— Md. Kamal Uddin: When the sky of Chittagong woke up, not only did my eyes wake up in that light, but my pen would also wake up. I wrote history, I wrote people, I wrote the unspoken words of society. I knew that one day this pen would take me not to the headlines, but to the boundaries of truth. It started in that world of paper and pen: Not with any dreams of journalism or presentation in 1988, I embarked on this path with a strange love for writing. In 1988, I started by writing in just a handful of magazines. Brave editors like Rupam Chakraborty of Chittagong published my writings—which was my first inspiration. That too in “Diner Por Din” magazine—I used to write regularly—when my writings started being published in Dhaka’s Sahitya Magazine, I realized that my words were spreading not only to Chittagong, but to the whole of Bengal. That small room, a broken table, a couple of books in my hand, and a spark in my heart—“I will write the truth, no matter how difficult it is.” Journalism: A Stormy Journey – I wrote my first investigative report on a crime ring in Chittagong. In collecting information, I had to face threats, intimidation and political pressure. ‘Sambadcharcha’, ‘Rupnagar’, ‘Dainik Khabor’ – each newspaper gave my pen a space and responsibility. In 1994, I published Chittagong’s first four-color magazine “Chattalchitra”, with my brother Jamal Uddin, a liberation war researcher. I still remember the day of the first publication festival – our dreams were filled with the scent of Mughal biryani. How did I become a television presenter? In 2017, I received a call from Bangla TV – will you present “Chittagong Dialogue”? I was trembling in front of the camera on the first day. But as a presenter, I stood on the stage of Bengal. ‘Chittagong Dialogue’, ‘Some Words, Some Songs’, ‘Pictured Chittagong’, ‘Black and White Dialogue’, ‘Bhashaar Katha’, ‘Nirbhachaner Kheela’, ‘Galpe Golppe Itihasa’, and many more programs—I went to one after another. At first, I wondered how many talk shows I would do? But at one point, I looked back and saw—I have hosted not 100, 200—more than 1000 talk shows on Bangla TV. I have done countless in Attin Bangla—deep research before each talk show, honesty behind each question, and speaking the truth on behalf of the people on each stage. Worldview Experience: 28 countries, 7 Nobel Prize-winning authors, a princess. I have traveled to 28 countries as a member of PEN International. Where I met: Saudi Arabia’s rebel princess Suraiya – 2004, Qatar, South Korean President Park Geun-hye – 2013, world-renowned investigative journalist Frank Lance – 2001, Algeria
7 Nobel Prize-winning writers and journalists World Writers’ Conference, Korea – 2013 All these interviews have enriched the language of my pen and expanded my thinking. My life on the pages of books began with ‘Banka Katha’ in 2008. Till date, I have published more than 30 books. The most important: ‘Journalist and Newspaper Talk’, which is a bold proposal to break the narrowness of journalism in Bangladesh. Spitting truth in the face of the jealous – there are some so-called “journalists” who spread slander to cover up their own incompetence.
Those who cannot even write 10 lines neatly, yet show keyboard courage on Facebook. I spit the truth in their faces and say— “Come, take up the pen, do a talk show, then criticize!” The challenge of courage of one crore taka—I say it boldly—if anyone can beat me in any category of talk show hosting, writing or journalism, then I will give a prize of 1 crore taka. The conditions are very simple—the competition will be on a neutral stage. Show your skills. If you lose, you will not get your money back. But if you have the courage, come. I want a war of pens, not a game of words. My love and call to the youth. Do you want to learn journalism? Come. I will teach you—how to research, how to formulate questions
How to speak with respect You only need one point of self-respect, another point of responsibility for the truth. Last but not least, this is a letter in the pages of history – I have not stopped doing a thousand talk shows, I will not stop as long as people hold me responsible for telling the truth. I do not self-promote, I wield the pen with confidence. Those who are jealous, spread hatred, and slander – I consider them masked people who have merged in the dust of history. “A true journalist gives direction to society with his pen, and liars commit suicide by screaming.” I dedicate this writing to those young people who will one day stand up for the truth with courage, and will show the courage to raise their pen in front of the jealous. If someone wants to draw a smoke screen in the sky of the city where I grew up, where my voice is spread on every speck of dust on the ground – today, you must remember, I am still standing with a pen in my hand. I am not afraid of critics. I do not tremble at the roar of conspirators. I have written, I still write—not only for myself, but for society, for the future. Those who stand against the truth, they go to the dustbin of history—those who evaluate the glory of my writing, journalism, or television presentation with blind envy and uneducated satire, I feel pity for them. Neither hatred, nor revenge for them—but only contempt. But yes, those who purposefully create controversy, slander out of inferiority, want to plant thorns behind my success—I spit truth in their faces. Yes, I spit in the face, the face that distorts the truth and wants to decorate itself as an intellectual. You need to learn—I am willing to teach, I am not arrogant. I am a hardworking person, who has achieved every success through hard work, working day and night. So, to those who gossip without understanding what I say, I say to them—come, learn from me. How to do journalism, how writing is developed, how to present a program—come, I will teach you. But there is one condition—leave your jealousy and arrogance and come outside the door. My autobiography written in the air of Chittagong—Chittagong is not just my city, it is my soul. Every path, every obstacle in this city has shaped me. Even after presenting more than a thousand talk shows in a day, I do not get tired—because I know that my duty is to present the truth. I want those who criticize to stand by that hard work at least once. You who only want to belittle others under the mask of ‘criticism’, listen to this—
Learning creativity is called courage, getting jealous of others is cowardice. An open challenge of courage – I am saying it even today – you who call yourself journalists but only warm up Facebook without having the ability or understanding to write anything, come to an open challenge of writing. Can you write 20,000 words in a day? Can you present 10 talk shows of 40 minutes in a row on television in front of an impartial judge? Come if you can. I am challenging you to a competition of 1 crore taka at the Chittagong Press Club or any other place. If you can beat me, you will walk away with the prize. If you can’t, you will go home hiding your face – just like hypocrites disappear from history. My message for the young generation is not hypocrisy, it is an intellectual pursuit. If you don’t have the courage to reveal the truth, practice deep knowledge and practice impartiality, don’t come on this path. Let the pen be the mirror of your soul. Let the camera highlight the light of life. And let the stage be the place where justice is revealed. I am not at the end, but at the beginning – I am still learning, still walking the path, because I know that the last word has not been written yet. But I will say one thing for the last time – do not measure my success by your jealousy. Because, “The one who burns inside, cannot be stopped by scattering ashes from the outside.” “Come if you want to learn journalism, if you are jealous, stay away. Those who spread corruption in the name of criticism, it is not their pens that are poisoned, but their hands. I am a pen warrior – for the truth, for history, for the hope of the future.” I dedicate this article to the brave new generation of writers, who, without envying the success of others, pave their own way with their own strength. Author: Journalist, researcher, television presenter – Deputy Editor of The Tourist