Writer Dhruva Esh has shared his memories of working with and knowing Humayun Ahmed, one of Bengali literature's most beloved fiction writers, on the occasion of Ahmed's birth anniversary. In his memoir published by Prothom Alo, Esh describes Ahmed as a "magician" and recounts his writing habits, anecdotes about book covers, and personal moments.

The Daily Routine of a Writer

In his reminiscence, Dhruva Esh reveals that Humayun Ahmed wrote in the mornings. For this purpose, he had made a special box resembling a shop's cash box or the writing box of Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay. The box contained paper and pens—typically A4-size paper and packets of ballpoint pens. The writer would sit on a mat on the floor and write placing paper on that box. Describing his writing style, Esh says it looked as if he was letting a line of ants crawl across the paper in an orderly fashion.

The Semi-Fiction 'Ekbar Pay Tare'

Dhruva Esh shared that he is currently writing a semi-fiction about Humayun Ahmed, tentatively titled 'Ekbar Pay Tare' (Once One Finds Him). Referring to the title's resonance with Jibanananda Das's famous poetic line, Esh notes, "This world finds him once. It did." Excerpts from this semi-fiction, included in the memoir, describe Ahmed's daily writing practices in vivid detail.

Father's Memory in Humayun Ahmed's Works

The figure of the father appears repeatedly in Humayun Ahmed's writings. In his works, the father is portrayed sometimes as very serious, sometimes as an odd wit, and at other times as a distant figure to his children. Ahmed's father, Faizur Rahman, was a police officer who loved reading books. He had many dreams for his children and possessed a peculiar trait—he would expose his children to strange and varied experiences that they could not forget even as adults. Due to the transferable nature of his police job, Humayun Ahmed spent his childhood moving from place to place with his family, an experience that found its way into his autobiographical writings.