The Exclusive Collection of AKM Enayet Kabir

Photo: Kazi Tahsin Agaz Apurbo

A vast steel mass, disguised as a door, will open into a room that stops your breath at first sight. What you will witness will make you feel unreal for a slight second before you can swallow in the fact that you are, as off now, surrounded by more than just history. What you will witness is an area of 5,000 square feet with at least 75 percent covered in shelves—shelves that carry the past, present and future. 

AKM Enayet Kabir Khan, a 64 year old zealous individual with an incredible zest for life, has collected around 60,000 stamps, 1,000 FDC's, 5,000 coins, 3,000 telephone cards, 2,000 key-rings, 1,000 matchboxes, along with books, re-prints, annual reports, magazines, tabloids and newspapers collectively weighing more than 40 tons, dating from 1968-2014.

He also has a massive collection of books and research papers, which even eminent personalities like Mohammad Zafar Iqbal and other great names, sometimes use for reference. "Even our government doesn't possess documents and papers from before 1978. I can boast about my collection of papers and historical documents, dating back to 1971 and even earlier," says Kabir. 

His knack for history and knowledge stemmed within him at a very young age. 

Having been raised in humble beginnings, with his best friends being the milkman's son and a rickshaw-puller's son, the environment in St. Josephs's High School was one that Enayet was not used to. "The year was 1966, pre-liberation period," starts Kabir. "Even though I was just an engineer's son, a profession not too popular back then, my father thrust me in the midst of high-profile children, the sons of the crème de la crème of the society. Many of the children were from high-profile Pakistani families who always believed to be better than us," he says. 

Bullied every now and then, Kabir made it a point to be better than them, no matter his financial position, through wit and intelligence. He believed, in his own words, that 'a person does not need money to be of quality'. He once challenged his friend, Assad, to tell him where Queen Elizabeth was during her coronation, something he read up on an issue of Reader's Digest. Being laughed at the query and met with a reply stating, "I go to the UK for vacations, you think I won't know?" Enayet left the scene with more ardour than ever to prove himself smarter. He began reading.

He began studying harder, performing better, he always stood among the first 5 students in class, became Head Monitor, began captaining teams – cricket, football, basketball and baseball, and proved his point successfully at that young an age. "Apart from academic results, I felt the importance of gaining general knowledge. Most of my time was spent devouring the contents of books about politics, history, philosophy and general knowledge on world affairs," he says. In 1970, he passed the Senior Cambridge exams and was placed in the First Division with a place on the School Honour Roll.

Soon after, he joined Notre Dame College, and passed in the higher Secondary Division, only to be admitted into Dhaka University afterwards to study Public Administration, which was then called Political Science. Since in college, Enayet has been actively revolting against examination techniques and our education system, claiming that the system was and still is restricted primarily to the physical sciences, technologies and professions—it teaches how to earn a living, but not how to live. "The education system follows outdated philosophies of developing the machine, while neglecting the very development of a human being—character, right sense of values and the knowledge and real purpose of life," says Kabir.

After completing his degree, he took on a path that he always had leant towards- travelling. "I was always fascinated with tourism. Immediately after university, I began travelling around each and every corner of the country. I believe we cannot judge our merits and shortcomings until we come in contact with people in the remote areas, go through the deep forests, stand on the banks of the mighty rivers like Meghna, Padma, Jamuna, listen to the music of the flowing waters and enjoy the beauty of the landscape lying outside our small houses in the city."

In 1979, he sat for his Master's final examination, after which he was sent to America to pursue his doctorate. "But I didn't want to be there! My country had gained liberation just some years ago, and for the young minds to be away at such a crucial time was a preposterous thought to me," he says, "I wrote to my father after a couple of months, saying that I will make sure that my children are privileged enough to come and study on foreign land, but it was time for me to sacrifice and work for my beloved growing nation. I firmly believed in the youth, as I still do, and journeyed back to my Bangladesh as soon as I could," says Kabir.

After returning to Bangladesh, Enayet opted to marry without the considerations of wealth, social status, etc. "I found an ordinary orphaned girl, with an extra-ordinary personality." Even after objections from family regarding her wealth and background, Enayet decided to start a new life with Jahanara Akhter Sheela, on June 12, 1980. With Sheela, and one wooden bed (Chawki), he found himself a one bedroom apartment in Sayedabad. "I continued to help Sheela become an empowered woman. She was and is my best friend, so I nurtured her skills and intellect, I helped develop her mind, and once she obtained her Master's degree, even after birthing one daughter and two sons, I presented her, with all the status and background they could ask for, in front of my family."

He first ventured out into the corporate world by joining the famous South Korean Multi-national group, Daewoo Corporation's Dhaka Liaison Office in mid-August of 1981. After being with Daewoo till 1988, Enayet came across a friend of his, chairman of Abedin Group, who was about to close down his garment's business due to problems he faced from the labour unions. While people called the garment's business a 'sick industry', Enayet had challenged to show them that it's not the industry that's sick, it is the management making it so. He took a job with Abedin Group promising that he will fix every problem within the two years of his contract- a promise he successfully kept. Afterwards, he joined the International Trade Agency, and also later, in 1995 went on to becoming the Director of Overseas Projects in Bangladesh for Gooryong Company Ltd. 

In 2003, Enayet went into retirement after a mild myocardial attack. He then began using his time to be a freelance columnist. He wrote 53 sub-editorials for The Independent, a national daily, on various socio-economic problems in our country. He also joined the NGO Brotee, as a project coordinator for Human Rights in vulnerable communities for one year post retirement. 

Kabir has been awarded the Sher-e Bangla Memorial Trophy 2010 for contributing to socio-economic activities, Mother Teresa Golden Trophy 2010 for his contribution in collecting materials for knowledge expansion, and the Bangabandhu Memorial Award for his collection of rare materials and documents on the Liberation War and the Father of the Nation. He has also been awarded as the 'Best Researcher' by the first Rajshahi Little Magazine Fair 2012, Baul Tori Honorary Award 2013 for his role as a researcher, collector and freelance writer, Mahatma Gandhi Peace Award 2013, Ananna Social Service Gold Award 2014 and the Nelson Mandela Gold Award 2014 for his role in pursuing valuable documents and information related to the Liberation War of Bangladesh, along with many more. He has even written an autobiography called 'The Odd Man in the Society', first published in 1998, and later edited and republished this year. 

Throughout this life full of adventure, struggle and perseverance, Enayet has managed to travel to 44 countries, and take in everything he could- culture, history, politics. When he had just purchased the house he currently lives in, situated in Uttara, he had already planned for setting up his library cum research center. Within four months, he was able to complete the steel-structured book shelves, and arranged to put all his books, magazines, weekly and daily newspapers, catalogues, brochures, research papers, etc.

"Since I was a child, my parents have told me, time and again, that Knowledge is Power. It was so well ingrained in my mind that that was what I had based my whole life on. I realised that money can be stolen or lost, health and strength may fail, but what I have committed to my mind is mine forever!" Having said that, Enayet wants the youth of today to realise the same. "And it is for them precisely that I have collected everything I have learned from my entire life, even more, and kept them intact in one place for them to come find and learn themselves." His greatest strength, he says, is that he is able to provide students, scholars, and intellectuals, with all the material they may need to research on at least 36 topics- ranging from human rights, women's rights, child rights, politics, history, literature, development, water, communism, democracy, Iraq war, the break up of the USSR, The Liberation War, and many, many, many more. "I don't see too many people from my generation who are doing much to help the youth bring actual betterment to the nation. Those with authority, especially." Knowing the role the youth can play in the development of a society with enough support, Enayet Kabir has embarked upon the journey to create history using history– by recording every moment and every symbol of the journey of his life. He has collected both questions to ponder upon, and the path to finding the answers. He has collected history worth knowing, knowledge worth pursuing, and everything else one would need to do the best thing a human being can do- learn. He will be opening his library as a full-fledged research-center, as soon as the set up is completed. "This is what I have done for the youth and the future of our country. This is my contribution. I need the young ones to know that there is support for them." What else do we need to strive and move forward, when we have everything that is safely stored the in exclusive collection of AKM Enayet Kabir?