BEN’s shock and grief at the death of Prof. Jamilur Reza Chowdhury

UsaNewsOnline.Com Desk : Bangladesh Environment Network (BEN) expresses its profound shock and grief at the news of passing away of Prof. Jamilur Reza Chowdhury, an icon of high professional expertise, great sense of public purpose, a dedicated soul for protection of environment, and an immensely respected and popular figure among the professional circles and public at large of Bangladesh.   
One of the national professors, Dr. Jamilur Rahman Chowdhury, had a distinguished teaching and research career at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), where he served for many decades. He later served as the Vice Chancellor of BRAC University and Asia Pacific University, deploying his organizational and leadership qualities in building and developing new higher educational establishments of the country. Alongside, he offered his services for successful execution of various large and mega infrastructural projects, including the Padma Bridge project, of which he was the national consultant. 
Prof. Jamilur Reza Chowdhury — or JRC, as he was respectfully called — was one of the pioneers of the environment movement of Bangladesh. He joined several other leading citizens of the country to form the civic group POROSH (Poribesh Rokkha Shopoth) in the late 1990s. He want one of the first to enthusiastically endorse and support the proposal put forward by BEN to hold an International Conference on Bangladesh Environment (ICBEN) to bring together all the pro-environment forces of the country. He served as the Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the ICBEN, held in Dhaka in January 2000. He then served for two terms as the President of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA), a common platform of pro-environment organizations and individuals that was formed following the ICBEN. Under his able leadership, BAPA developed as a well-recognized national organization, dedicated to protection of environment. He led BAPA ‘s struggle on many environmental issues and provided excellent leadership to the organization of many important BAPA-BEN conferences, including the landmark International Conference on Regional Cooperation on Transboundary Rivers (ICRCTR) held in Dhaka in 2004, discussing the impact of the Indian River Linking Project (IRLP), with large participation of experts and activists from India. BAPA was very dear to Prof. Chowdhury’s heart, and he continued to be part of it as an Adviser. Prof. Jamilur Reza Chowdhury always had high appreciation of the role of BEN and its on-going collaboration with BAPA. 
JRC was a remarkable man. In a recent reception, arranged in his honor in New York, he narrated events of his life, including how, following his Ph. D. in England, he was offered a position in the USA by Act. Fazlur Rahman; how he declined it to return to BUET in Bangladesh; and how that decision allowed him to be useful for the country in many ways. He drew a distinction between “success” (shafolloy, in Bangla) and “worthwhile” (Sharthak, in Bangla), and noted that achieving success may not always mean that the life has been worthwhile. He said that he was happy that he considered his life has been worthwhile. There is hardly anybody, who would disagree with that evaluation.
So we mourn the death of this remarkable man, who combined both professionalism and patriotism, who displayed dignity and high moral values, who was friendly and amiable, who succeeded both in the classroom as teacher and in the playground in various sports; who liked modernity but was passionate about protection of environment — an exceptionally well-rounded man, a man of integrity without any haughtiness, a rare person who the young generation can look up to as an ideal to follow and emulate. 
In his death, both BAPA and BEN have lost a great guardian and a great support. He had much more to give to the country and to the cause of environment, and so we are sad. However, the solace may probably lie in the evaluation of his life that he himself have — his was a worthwhile life. So farewell, JRC! You will always be remembered with deep respect and love, particularly by all of BAPA and BEN and others of the environmental movement. 
BEN offers its sincere condolences to the members of Prof. Jamilur Reza Chowdhury’s family and his countless friends, admirers, and well-wishers. Press Release.