He taught me to unlearn...

[Rituu B. Nanda]

The first time I spoke to S.M Tazammal Haque from Bangladesh Rural Economic Development (BRED) was on 6th Nov 2023. As Nawaz and I were to visit their office later in the month, I shared briefly about SALT and the baseline. There was warmth in his tone that immediately connected us. When we met at the BRED office in Dhaka, we formed an instant bond - we both confessed to not being morning people, which became an ongoing joke between us. 

(he is third one from the right)

Unlearning We invited six NGOs of Global Fund for Children's community led Addressing Root Cause (ARC) Initiative for SALT and CLCLP in Dhaka. As one of the participants, the respect he had for everyone was remarkable.Despite his over 40 years of experience, he was genuinely curious and attentive, always eager to listen and learn from others, regardless of their age or experience. In our final reflections, he humbly admitted to absorbing much from everyone, especially those younger than him. The word that comes to my mind is grace- the way he interacted with others.

(Bhai presents values of BRED)

(SALT conversation with Lipika di)

Upon my return from Bangladesh, I received two calls from him. He informed me that SALT and CLCP had prompted him to rethink BRED's approach to working with communities, leading him to include SALT in concept notes for two BRED proposals to funders. He followed up with this message, "We have also been able to sharpen our old rusty brains with new knowledge and ideas. Hopefully the knowledge gained will make our future endeavours more successful."

His last message to me on whatsapp- "Let 2024 be the year of SALT's progress and excellence.Happy New Year 2024! "

I was excited that we will gain from his experience as we embark on the ARC initiative, but it was not to be. Tazzamul Bhai, your gentle soul has left an indelible imprint on our lives, and you will be dearly missed by the ARC Bangladesh Cohort. You had said that you will be excited when Nawaz and I facilitate the BRED's organization dream and have lunch prepared at BRED office. This was not to be.