Captain Akram Ahmed, Bir Uttam, who passed away in Dhaka last Sunday, is famous for his involvement in the historic “Operation Kiloflight,” in which he displayed his courage, patriotism, and bombing skills. Captain Ahmed was a civil aviator who had joined the War of Liberation and successfully took part in this near-impossible mission, flying a non-combat aircraft dexterously, avoiding the enemy’s radar.
Captain Akram’s patriotism has been written in gold in the history of Bangladesh, and he will be remembered by posterity as along as Bangladesh and its people exist.
In his funeral, glorified by full military honour, including a fly-past, the Chief of Staff of Bangladesh Air Force Air Marshal Mashiuzzaman Sernaibat did not hesitate to say that what Captain Akram and other members of the historic operation had achieved, with the help of a couple of aircraft unfit for such daredevil operations, was simply unimaginable for him and his colleagues.
After the independence of Bangladesh, Captain Akram returned to his regular flying job in the national flag carrier, Biman Bangladesh Airlines, and retiredsome years ago. As a consultant, his experience as a senior pilot of Biman was utilized by the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB): A position he was managing deftly until the Covid-19 virus took away his life.
Captain Akram was a genuine hero, a pride of the nation: His feats mostly known to his friends, colleagues, and family, comprising his inner circle. One of his most extraordinary qualities was his humility and simplicity. It was impossible for one to understand the greatness of this man in any get-together or conversation.
He would always listen more than he would talk in any discussion. Someone who had so many heroic stories to narrate would simply listen to learn from others.
This rare quality is absent among many famous and successful people who tend to dominate any table-talk or conversation, trying to impose their greatness on the listeners. Captain Akram’s personality would never allow him to speak about himself, let alone boast about what he had done in our historic War of Liberation.
I have known captain Akram since 2000, and was fortunate to come close to him. He was seven years older than me, but the respect and warmth with which he always talked to me was an attribute that separated him from others. He had great respect for teachers of all levels, and maintained close contact with the late Professor Anisuzzaman, Professor Muntasir Mamun, and others.
His incorrigible faith in rationalism and science made him a favourite personality to those who shared his beliefs.
In our society, where sycophants and narcissists can easily outmanoeuvre people with substance and self-respect, Captain Akram would prefer not to go with the crowd. He liked the company of people that he knew well. On many occasions, he expressed his frustration over the way fake and phoney people were outwitting those who were honest and genuine.
Captain Akram was always content with what he possessed. He had no interest in wealth and accolades; whatever he had was sufficient for him. He would always stay afar from the noveau-riche and those who made money illegally.
My last meeting with him was about a month before he was hospitalized. He was complaining about his knee-problem that he wanted to get rid of.
He had recently returned from the US, where his daughter resides, and was planning to go back for a knee-replacement surgery. He was humorously explaining to me the procedure, which actually required a simple surgery and not the implant of a new knee. I left him behind with a few other friends, telling him that we would meet again sooner rather than later. Captain Akram was wishing an early end to the pandemic, for he thought it was creating depression in varying degrees among people of all ages.
Little did he know that he would remain alive only for a month or so. Captain Akram’s death has taken away from us a freedom fighter of the highest order, a rare gentleman, a man who exemplified honesty and integrity, and a free-thinker who dreamt of a genuinely secular Bangladesh that he had fought for.
Golam Sarwar Chowdhury teaches English in the Department of English, Notre Dame University, Bangladesh.