Mr Sobhan, as they were used as part of the share capital of the hotel business. Instead his family was kindly given a paltry Tk 1000 monthly for a family of 10 and a rented home to live in.And we were thankful for that. The business partner insisted that the Sobhan houses were the property of the hotel and we, his children had no right to those homes. School fees were stopped the children were taken out of school and were not able to complete their schooling. They also shutdown a running rental car business and all the cars were taken to Momin Motors on the pretext that they were owed to the Bank. This was another way of putting our family in financial constraints. It was how they put the children in a position for selling their Purbani shares to the partner.

  Those of us who completed school was a result of their own efforts and good fortune in face of adversity.

The breakup of Pakistan affected our family in many ways. A big part of my father’s career was holding high civil offices in the Central Government including his posting in Karachi as Planning Secretary under President Ayub Khan. Such a senior position was a rarity for a Bengali to hold in a Government then dominated by West Pakistanis.

The tragic circumstances that befell the Sobhan Family was a family of 10 without a home and no known finances. Vehicles from a rental car business, owned apart from the hotel, were confiscated by the hotel partners on the pretext of bank loans. What could have been a source of sustenance for the family was shut down. The Military crackdown put all Bengalis on edge and at risk . It was a time of survival for and uncertainties for all Bengalis. There was not a single person, relative or friend, who cared enough to inquire into the Fate of a family that had just been deprived of everything they had and almost put out on the streets.  

I enter the seventieth year of my life on this the fiftieth year of my beloved fathers passing. Embarking now into my Golden Years, I feel the necessity to share some parts of thesobhanfamilyhistory  from my perspective.https://thesobhanfamilystory.blogspot.com/2021/04/fifty-years-later.html As I am childless, it will be up to the rest of my family should someone think it worthwhile to continue our story.

Thanks to Allah's benign Mercy, the Sobhan family members survived and each living their lives to best of their abilities. They were not wiped out in spite of the most trying circumstances. My hope is all will remember our father for the great person he was  and my regret is not having any accomplishments that come even near his shadow.