Time to recognise Bhaater Hotel Mizan as our own Anthony Bourdain, Most Whipped Man says

YouTuber and self-styled journalist Abdus Alam, also known as the Most Whipped Man in the country, made headlines yesterday by suggesting that the country had mistreated Mizanur Rahman, aka Bhaater Hotel Mizan, by failing to recognise his actual value.

Alam, who relied heavily on daily Mizaner Bhaater Hotel videos to make an income, as he has zero original content ideas, arranged a press conference where journalists were given khaam (envelopes) and aam (mangoes) to ensure proper coverage.

This correspondent was one of those journalists, but did not take the mango.

At the conference, Alam said Mizan was Bangladesh’s own Anthony Bourdain.

“Bourdain still lives among us. As we dream of new cooking competitions to find the next Bourdain, we fail to acknowledge the one staring us in the face all this time: Mizanur Rahman,” he said.

Alam detailed the recent legal troubles facing Mizan, whose hotel – famous for selling unlimited rice and portions of beef for only 100 taka – was demolished for illegally occupying footpaths and creating a public nuisance.

“That man was just trying to help those who cannot afford beef. How many big businesses and developers have occupied footpaths across the country? Why is justice always harder on those without the means to afford important legal protections?” he said.

He pointed to the capital’s most upscale area, saying most of the footpaths and public places were occupied by hawkers, tea or food-shop keepers.

“I can also talk about many traffic boxes in the middle of the footpath. And our sprawling beach? We all know who occupies the shoreline despite strict rules, but no one mentions that. And here we have Mizan, who cooks the best beef ever, and look at his predicament?”

Alam also lambasted the media, alleging little coverage of Mizan's troubles.

"When he was viral, you all clamoured to him. But the minute he faced a problem, you all forget. Where would this country be without us Facebook journalists?"

When queried about Mizan’s alleged unpaid electricity bills, Alam had yet another argument.

“Is the ready-made garments sector not worth $6 billion or so? Did they not recently seek permission to pay their July and August utility bills in 12 equal monthly instalments instead of making the payments in full within a single month? So it’s okay for the rich?”

He then highlighted the case of Cumilla, where Chandpur alone leads with 190 million taka in unpaid bills, followed by Cumilla City Corporation with 70 million taka.

When pressed on why he was championing the cause, Alam again expressed dissatisfaction with what he called the “uneven hand of the law”.

“I am not doing this to ensure I am in Mizan’s good books when he goes viral again, of course. I don’t want a promotion and to become his favourite. I am only doing this for justice,” he said.