Tribute by Mahfuz Anam: The man with the magical ‘personal touch’

He ran one of the biggest corporate houses in Bangladesh and yet nothing was beyond his "personal touch". There was his special imprint in everything he did, especially in dealing with people, whether important or otherwise. Everyone I have met since Shamim Bhai (Latifur Rahman, the famed founder of the Transcom Group, and a director and leading light of this newspaper) left us, on July 1, 2020, talked about how each and every one of them remembered him for his humane qualities—his compassion, sensitivities, empathy, personal care; for the gestures he made, the words he used or the soft voice in which he said things. His dealings with others, be it in business or in social and personal settings, bore that magical personal touch that made him so special.