One can hardly escape the architectural and aesthetic beauty of the building at Ramna.
The elegant building with ornamental trees and manicured garden was constructed to accommodate Queen Elizabeth II during her maiden visit to Dhaka (then the provincial capital of East Pakistan) in the early 60s.
Later, the house served as the State Guest House “Padma” and lodged several dignitaries.
During the turbulent days of March 1971, Bangabandhu, the undisputed leader and the greatest Bangali ever, held dialogue with General Yahya Khan -- then President of Pakistan -- and several political leaders including Bhutto in this building for the realization of the six-point demands.
After our independence, Bangabandhu named the building “Gono Bhaban” and maintained his office as the prime minister of independent Bangladesh from this building. He always resided at his personal residence at Road 32, Dhanmandi .
I would like to recount an incident from back then: I accompanied my father to greet Bangabandhu on Eid. The year was 1973 and I was a college student. Abba drove the car and parked inside the premises. Surprisingly, there was no security worth mentioning. A few plainclothes security personnel and gardeners and orderlies were at hand. We were quite early and there were few visitors.
Bangabandhu was fond of Tagore songs and we found him listening to one of his favourate numbers in his office room. As soon as we reached the verandah in front of his room, Bangabandhu came out and greeted us with his charismatic laughter. He engaged in conversations with my father and a few other guests. Unbelievable that there was no protocol, no security.
Shortly, a queue was formed and Bangabandhu greeted each with a big hug. He literally pulled me up and embraced me with a big hug -- a memory I shall relish throughout my life.
After the tragic assassination of Bangabandhu, the name of the building was changed to “Sugandha” by the BNP government and still bears the same name. Although it was one of Khaleda's official premises, she never attended any official engagements in this building. Rather it was occupied by one of her trusted lieutenants, one Falu.
To my utter surprise, I found the historic building recently occupied by the Foreign Service Academy. This was something unexpected. There are dozens of buildings in the city for such institutions. The ministry of foreign affairs should immediately vacate the building at the earliest and restoration work be done to restore the glory of this highly historic building.
The building should be restored as a state guest house again with the office room dedicated to Bangabandhu. The building is part of our glorious history. Let us try to preserve it as such.
Dr Shamim Ahmed is a senior public health and nutrition specialist, a passionate traveler and a photographer.