Goodbye, gentle soul
On meeting Rokia Afzal Rahman for the first time, one would most likely be disarmed by her demeanour. But within minutes, one was also likely to be overwhelmed by the breadth of her views, the command over facts and the clarity of her arguments, especially those dealing with business and women's rights issues. An exceptional combination of charm and professional abilities made her a natural leader. She was a most sought-after collaborator for most business ventures. As her reputation spread, she was invited to join the board of many companies, but she chose the ones that gave priority to women and the socially disadvantaged. She was literally everywhere -- leading business groups, advising the youth on how to move forward, and helping struggling women entrepreneurs find their footing. She was the beacon of hope for women in business as a whole.
Then there was the Rokia Rahman who was relentless in empowering women. She knew that the most effective way to assist women was to make them financially independent and hence devoted her energy to making them enter business as she was very confident about women's business abilities and opened institutions for entrepreneurship training and funding.
Education and skill development should be top priority for the young generation. But I think the most important virtues are empathy and kindness. We should start doing good to people from a very young age.
It was this Rokia Rahman that became the chairperson of the Mediaworld, the owning company of The Daily Star, in 2002, at the demise of her husband, Azimur Rahman, a highly respected business person and the founding chair of Mediaworld. The Daily Star got a new chair and I got a new guide and over time a committed fellow traveller for free media and a personal friend. As the CEO of the company, my interaction with the new chair was both regular and intense. There were two things that struck me immediately and have grown deeper over the 21 years while she ran Mediaworld -- her exceptional business acumen and respect for free media.
With her extraordinary business expertise, she guided The Daily Star's revenue growth and made the paper financially strong. She insisted on the highest standard in accounting and strove to bring the most innovative business practices to the organisation. It would be a different kind of pride that she would exude while receiving the highest taxpayer award as the company's chair.
Her empathy for the staff was both deep and natural. After her occasional meeting with me and the senior members of the administration at the office, she would go down to the newsroom and engage with both senior and junior colleagues to enquire about their family situation. She unfailingly attended our annual staff day celebrations and spend hours with us.
Like her husband and other members of the Board, her commitment to the freedom of press, independent journalism and to the independence of the institution of the editor was total. She never hesitated to personally call and often visit me to extend her full support through all the legal and political harassments that I faced while running this paper. For me, she was a great source of courage. She was most regular in communicating her sincere appreciation for the bold journalism that this paper practised. Her trust in the editor was unquestioned and never during her 21 years of chairmanship was any question ever raised about the editorial position that the paper took.
Roki to her friends and Roki Bhabi to her admirers including me, she was the epitome of gentleness, care and courtesy. With the never-fading smile on her face, inexhaustible energy, and tremendous sensitivity to other people's feelings, she would lead business bodies, participate in women empowerment activities, innovate new ways to assist struggling businesses, especially women entrepreneurs, extend a helping hand to young people lost in the corporate world and reach out to people and organisations devoted to helping the underprivileged.
Her elegance stood out wherever she went. Her integrity and honesty captured most people she interacted with and her humility and modesty made people wonder how could a single individual have so many qualities. The Almighty was indeed most generous in endowing her with many magnificent qualities. We pray to Him now that she be Blessed with Eternal Peace.