Syed Shamsul Haque's untimely demise

The writer of Payer Awaz Ar Pawa Jabena and many more eminent litterateur, Syed Shamsul Haq passed away at the age of 81, yesterday, September 27. He was admitted at United Hospitals from September 1, due to suffering from fever. Sazzadur Rahman Shuvo, marketing officer at United Hospital said, “He breathed his last at 5:26pm, September 27.” He was undergoing treatment at Oncology department under supervision of Dr Ashim Kumar since his admission in the hospital on September 1. Syed Haq went to London in April to treat his ailing lungs, where tests detected cancer. The 81 year old writer won the Bangla Academy Award in 1966, Ekushey Padak in 1984, and Bangladesh’s highest civilian honour, Independence Award, in 2000 for his contribution to Bangla literature. He has always been vocal against the fundamentalist stream in Bangladesh, Samad said. Haq was born on Dec 27, 1935 at Kurhigram. His literary genius spreads across genres and he is known to wield equal mastery over essays, novel, poetry, and plays. Some of his best-known plays are considered milestones in the history of theatre in Bangladesh.