By Tanisha Mahmud Salam Rebash 

 For me, Humayun Ahmed is not just a name, he is an institution. He is a man immensely connected with humanity. I can still remember the time when I felt disappointed about my academic performance. At that time, Ahmed’s writing helped me to overcome my depression and supported me, so I could move forward.

I am a genuine fan of Ahmed’s writing. When I was ten years old, I started reading Ahmed’s works and found a different world for me: the world of dreams and imagination. When I am reading his works, I feel joy and excitement. Ahmed has written works of various genres. For example – novels, short stories, film scripts, lyrics, travelogs, dramas, autobiographies and so on. My favorite fictional characters are Himu, Shuvro, and Misir Ali. Apart from these three popular fictional characters’ series, I love to read his short stories, science-fiction, memoirs, and autobiographies. Each of his books are capable of successfully giving pleasure to the readers. Ahmed mastered writing about any topic naturally. Any genre, whether fictional or nonfictional, has been able to attract him. This great writer is a true showman of versatility. During my childhood days, I used to read books written by Ahmed rather than concentrating on my homework.

In terms of Bengali literature, Ahmed is the name of a great persona. After Rabidranath Tagore, I think Ahmed is the only writer who is connected with our happiness and sorrows, laughter and tears, and our personal lives. I saw Ahmed only once at Bangla Academy’s Ekushey Boi Mela. After seeing this amazing person face to face, I asked myself: “Is he really Ahmed sir? Is he the person whom all the boys and girls of my generation consider their friend?” After meeting Ahmed I felt as if I had found a strange happiness. I brought my newly bought book in front of him and asked Ahmed for his autograph. There was a huge crowd and people made lengthy lines behind me. All of them wanted to see Ahmed and get his autograph or have a conversation with him. Ahmed has given his autograph in my book. Although, he asked me my name at first. On that day, I could not sleep at night. While awake, I started to think. Why did I not ask him whether Himu, Shuvro, or Misir Ali are real or not? 

Himu or Himalay is an exceptional character sketched by Humayun Ahmed. The character Himu first appeared in the novel titled  ‘Mayurakkhi’ published in 1990. Responding  to the popularity of this novel, the author wrote more than 21 novels centering around Himu. Each book of the Himu series is very popular among the young generation.

Though this character is mostly addressed as ‘Himu’, his full name is Himalay, which was given by his father. In each novel, Himu maintains an eccentric and mysterious lifestyle  unlike the other youths of his age. His unconventional way of living is motivated by a diary  written by his psychopathic father, who wanted to raise him to be a ‘Mohapurush’ or great man. 

The character Himu surprises the readers through his weird but amusing attitude. For instance, Himu dares to mock police officers without any fear of getting arrested or being molested. He wears a pocket-less ‘holud panjabi’ and enjoys a nomadic life. Most days, he  tends to walk barefoot on the streets of Dhaka city. During those endless journeys, Himu neither uses any kind of transport nor tries to reach any certain destination. Himu is unemployed and prefers to live by begging instead of doing any kind of hard work.

Throughout the Himu series, his unorthodox outlook keeps the readers captivated. While in real life, young people are often facing pressure regarding study, career, or relationships, the carefree lifestyle of Himu gives them temporary relief. In fact, many of us secretly bear the hidden wish to be like Himu.

Himu has some followers – including police officers, neighbors, relatives, tea stall proprietors, beggars, etc – who believe in his spiritual power of forecasting future events. But  what Himu really does is confronting people with an unpleasant truth, which is quite rare in this sophisticated society. Instead of looking for logic like Misir Ali. Himu perceives that the strength of beliefs can make things happen.

Shuvro is a fictional character developed by the potent novelist Ahmed, who is performing the role of a pure human being. Shuvro is a character who likes to dream. Shuvro says, like the famous writer Ernest Hemingway, he would like to write a novel. The novel will be known as ‘The Young Man and The Tree’. Yes, he is Shuvro. The character Shuvro, whose name translates to ‘white’ in Bangla, is meant to be a pure soul, a contrast from the complicated world. Unlike Himu or Misir Ali, Shuvro appears like a boy-next-door with an easy-going character. Shuvro represents the iconic figure of a helpful friend who is always there to help. 

 Ahmed sketched his fictional character Shuvro as a role model for the readers. Shuvro is the only child of the industrialist couple, Mr. Motahar Hossain and Rehana. The ideal mother-son  relationship between Shuvro and Rehana makes these stories blissful. However, in some books, the author puts Shuvro in dilemmas and revelations to test the purity of his soul. 

From one book to another, the character Shuvro shows significant versatility unlike other  characters created by Ahmed. In every story, the common things about Shuvro include his name, thick-rimmed glasses, and pure soul. Shuvro has a distant nature and acts as a bystander. He is not the protagonist who saves everyone, but he tries to alleviate situations in his own ways. 

The character Shuvro debuted in the short story titled ‘Ekti Shada Gari’ (A White Car). As this character got huge popularity, Ahmed wrote more novels about Shuvro. Daruchini Dip, Megher Chaya, Rupali Dip, Shuvro, Ei Shuvro Ei and Shuvro Geche Bone. The story titled  Daruchini Dip was adapted as a Bengali film in 2007 starring prominent actor Riaz as Shuvro.

Misir Ali is a mysterious character who appeared in a series of novels written by Humayun Ahmed. In the books, Misir Ali is portrayed as a part-time professor of Psychology at the University of Dhaka. Though Ali is not a professional psychiatrist, he has a unique interest  and some outstanding forte in parapsychology. In the novels, we found that people seek help  from Ali regarding diverse psychiatric treatment. Though being efficient in solving mysteries, he never took money for this special service.

According to novels, Misir Ali is a bachelor living in a small flat with a servant or sometimes alone. He lost both of his parents at a young age and was raised by his relatives. Though he is a chain smoker, he tries to quit smoking in every story. The mystifying but humorous lifestyle of Misir Ali amuses the readers. The Misir Ali series includes 20 books.

From my childhood, at every Ekushey Boi Mela, I only bought Ahmed’s books. My personal book collection consists of 90 percent Ahmed’s writings. My favourite books are his writings. I bought almost every book from the Himu series, as Himu is my most favourite fictional character. I read the Himu series and started to see this world based on his perspectives.