Dr Mohammed Fazle Rabbee

Dr Nusrat Rabbee

Remembering my father
Dr Md Fazle Rabbee, an internationally renowned cardiologist, was lifted from his house at 75 Jalpaiguri Lane in Shiddeswari, Dhaka on Wednesday, 15th December, 1971 at 4PM by Pakistani army and local razakars. His wife, (late) Dr Mrs Jahan Ara Rabbee, risked her life by appealing to various Pakistani army officials, but to no avail. He was a brilliant man of science and had limited participation in organised religion. However, he maintained a strong identity of his Bengali descent. He was an avid connoisseur of Bangali arts and culture. He personally drove his children every week to lessons by famous artistes, like Mrs Firoza Begum and Mr. Kamol Das Gupta to learn the songs of Kazi Nazrul Islam and Rabindranath Tagore. Dr Rabbee designed clinical studies of communicable diseases that are the main causes of death of children and adults in developing countries, like Bangladesh. As a clinician, he took a holistic approach to medicine and identified the roots of illness wherever possible, for example, poverty or psychological distress around family issues. He believed in combining the best of medicine with compassion for the patient. For his poor patients from around the country, this popular doctor, gave free medical treatment and often medicine, transportation and hospitalisation costs. He was also extremely well liked by child patients, because he took the time to interact with them and understand their clinical symptoms. At home, this popular doctor was a kind and compassionate father and husband. Even though he worked from 7am to 10:30 pm most days, he often rushed home to read bedtime stories to his own children or to go to find ice cream at midnight in the city with his beloved wife. As 1971 approached, Dr Rabbee became very concerned about the increasing ill treatment of Banglis by the Pakistani government. He himself faced such prejudices when he was questioned about his success in medicine and popularity as a professor by Pakistani government in 1969. Before his death, he was selected to receive the Best Professor award in Pakistan, which he declined. On 27th March 1971, he was very disturbed when he visited Dhaka medical college with his wife and saw the extent of the massacre. He asked the attending physicians not to sign death certificates for all the people who were massacred. Dr. Rabbee envisioned a country where poverty is eliminated and the people are free to choose which language to speak and which God to worship. On15th December, before he was lifted from his house by the Pakistani army, he risked his life by driving his own car in the middle of the curfew to make a house call on a patient, who was his trusted employee and an urdu-speaking individual, hailing from West Pakistan. Dr. Rabbee and others like him were killed in 1971 because they believed in a free and modern society where people are empowered to live a better life and where dreams come true for the common person. Even though these people have been silenced, their vision of peace and prosperity of Bangladesh must live on in current and future generations. Dr. Nusrat Rabbee is the daughter of Dr Md Fazle Rabbee. She works in statistical genetics at the University of California at Berkeley.

http://www.thedailystar.net/2004/12/14/d41214090274.htm

Remembering a Martyr
Dr. N. Rabbee

"KAHA le ja rahe ho? Kiu le ja rahe ho?" were the last words Mrs. Rabbee uttered to the Pakistani army before she lost consciousness and fell to the ground on the upper balcony of her home on Jalpaiguri Lane in Shiddeshwari, Dhaka. The Pakistani army released their bayonets from her chest and marched off with her husband, Dr. Mohammed Fazle Rabbee at 4:00 pm on Wednesday, December 15th, 1971. They gave the false pretext of a critically ill patient in the cantonment. "Amar gaye e haat debe na", Dr. Fazle Rabbee commanded the generals in Bangla. He then hurriedly walked into the microbus waiting for him downstairs, looking ever so slightly back towards his beloved wife with whom he had fallen in love the moment he laid eyes on her at the Dhaka Medical College. This is how they parted forever.
Dr. Mohammed Fazle Rabbee, a renowned cardiologist with international acclaim, was a gold medallist throughout his distinguished academic career. He completed his postgraduate training in internal medicine and cardiology in the United Kingdom in record time and immediately returned to East Pakistan to serve his country. He became the chairman of both internal medicine and cardiology departments of Dhaka Medical College within the shortest time possible. He implemented innovative and egalitarian ways of teaching

medical students and always sought out to treat those patients who were the most critical or for whom there was nobody to care. Each week Dr. Rabbee and his wife entertained leading artists, journalists, academicians, scientists and philosophers in their drawing room. Through lively discussions, these intellectuals weaved a vision for Bangladesh as a secular, progressive and sovereign nation, free from repressive and fundamentalist forces. Dr. Rabbee embraced these principles in his daily life. A compassionate humanist, he worked ardently towards poverty and disease elimination in his clinical practice, as well in his capacity as the highest ranking medical Professor. He spoke to various audiences in favour of free medical care for the masses. He accepted no fees from hundreds of patients who came to see him. He treated all patients and associates with utmost respect and dignity. He never discriminated between rich or poor, female or male, Hindu or Muslim, Urdu or Bangla speaking, young or old patients.

Dr. Rabbee with his wife, Late Dr. Jahan Ara Rabbee

The first question Mrs. Rabbee posed to the Pakistani army has been answered. They were taken to the Physical Training Institute that was used as an extermination camp for the intellectuals. The second question she asked has not been fully answered. The 1971 genocide and persecution of Bangali intellectuals was methodically organised and executed by the Pakistani army, army intelligence and Bangali collaborators. It is unfortunate that not a single government, since our independence, has made an attempt to bring those responsible for this genocide to justice. This planned genocide is comparable to the Holocaust, where Nazi Germany committed unspeakable atrocities against Jews in a systematic way. Since the beginning, the Pakistani government discriminated against Bangla speaking citizens. This prejudice was often rationalised in the name of our sacred religion. The concept of speaking Bangla, or having a secular, modern, free society was unacceptable to that regime. Dr. Rabbee and countless others fought back as the regime started mass murder, rape and genocide in East Pakistan in 1971. The birth of Bangladesh is thus indistinguishable from the legacy of courage these brilliant martyrs have left behind. Ordinary Bangladeshis must honour and celebrate these legends who paid the highest price to win our national independence. In loving memory of Dr. and Mrs. Rabbee, two scholarships funds are being started in Sir Salimullah Etimkhana by their family in 2005.
(Dr. Nusrat Rabbee is the daughter of Shaheed Dr. Mohammed Fazle Rabbee and Late Dr. Mrs. Jahan Ara Rabbee.)

http://www.thedailystar.net/magazine/2005/12/03/remembrance.htm MMR Jalal.