Originally posted in The Daily Star on 9 July 2021
Emeritus publisher Mohiuddin Ahmed, the doyen of Bangladesh’s publishing industry, left us on June 22, 2021. As it is said, life ends but memories do not. When I recall my association with him, three distinctive episodes and numerous encounters flash across my mind.
I came to know Mohiuddin Ahmed, founder of the University Press Limited (UPL), in Dhaka during the late 1980s. This was in connection with the processing of a publication titled From Aid Dependence to Self-Reliance (1990), a task entrusted by Professor Rehman Sobhan, the then Director General of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS). In the old-fashioned process of preparing the final typescript of the book, I have had the opportunity to observe Mohiuddin Ahmed, then in his energetic late 40s, in full form and action. For a young researcher, it was indeed instructive for me to see how he visualised the whole value chain of production and implemented each of the discrete activities with finesse. He could envision the final product—how the book will look like.
My second cherished involvement with him took place when he undertook the responsibility to publish the 29 Task Force Reports, prepared by more than 250 national experts under the stewardship of Rehman Sobhan when he was an Advisor in the caretaker government led by Justice Shahabuddin. I remained closely engaged with Mohiuddin Ahmed in planning and delivering the four volumes which came out under the title Report of the Task Forces on Bangladesh Development Strategies for the 1990s (1991). I witnessed how he approached this project from the perspective of national responsibility. He even got his daughter Shamarukh to design the cover of the volumes.
My third set of intimate interactions with him relates to the second half of 1990s when the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) entered into an arrangement with UPL for publication of the series captioned Independent Review of Bangladesh Development (IRBD). The first volume of the series, captioned Experiences with Economic Reform: A Review of Bangladesh Development, came out in 1995. I was impressed to observe Mohiuddin Ahmed’s approach in providing an expanded readership to our otherwise uncheerful analysis of the state of the economy. This was indeed an illustration of how he combined commercial and creative acumen.
In the 2000s, my interactions with Mohiuddin Bhai (by that time I could allow the familiarity) became limited for a number of reasons, one being his weakening health. Yet, whenever we met, conversation with this erudite and accomplished person would be an enriching experience for me. I fondly remember the dinner discussion we had at his residence when he invited a group of his authors.
Our conversations would often veer towards the future of book publishing, particularly given the changing reading habit, infringement of copyright and escalation of printing cost. I would often raise my concern over the limited English readership in Bangladesh; he would always reassure me that the libraries around the world will be the main repository of the UPL publications. Mohiuddin Bhai’s optimistic outlook regarding the prospect of book reading is vindicated by the fact that book sales value increased globally by 1.4 percent in 2018.
Another major theme of our discussions had been the evolving business model for book marketing. I was struck by Mohiuddin Bhai’s readiness to adapt to technological and digital innovations—whether it concerned print to order, tie-in publishing, referral marketing or use of e-commerce platforms for sale and publicity. This was the time when Kindle was gaining popularity. For him, printing hard copies and going digital were not an either/or situation. His bottom-line was: under conceivable circumstances, quality of the books produced should not get compromised. I guess this attitude spoke about his deep passion for books and profound respect for his authors.
In this connection, we often jointly lamented the absence of a string of decent bookshops—spacious and well-stocked—as Dhaka’s socio-cultural mini-epicentres. This theme would often take us to the issues concerning Ekushey Boi Mela organised annually by Bangla Academy. Mohiuddin Bhai was of the view that such book fairs should be held more often and target specific audience. He was mindful of the changing demographic profile of the readership and the need to appreciate that from a publisher’s perspective. Thus, he ventured into diversifying UPL’s catalogue including books of various genres. We also talked about lenient return policy and public availability of imprints.
Mohiuddin Bhai was a person with an international outlook, underpinned by his grooming and conviction. I remember mentioning to him that book publishing is a global industry amounting to about USD 100 billion, where almost a million people are employed. He would then implore us to do research on the publishing sector of Bangladesh and highlight the policy challenges that it faces. I guess one day a proper study will be done in this area as a tribute to Mohiuddin Bhai and other pioneers of the country’s publishing industry.
Mohiuddin Bhai, through UPL, has created a brand identity. I wonder what underlies this vaunted identity. What are its assets? Is it because UPL is a market leader? Or is it because of its ability to inspire the market? My best guess in this regard is quite simple. The values espoused by its founder underpin UPL’s brand identity. He had been an eminent standard-bearer of post-independence Bangladesh. He was engaged in promoting creation of a democratic, secular and progressive society by instilling reading habits among the citizens. He greatly valued the power of knowledge as a driver for change. He maintained that the ability to read is not a privilege, but a right.
Mohiuddin Bhai had been a lucky person. He could find in his other daughter, Mahrukh, a talented and conscientious chief executive of UPL. In her hands, UPL’s brand value is only expected to rise. I trust the vision and ideas, hopes and dreams of Mohiuddin Ahmed are making an inter-generational transition.
That makes me believe that Mohiuddin Ahmed’s mortal being may not be with us anymore but his spirit would always be with us, as we strive for an inclusive and prosperous Bangladesh.
Debapriya Bhattacharya is Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).