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A Fairytale Success Story
To do things for yourself and get to the top is hard work. But to do things for others and get to the top is achievement at the fullest. Self-actualization is the only word to describe this month’s woman on the move, Farzana Majid. Extremely photogenic, she loves traveling, cooking, following sports and music! By Farah Siddiqui
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Looking at Farzana Majid’s relaxed and content smile, it is impossible to believe that her past is haunted by nightmares. But, before the age of 20, she had faced most of the cruelty of the world. ‘My father was the SP of Rajshahi and a Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) Officer during the Liberation War of 1971. When the war started he was taken away and killed. They never notified us, let alone sending the dead body to our premises’ Farzana says with sadness in her eyes. She is a proud national and a daughter of her legend father. However, the biggest tragedy in her life occurred at the mere age of 19.
At 19, she was married off. That was when the turmoil began. She didn’t pass a single day in peace. At that time, people were not so open about their marriage lives and yet Farzana got through the challenges that life threw at her. She says, ‘I had the tremendous will power to get through the mayhem. It was difficult and painful to go from my husband’s house at Moghbazar to drop my daughter at my mother’s house in Dhanmondi and then go to Dhaka University. Even today, I wonder how I got through all these. I am very grateful to my family and relatives for supporting me throughout these moments.’
Despite the harsh past, Farzana still looked at life with a positive attitude.
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‘People often ask me how I have managed to overcome all the hurdles in my life. My advice to them is that, take everyday as a new day. Leave the past aside and try to make the most of your present and your future. Seize the opportunities that come to you everyday. I think if people can forget their past and look optimistically towards the future, they can definitely achieve success.’
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Personal life aside, Farzana Majid has had a hectic professional life. Farzana Majid’s career started at Sunnydale. After that she worked at KLM as the airport supervisor and translator. From there she went on to work for USAID, Acid Survivors Foundation, and UNFPA. As Farzana talks about her work, she mentions work experiences she will always remember. She says, ‘While working at USAID, I had to go outside of Dhaka and work at the grass-root level. There was continuous travel through the country, working till 9 or 10 every night. It made my confidence grow, and made me stronger as a person.’ Currently Farzana is working as gender specialist at ICDDR, B. She works on policy formulation, policy implementation, awareness raising, creating leaders, and mainstreaming gender issues.
In the course of her life, she has learnt many lessons. But the past is behind her, and Farzana talks about how life is now, ‘I have been living with my mother for the last twelve years. I have single handedly raised my daughter. She is currently studying Economics at North South University.’ She adds, ‘One thing that has given me a lot of confidence is that I bought and drive my own car. It works like therapy.’ As for personal achievements, she says, ‘I established a school for street urchins at Khilgaon. Our children are highly privileged but street children are deprived in every aspect of life. Seeing a smile on someone else’s face gives me immense pleasure.’ Her act of self-sacrifice is also reflected in her strong belief in religion. She says. ‘I have decided that I should try to be as pious as possible. God has sent us for only a short time and we should remain grateful to him for all the good thins he has blessed us with.’
Everybody has a particular someone they look up to. So, who is Farzana’s role model? ‘After my father was taken away, my mother joined the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs. All her life, she sacrificed for her husband and children. When my father was no more, she gave up fashion and donning in White sari, started to dedicate all her life to us. All of us four brothers and sisters received a good education and have attained good positions in life. I believe she is not just my role model, I call her a role model for the country,’ says Farzana with pride and compassion.
After the cards that life has dealt her, is Farzana a feminis? Farzana firmly says ‘I want progress for women, but I do not support the idea of becoming an extremist. Women should not be discriminated against. Women should be educated and their needs should not, under any circumstances be tortured.’
The past has left Farzana with bittersweet memories; the present is a pleasant ride, what are her future plans? Farzana says, ‘I would like to do a PhD, and expand my school. But more importantly I want rehabilitation for war amputees and justice for the war criminals.’
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