The recent heartbreaking incident in Mirpur, Dhaka, has deeply shaken the conscience of our nation and disturbed the minds of every sensitive and compassionate person. At the center of this tragedy was Nurjahan Begum, an unfortunate mother whose decomposing body was recovered from an apartment in Mirpur. According to media reports, her children are highly educated, professionally successful, and well-established members of society. Yet the very mother who gave them birth and raised them with love and sacrifice spent her final days alone, neglected, hungry, and forgotten in an unhygienic room before dying a tragic death.
This incident is not an isolated one, nor is it merely the death of an individual. Rather, it is a painful reflection of the moral bankruptcy, social alienation, and weakening family bonds that lie at the heart of our modern urban society. This cruel and heartbreaking death compels us to confront one question: What kind of people and society are we becoming?
Today, success is often measured by academic credentials, degrees from prestigious universities, lucrative careers, and material wealth. Parents dedicate their entire lives to ensuring that their children receive the best education and opportunities. However, the Mirpur tragedy exposes a deeply troubling reality. The purpose of education should not be limited to producing skilled professionals; it should also cultivate morally responsible and compassionate human beings�"a quality that appears increasingly absent in our society.
In Bangladeshi culture, parents have traditionally been regarded as the pillars of the family. They sacrifice their comfort, dreams, and well-being to secure a brighter future for their children. Therefore, receiving care, affection, and companionship from their children in old age is not a privilege; it is their rightful due. Yet today, many elderly parents suffer neglect and indifference despite having socially and economically successful children. This raises a profound question: Can an education that fails to instill gratitude, empathy, responsibility, and respect for parents truly be called education? When a highly educated person cannot fulfill the most basic moral obligations toward the parents who nurtured them, their academic qualifications and professional achievements lose much of their significance. In such circumstances, education ceases to be a means of human development and becomes merely a tool for economic advancement�"a deeply undesirable state of affairs.
The capitalist social order has increasingly encouraged self-centeredness and materialism, intensifying this social crisis. Modern life often revolves around a narrow circle of personal interests: “my career, my spouse, my children.” Beyond this circle, even parents are sometimes viewed not as blessings but as burdens. The very people who once held their children's hands, endured countless hardships for their success, and devoted their lives to their well-being often find themselves neglected and abandoned when they most need care and companionship. Some elderly parents are placed in nursing homes, while others live in lonely apartments, disconnected from meaningful human relationships with their children and loved ones. Such loneliness is not merely a physical hardship; it becomes a slow and painful psychological death.
Nurjahan Begum was one such unfortunate mother. The sorrow, despair, and silent suffering she endured during the final days of her life are almost unimaginable. Perhaps, even in her last moments, she hoped that one of her children would come to her door, hold her hand, and try to save her. Tragically, no one came. The inhuman suffering she may have endured in the final chapter of her life is enough to send chills down the spine.
Virtually all major religions practiced in our country emphasize the sacred duty of respecting and caring for parents. Likewise, South Asian societies have historically been built upon strong family ties, mutual support, and intergenerational responsibility. Yet under the influence of unchecked individualism and a misguided interpretation of modernity, these values are gradually eroding. Personal freedom is important, but it should never come at the expense of human responsibility and family solidarity.
The death of Nurjahan Begum is not merely the passing of an unfortunate mother. It is a reflection of the weakening of our collective conscience�"perhaps even its death. It symbolizes the gradual breakdown of the family institution that has long served as the cornerstone of our social structure.
Can this crisis be addressed solely through legal measures and punishment? Probably not. Bangladesh already has laws that recognize children's responsibility to support and care for their parents. Yet cases of neglect continue to occur. One major reason is that while laws can regulate external behavior, they cannot create genuine love, respect, empathy, or a sense of responsibility within the human heart.
The rise of such tragic incidents is rooted in the erosion of moral values, the weakening of family bonds, and the spread of materialistic attitudes. Preventing them requires profound psychological transformation, moral self-reflection, and meaningful reform of family upbringing. Our educational institutions must place greater emphasis on moral education and the cultivation of human values.
Amid our busy lives, we must make time for our parents. We must stand beside them, hold their hands, and bring a smile to their faces. Otherwise, our education, our success, and our achievements will ultimately lose their meaning.
The writer is Vice-Chancellor, Bangladesh Open University and General Secretary, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh
