People from all walks of life paid their last respect to the celebrated playwright Atiqul Haque Chowdhury at Central Shaheed Minar on Tuesday.
The Veteran dramatist Atiqul Haque Chowdhury had died of heart failure at a Dhaka hospital on Monday.
He was 82.
His body was taken to his former workplace Ekushey TV on Tuesday morning, where his co workers paid him respect.
From there his coffin was taken to Shaheed Minar at around 11am. Numerous people were able to see him for the last time, under the supervision of Sammilita Sangskritik Jote.
Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith was the first to offer floral tribute.
Advisor to BNP Chairperson Dr. A Z M Zahid Hossain, Mamunur Rashid, Ramendu Majumdar, Mostafa Monwar, Professor Anisuzzaman, Fakir Alamgir, Abdullah Abu Sayeed were present at Shaheed Minar among others to bid farewell to the eminent playwright.
“He had created a different world in his time, which was a fruit of his values and humanity. He became special for the plays he created. Atiqul Haque’s plays always contained a unique message”, said Mamunur Rashid while paying tribute.
Another eminent theatre activist Ramendu Majumdar said, “He had created a distinct style in drama. He showed us that plays aren’t just for entertainment but a medium to unite the nation.”
“He depicted the conflicts of society in his plays. We did not write without a cause,” said artist Mostafa Monwar.
“He had attacked the dictatorship through his plays during the time of military regime. His work forced him to shift homes several times, but still he did not change his approach towards his work,” said M Hamid, Director General of BTV.
His namaz-e-janaza will be held at Dhaka University Central Mosque after midday prayers and also at the premises of Bangladesh Television station.
He will be buried at Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals’ Graveyard in the afternoon.
The eminent dramatist passed away at around 9:45pm, said the officials of the private Samarita Hospital
A nurse at the ICU said Chowdhury was admitted there on June 15.
Chowdhury was the former Deputy Director General of state-owned Bangladesh Television.
He had been suffering from diabetes and old-age complications apart from prostate cancer.
Born on Dec 15, 1931 in Bhola, Chowdhury had directed popular dramas for the BTV.
Hailing from Barisal, he started his career by joining the Pakistan Radio in 1960 and then moved to BTV six years later.
After retiring from BTV in 1990, Chowdhury joined private channel Ekushey Television as an advisor.
He won the National Television Award in 1976 as the best producer. His numerous other awards include Bangla Academy Award, National Filmfare Award, and Best BTV Producer Award.
Plays directed by Chowdhury include ‘Durbin Diya Dekhun’, ‘Nil Nokshar Shondhaney’, ‘Shukher Upoma’, ‘Babar Kolom Kothai?’
Many renowned TV actors had made their debut in dramas produced by him.
The list of actors includes familiar faces like Abul Hayat, Humayun Faridi, Shormili Ahmed, Keya Choudhury, Mita Chowdhury, Jewel Aich, Afroza Banu, Meghna, Shompa Reza, Shomi Kaiser and Salman Shah.
Atiqul Haque Chowdhury is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.
He was a guest teacher at the Department of Drama and Dramatics at Jahangirnagar University.
Source: Bd news24
