It’s been a whirlwind few weeks for Rahman, who arrived in Bangladesh on Dec. 25, greeted by hundreds of thousands of rapturous supporters who had waited throughout the night at Dhaka’s airport. Just five days later, his mother, Bangladesh’s first female Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, passed away following a long illness, drawing even larger numbers to throng the sprawling capital to pay their respects. “It’s very heavy in my heart,” says Rahman, eyes welling. “But the lesson I learned from her is that when you have a responsibility, you must perform it.”