A young journalist and rhymer Abdul Kadir Jibon, editor of The Earth of Autograph (it’s the first English magazine in Sylhet Division) was invited to the Dreamy Youth program, a regular event hosted by Sylhet Division’s popular online Television SYLTV. The day was Saturday, January 11, 2020. The interview was highlighted exactly-
Faiza Rafa: Dream. Dream is a small word. We all see dreams and try to fulfill these. Dreamy Youth is a regular host of SYL TV. Welcome everyone, I am Faiza Rafa. Today’s event is courtesy of Rifat & Company Sylhet. Abdul Kadir Jibon, a Dreamy Youth is our guest, who will share about his dreams and activities. Let the audience talk to him and we know about his dreams. We also know what he does.
Faiza Rafa: Congratulations to you from the office of Syl TV.
Abdul Kadir Jibon: I wish you all the best to invite me here.
Faiza Rafa: What do you do?
Abdul Kadir Jibon: At first I give my identity; I am Abdul Kadir Jibon. My house is in Birgaon village of East Birangao union of South Sunamganj upazila under Sunamganj district in Sylhet division. I have completed my BA Honors from the English Department of Leading University, the first private university in Sylhet. Besides, I have been regularly publishing the English magazine ‘The Autograph’ on literature, culture, history, heritage and society. Moreover, I am associated with various literary and cultural organizations in Sylhet. Besides, I have been working on and also composing rhymes, poems, essays, stories, and children’s literature.
Faiza Rafa: People have many dreams. Can I know the reason why there is a desire for hope in writing?
Abdul Kadir Jibon: Every human being in the world has a dream. People live because they have dreams. If he does not have a dream, what will he live with? Every human being has different dreams. When I was a child, when I read Bangla books in school, I read poems and various writings of many poets like Kazi Nazrul Islam, Rabindranath Tagore, rural poet Jasim Uddin, Begum Rokeya Shakhawat Hossain, Bandhe Ali Mia. And since then, basically a pull of writing has been working in me. That became a reality in 2012 with the publication of the poem ‘Mother’ in the Kazir Bazar newspaper in Sylhet. What else did I have a habit of writing when I was younger?
Faiza Rafa: How do you feel about writing?
Abdul Kadir Jibon: I like to write a lot at the present time. Although I study hard, I am still writing. Since the articles are being published locally and nationally, the writing is very good. I feel better when someone tells me that your writing is beautiful. I feel really good then. I want to write for the benefit of the country, society and people.
Faiza Rafa: What kind of writing do you basically write?
Abdul Kadir Jibon: I mainly write about children’s literature. I write rhymes, poems, articles as well as essays and stories on various issues of the society.
Faiza Rafa: So, why do you develop the sudden interest in children’s literature? There are more different issues. For example, there was Bengali literature and English literature; books could also be written on politics.
Abdul Kadir Jibon: Children’s Literature and Political Literature is at the root of all literature, when we were young. Then we have gradually been grown up. Children are the future of the days to come. The realization of writing comes from when these children read books or write rhyming poems from books. Many great writers enjoy working with children’s literature. I also enjoy.
Faiza Rafa: The main thing is that you enjoy working with children.
Abdul Kadir Jibon: Exactly.
Faiza Rafa: Have you published any books or magazines so far?
Abdul Kadir Jibon: I work with children’s literature. So my first book was published in 2019. This is on children’s literature. The title of the book is ‘Sorrows Dance to Happiness (দুঃখ নাচে সুখের কাছে)’. I got a lot from the book. Then the presenter shows the book to the audience.
Faiza Rafa: When was the book published and how did you get it?
Abdul Kadir Jibon: Alhamdulillah. As the first book I got a lot throughout. At that time, I got a lot of inspiration, encouragement and stimuli from my friends, relatives, writers and all quarters. I have got a lot of love from readers. I see when my students of four, five or six read the book and tell me that, sir, I have read your book properly. It is very good and the writings have been very beautiful. I like it very much then. He cannot express in delightful language.
Faiza Rafa: Have you published any other book besides this one?
Abdul Kadir Jibon: When I was admitted to Leading University, since then I have been publishing The Earth of Autograph English Magazine. Of course, this is what I started in Bengali in 2014 as a four page Little Mag (journal). After having been admitted to the varsity, it seemed that the magazine was to be translated from Bengali to English. My aim is to express the language of the country, society and people in English. I have been publishing English magazines ever since.
Faiza Rafa: Why did you suddenly become interested in English literature instead of Bangla literature?
Abdul Kadir Jibon: A very thoughtful question. In fact, we all know English is an international language. People in every country know a little bit about this language. And I read English. I am working (studying) 24 hours with English language. From there my enthusiasm and interest arose. I love it when I read the poems and writings of William Shakespeare, John Milton, and PB Shelley. That is my inspiration. Then I talked to my sir that, ‘I publish a Bengali magazine. I want to publish it in English. The Head of the department of English at that time was Mohammad Nazrul Islam Sir. Then Sir encouraged me to publish. From then on, I started publishing English magazines.
Faiza Rafa: The audience has seen you. The author has already published 9 books. So surely you have brought the writings of a notable person among them. How do you collect these articles?
Abdul Kadir Jibon: I understand your question. I had to accept many sacrifices to get the first Issue out. After that the situation slowly came in my favor. It has been created through a good relationship with everyone. I keep in touch with Sir and Madam of every university in Sylhet including my English department and collect writings from them. Although I think that it was very difficult to publish the magazine out. Even then, sticking is not impossible. This is the first time I have told Sir and Madam that if you write for me, I will get a lot of encouragement and courage. Then they would write. Even then one party became my enemy. They didn’t want me to take it out. On the other hand some friends have cooperated with me all the time. It Inspired me to move forward. They have always supported me to publish magazines.
Faiza Rafa: What kind of newspaper do you write or work for?
Abdul Kadir Jibon: I have not written or am writing in any single newspaper. My writings have been published in different newspapers at different times. Many articles have been published in local and national magazines. My rhyme has been published in daily Ittefaq, Janakantha, Sangram.
Faiza Rafa: How do you feel when your writing is published?
Abdul Kadir Jibon: In a word, it feels very good. I can’t express in words the joy I felt when my English article was published in the national daily Daily Sun. It was very good when my article was published in about seven English magazines published from Dhaka. Besides, I am writing in Bangla and English equally. Books have been published; various readers are collecting books written by me. Then I must feel good.
Faiza Rafa: You are doing things; you are saying that you have enemies. If you share the good and bad things, you do these things.
Abdul Kadir Jibon: This is the most beautiful question in today’s interview. We know that every human being faces many obstacles in achieving his success. Not just in my life. I went to a lot of people to collaborate when I published this magazine. What’s not to like is that most people don’t cooperate. I got the support of a fewer number of people. I didn’t even get support from my loved ones. My people have made fun of me. As they say, we are Bangalees and he has brought English. We know that about 25 national dailies of Bangladesh are published in English online and print media. Here I am just publishing a Little Mag. Let me tell you a story. When the first Issue came out, in consultation with the head sir of my English department, I took the initiative to organize a publication. It was a very big event. I was supposed to have many varsity students here starting from Sir Madam. Two TVs were supposed to be live. Many people from outside the varsity were supposed to gather. It is unfortunate but true that on the day of the ceremony Sir-Madam everyone came. I came with everyone, including my classmates. VC did not come to the ceremony at 3 o’clock, 2 o’clock sir. He can’t stay. Now you understand that I managed so much with a lot of effort and I could not be successful anymore. There was a lot of sadness in my mind.
Faiza Rafa: What was the reason behind the cancellation?
Abdul Kadir Jibon: I can’t say the main reason behind the cancellation. Even after that, if you say something, you will understand. As I said before, some people or individuals are for me, and some people are against me. There were some technical problems. Which I couldn’t do the publishing event. I had a lot of troubles that day. Because of the one who edits and publishes the magazine knows how much tension he has to deal with.
Anyway, four years later, in December, the 9th issue of my magazine was published. One day I saw Rubaiyat Ferdous, a professor of Mass Communication and Journalism at Dhaka University, a popular person on YouTube, at our university. That’s when I showed up there with my magazine team. When VC Sir came out with the guest Sir, we were also ready to unfold the magazine. Really, that we enjoyed the day. Praise to VC Sir. I really forgot all the sorrow and pain when I saw the guest that day. VC Sir said, Jibon give the magazine to everyone. So I handed the magazine to everyone and everyone was happy. Even the guest sir praised me very much.
Faiza Rafa: You have got support from many and you have not got support from many, so how do you recover it?
Abdul Kadir Jibon: We all know that if one road is closed for someone, Allah Almighty opens ten more roads for him. I believe that. You must know who Harry Potter was. JK Rawlin is a popular children’s writer. This JK Rawlin went to 12 people for support. But John number thirteen did not disappoint him. I also believe that if I don’t get help from one person, I will get help from another person until my working will be successful or I get my support persons. There is a saying in English that, Failure is the pillar of success, this theory is most useful to me.
Faiza Rafa: Where has your magazine The Earth of Autograph been published so far? Or can we find it in a bookstore? If you want you can tell our visitors where it is available.
Abdul Kadir Jibon: The Earth of Autograph Magazine can be found at Jasim Book House, Amber Khana, and Maruf Library, Zinda Bazar Raja Mansion Sylhet City. In addition, the Central Muslim Sahitya Sangsad (Kemusas) Library, various University Libraries, many English Medium School & College Libraries and Shahjalal University of Science and Technology Library, preserved for reading.
Faiza Rafa: What is special about this magazine? What can we learn from reading this?
Abdul Kadir Jibon: The Earth of Autographs is an English language magazine on literature, culture, history heritage and social affairs of the globe. Now you understand the main theme of the magazine. Moreover, if I say it specifically, it is – rhyme, poems, stories, essays, biography, interviews, local, national and international news, etc., we give priority to the issues. If anyone sends us an email, we publish it. You will see that not every issue we interview one by one. No. In the first issue, I publish an interview with the famous writer Mohammad Zafar Iqbal. In the next issue we interviewed Dr. Mohammad Kamruzzaman Chowdhury, Vice Chancellor of Leading University, then Dewan Mahmud Raja Chowdhury, General Secretary of Kemusas. If we get a chance, we will interview Shafiul Alam Chowdhury Nadal, the organizing secretary of Bangladesh Awami League, for the next issue. Since our next issue (Mujib Year) is selected as the appropriate person.
Faiza Rafa: You get a lot of interviews from them, don’t you?
Abdul Kadir Jibon: Of course I get a lot. The magazine bridges the gap between people on positions through interviews.
Faiza Rafa: Many people are afraid of English literature. It is often seen that university students are afraid to write and speak something of English literature. So can we overcome the English fear through The Earth of Autograph?
Abdul Kadir Jibon: You will see that when you read the magazine, all the articles are written in easy language. Some are written in hard language. So here we are getting both writers and both authors. The funny thing here is that the fifth grade students are also writing. A tenth grader is also writing and a university student is also writing. You may think, if they can write, why can’t I? Then you will see that he will be able to write because he has tried. You don’t have to learn English to use it. Something creative has to be done.
Faiza Rafa: I have been discussing your writing for so long, what are your future plans for writing?
Abdul Kadir Jibon: A.P. Abdul Kalam said, ‘The dream is not that you see in sleep, the dream is which does not let you sleep’. I have a dream that doesn’t let me sleep. And I do not sleep. On the account of my dream has not been fulfilled yet. You may have heard of the world-famous writer Abdullah Abu Saeed, who named one of his books “Man is as big as his dream”. Anishul Haque, a popular mayor of Dhaka City, said in Convocation at Dhaka University that “people are as big as their dreams” and people cannot choose without dreams. From this vision I also say, I have many dreams ahead of me that I have to fulfill. I have to try hard to meet it. As you know, DS Lawrence says that those who dream with open eyes are called dangerous people. Because of if they don’t fulfill their dreams, their dawn doesn’t come. You know, the dream of the world’s most powerful former president, Barack Obama, has come true. He said I would be president of America, he did. It is the fruit of his labor. I am Abdul Kadir Jibon, I also have a dream. I also try hard to realize my dream. The dream has saved me.
I have completed B.A. (Hons) in English Language and Literature from Leading University in the Spring Semester 2020. Moreover, completed Kamil (Masters) in the Department of Hadith under the Islamic Arabic University. I have read on both sides. I have many big dreams as he. I will do everything I need to do to fulfill my dream InshaAllah.
Faiza Rafa: What advice would you give too many like you who want to write or who want to come in the field of English Literature?
Abdul Kadir Jibon: I welcome newcomers to writing. They will continue to make every effort to improve the society by presenting the real picture of the country, society and people. Many in our writers’ society write group finance. I will tell them to get out of it. Writers are free, it is very sad if writers refrain from revealing the truth. Writers write, and people become aware of it later. The readers benefit from that. This writing is beneficial for the country and society. Rabindranath Tagore, Shakespeare, Kazi Nazrul Islam, what they have written will be accepted by the people even if it takes thousands more years. Because what they have written paints realistic pictures of the society.
Faiza Rafa: What is the main purpose of writing?
Abdul Kadir Jibon: The main purpose of writing is to present a realistic picture of society. We are trying to paint that picture and I will try that InshaAllah.
Faiza Rafa: What does it mean to fulfill a dream?
Abdul Kadir Jibon: Dream of my country. Every person dreams of his country. The Dream is about the people of the country. My dream is if I can do something for the people of the country or if the people of the country get something good from me or if the people of the country benefit from my activities, it is enough for me.
Faiza Rafa: What would you say to the audience of SylTV today?
Abdul Kadir Jibon: For the purpose of the audience, I would say, I really got a lot of encouragement, love and inspiration from today’s Dreamy Youth Program. This event took me one step further to fulfill my dream. People cannot live without dreams. Dreams work inside everyone. We all have to realize our dreams. There is a proverb in English, if you dream it, you can do it, which means if you dream, you can fulfill it. We will show our children a real dream so that they can fulfill it. Dreaming while sleeping is not a dream. The dream that does not let you sleep is the real dream. My point to the audience is that we want peace. We do not want violence. We want a beautiful, prosperous world. We don’t want to quarrel with each other. If we do something good then the country will be developed, the society will be beautiful, the people will benefit and then the world will be one of ‘one heart and peace’.
Faiza Rafa: Thank you so much for giving us precious time with ‘Dreamy Youth, at the event.
Abdul Kadir Jibon: Fabulaus thanks to you and SylTV
Faiza Rafa: The audience we have been listening to for so long is the story of writer Abdul Kadir Jibon. I am concluding today’s program by inviting you to watch next week. May Allah bless you.
Abdul Kadir Jibon is a young journalist and rhymer. He completed his BA Honors in English Language and Literature from Leading University, the first private university in Sylhet. He is currently working at the popular online news portal ‘Daily CN Bangla’ in Sylhet. Jiban is a life member of the Central Muslim Sahitya Sangsad, a life member of the Haor Sahitya Public Library, a member of the Sylhet Chhara Parishad, the general secretary of the Joybangla Sahitya O Sanskriti Parishad, the Sylhet district branch.
Faiza Rafa is a young journalist and presenter. She is a meritorious student of English Department of Sylhet Metropolitan University. Besides, he is working as a staff reporter of Sylhet’s popular online television ‘SylTV’.
