Altaf Hossain Uzzal
One day, an elderly philosopher was sitting at a tea stall shaded by old trees in Paltan, Dhaka. He said softly—
“Love begins in the eyes, and in the eyes it ends.”
Across from him sat two people.
In the eyes of one lay the exhaustion of a long political struggle—she was Khaleda.
In the eyes of the other lived silent loyalty, a stubborn faith in ideals—he was Osman Sharif Hadi. Their bond was not a love story.
It was a story of belief—heavier than love, yet as fragile as love itself.
1. The Gaze
Everything began with a gaze.
That gaze was not about power; it was about responsibility.
One day, Khaleda had said—
“A country is not just a map; a country is its people.”
Osman accepted those words with his eyes.
He knew that love does not mean holding hands.
Love means letting someone go amidst the crowd and saying,
“I know—you are mine.”
From that day on, Osman’s politics became an act of worship.
He loved through fear—
fearing Allah, and loving people.
2. Not Time, but Circumstance
Years passed.
Bangladesh began to change—
slogans on the streets changed,
words changed,
But the hunger of the heart did not.
Love here did not endure because of time.
in crisis, in solitude, in silence.
Osman knew—
Love cannot always be spoken;
Love must be performed.
He never spoke into microphones,
but after late-night prayers, he would whisper—
“O Allah, protect the one I have believed in.”
He never spoke that name aloud.
Because—
Love is when you pray for someone
And they never know.
3. Separation
One day, the state grew harsh.
The law became heavy.
Silence grew long.
Khaleda became alone—
Within prison walls, there were only eyes,
and tears gathering inside them.
Osman was far away,
but he was not disconnected.
Love did not end eye to eye;
It ended as tears fell from the eyes.
Because, as the philosopher had said—
“It begins with the same eyes,
and ends with the same eyes.”
4. Philosophy
This story is not about individuals.
This story is about Bangladesh.
In this country, love does not mean being together.
Here, love means not changing one’s faith
even when time changes.
Friendship does not mean standing in the same line.
Friendship means remaining morally united,
even when physically apart.
5. Final Words
The tea in the cups had grown cold.
The elderly philosopher stood up and said—
“Peace be upon those
who preserve love,
who preserve friendship—
even when time changes,
even when circumstances change.”
Then, looking up at the sky, he whispered—
“O Allah, wherever our beloved ones may be, protect them.
Unite us with them—
through Your love,
through the love of Your Prophet.”
This story does not end.
Because some loves never end—
They simply fall silent in history.
Altaf Hossain Uzzal is a poet, teacher and columnist