The Immortal Mrs. Manzur

Dear Mrs. Manzur,

Sunbeams will not be Sunbeams without you. The corridors will miss your steady footsteps. The students and faculty will miss your confident leadership. You gave your students a solid foundation in their life. You helped them build character. You opened up new horizons for them.

You set clear expectations. You wanted your children at Sunbeams to be resilient, sensible, self-assured, helpful, grateful, and above all, a community of givers. You defined this never-giving-up trait to be the Bengali spirit. You had decided that the medium of instruction would be Bangla and English for some subjects. You were also our emotional shelter, our loving friend, philosopher and guide.

You personified the values of kindness, simplicity, curiosity and leadership. You did not have an ounce of excess in you. You shied away from interviews. But you made an exception when you made a brief appearance in Mr. Manzur Elahi's NTV interview. You said that you admired a strong sense of responsibility, a passion for justice, intelligence, friendship and patience.

Today we are numb and heartbroken to have lost you. Kaiser Tamiz Amin, from your first batch of students, aptly reflects that we are mourning your quietus and celebrating your immense contribution as an educationist par excellence. Sabera Zareen, also from your first batch of students, says, "I have no words right now. She has been such a source of strength for me personally. I am left truly bereft." Her 20-year-old son Areeb, a second-generation Beamer, feels the world will be a poorer place without you.

Mrs. Manzur, I think you would have been very pleased to learn that one of your students from the seventies, Tazeen Ishart Zaman, has carried her corrected grammar script (with your comments) all the way to Jeddah as a memento, which she has been fondly preserving to this date. This is a testimony to the kind of impact, respect and influence you exerted upon your students.

I think you had the knack to get brilliant teachers on board. Mrs. Amin, Mrs. Khan, Mrs. Taher, Mrs. Huda, Mrs. Omar, Mrs. Rahman, Mrs. Sattar taught their designated subjects so well. They challenged us to comprehend, imagine and create.

As for me, you are coming into my mind's eye in your pretty floral silk saris. Right now, my mind is going back to Road 22, Dhanmandi R.A., where you moved Sunbeams from your home into a bigger space. You rented Mr. Bazle Kader's first floor flat with a yard. In that yard was a seesaw, possibly a swing, a bench and enough room to run around. There was a driveway where we would stroll and chat. You added outdoor play, the opportunity to foster lifelong friendship, to serious learning. In my mind, I still see you entering the compound with Nasim and Munize, your son and daughter. I see you heading towards your office, which was in the smallest room of the flat.

At the entrance, you had posted our vigilant "Darwan Bhai', who would only open the gate just enough to let students come in and leave, one or two at a time. You kept an eye on the safety of the children. You made it possible for Darwan Bhai to live with his family at the school.

Mrs. Manzur, you remind me of Josephine March, Louisa May Alcott's unforgettable heroine who loved her family, loved her students and loved to write. I am wondering if you by any chance kept a journal? Like Jo, you too built a school for little women and little men where there was love, learning and play. This love transformed your students into big women and big men now spread all over the world.

The community you built to do good is now raising their hands in prayer for you and saying, "O soul at peace, return to your Lord, well-pleased and well-pleasing."

With love, regards and gratitude from Class VII of the 70s: Sabera, Shahla, Rubana, Nabila, Sohel and Kaiser.