I have had some wonderful moments during my service with Bangladesh Academy of Sciences (BAS) under late Prof. Dr. Naiyyum Choudhury, Fellow and former Secretary and Vice President of (BAS), that I can not correctly describe in my writing nor I can say in my words, I can only realize those valuable moments within my heart of hearts.
However, I am noting down my feelings while I had been working with Prof. Choudhury since I joined Bangladesh Academy of Sciences (BAS) in May 2006.
Belief and Action:
Professor Choudhury was one of the fellows who contributed most for development of BAS up to present position. The Academy used to get a very small amount of grant from the Government through the Ministry of Science and Technology. Prof. Choudhury as the Secretary of BAS along with Prof. Dr. M. Shamsher Ali convinced the govt. to give a grant of an amount of Taka 5 crore as an Endowment fund for the Academy. Prof. Choudhury organized all the meetings of the Executive Council of BAS in his own residence in the campus of Dhaka University and maintained all regular activities of BAS. He ran the office of the Academy as Secretary, and Vice President of BAS until his death on 07 November 2019. During the meeting of the BAS Council he always talked from his heart and presented the facts and figures to reach at a correct decision. Prof. Choudhury played the major role in getting the grants from United States Department of Agriculture for an amount of Taka 81.70 crore as BAS-USDA Endowment Fund. From the profit of this grant, Academy has been giving Tk. 5.00 crore every year to the scientists, researchers of the Universities and R&D organizations of the country for doing applied research in the field of Agriculture and Natural Sciences. Prof. Choudhury and Prof. Dr. M. Shamsher Ali as the Secretary and President of BAS, made Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the International Network for the Advancement of Scientific Publication (INASP). Prof. Choudhury introduced with the cooperation of INASP e-Resources network through out the country. Through this e-Network, BAS supplies research journals and science literatures of the world renowned publishers to all universities and R&D organizations of the country at a very discounted prices. Prof. Choudhury played the main role to introduce Science Olympiad for the school and college students of the country from 2010. Every year, more than 500 students from schools and colleges of the whole country attend National Science Olympiad in Dhaka. Prof. Choudhury played the key role in starting Young Scientist Congress (YSC) every year under the auspices of BAS. All these programs introduced by the Academy with the key role of Prof. Dr. Naiyyum Choudhury made has BAS known to the academic community of the country. During all these programs, Late Prof. Choudhury used his firm belief and passion, and proceeded to achieve the goals of the programs.
Conscious versus Rules and Regulatoins:
The existing financial rules and regulations sometimes do not fit with actual fund spent during a tour and travel made either in the country or outside. Sometimes, high officials submit adjustment according to existing regulations of the total advance taken from the office for the tour particularly for the foreign tour. There are many gaps and lapse in the rules and regulations for adjustments taken from the office. Prof. Choudhury always used to submit timely and consciously adjustment of advance taken from the office for foreign tour and returned money to the office while it was not same in case of some other officers of the same office.
A Compassionate Human-being:
Bangladesh Academy of Sciences has no service rules and regulations for its employees. The officers and staff have been working for a long time but there was no system to give the employees any service benefits like earned leave, encashment at the retirement, no Contributory Provident Fund (CPF) and gratuity at the retirement. Dr. Choudhury used his arguments and justifications for introducing CPF, Gratuity and earned leave encashment benefit for the BAS employer. Sometimes, if any employee fell sick and the employee applied to the BAS authority for financial grant to take medical help, Prof. Choudhury would reply, there was no such rule for financial help from the Academy for treatment of employees, rather Prof. Choudhury used to pay from his own pocket to help any employee.
These were a few moments of mine as the Director BAS, which I will not forget during my rest of life. Prof. Choudhury was my higher officer, my elder brother and a real friend in need. I pray to Allah that The Most Gracious and The Most Merciful to grant late Prof. Dr. Naiyyum Choudhury a place in the Jannatul Firdaous. Allah SWT may grant peace and happiness in the present and eternal lives to the family members of Late Prof. Dr. Choudhury. Ameen.
