Remembering Ananta Bijoy - An unsung luminous soul
There was a time when only a handful of intellectuals dared to promote free thought and rational thinking countering religious dogmas and superstitions. Their writings were often too complicated for mass people's understanding, for which they gained little or no attention. Few writers realized the significance of promoting scientific thoughts at the grass-root level. Ananta Bijoy Dash(1982-2015) was one of them. He came from a conservative region of Bangladesh where progressive ideas are rarely being discussed or patronized. Thanks to his cravings for knowledge, Ananta noticed this reality at from an early age. Ananta started trying to bring about change. He was also very much aware of the challenges and obstacles in his path. Together with his fellow free-thinkers, he launched an organization called "Science and Rationalist Council." Every week he and other members of his team sat down, discussed and debated about many issues. Together they successfully organized a "Science Convocation." In February 2007; the group came up with its first publication, a magazine fostering science, reason rationality, and humanistic values. It was titled 'Jukti' (Reason) with Ananta being its editor.
When the next flood comes will we be better prepared?
This article was originally published in "The Daily Star" Opinion section on May 06, 2017.