Veteran journalist and Journalism Educator Shahed Kamal Shahed Kamal was laid to rest on Sunday after colleagues, former students and admirers paid their final respects at multiple venues, including the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism (MCJ) at Dhaka University (DU), the National Press Club
Following his Namaz-e-Janaza at Taqwa Mosque in Dhanmondi at 12pm, his body was taken to the Faculty of Social Sciences at Dhaka University, where teachers, students and alumni of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism paid tribute.
Among those present were Professor Golam Rahman, Professor Gitiara Nasreen, Professor Abul Mansur Ahmed, Professor Kaberi Gayen, Professor Mofizur Rahman, Professor Robaet Ferdous, Associate Professor Saiful Haque, Associate Professor Shaonti Haider, Associate Professor Shabnam Azim, journalist Munni Saha, rights activist Khushi Kabir and DUMCJ Alumni Association General Secretary Sharmin Rinvi.
Floral tributes were also placed by the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, the DUMCJ Alumni Association, Dharitri Rokkhay Amra and Bangladesh Sangbad.
Professor Robaet Ferdous of the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at Dhaka University said: “He was a walking encyclopedia. There was no subject—politics, philosophy, sociology—that he didn't know inside out. His greatest quality was that he always spoke with accuracy and always backed up what he said with facts.”
He added: “He remained a part-time teacher at the DU Department of Mass Communication and Journalism until his very last days, which is a rare privilege for any teacher to have earned.”
Journalist Munni Saha said: “Shahed Kamal was like a spiritual father to me. Today, all of us who were once his students feel like we've lost our shelter.”
Recalling one of their conversations, she said: “He used to follow the news closely. He would say, ‘Munni, tell me, what question could you possibly ask someone who keeps claiming that a thousand crore taka has been smuggled out of the country over the last 15 years, when the combined GDP of this country across all 54 years of independence doesn't even add up to that much?’ I told him, ‘I don't think I could ask that question.’”
She added: “His passing is an enormous loss for us journalists, and for anyone who wants to learn the craft of journalism. He was a living encyclopedia. We used to joke that where Google fails, Shahed Kamal delivers.”
After the tribute at the department, his body was taken to the Central Mosque at Dhaka University, where his funeral prayer was held following Zuhr prayers.
The body was later taken to the National Press Club at 2:30pm, where Information Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon paid his respects. Following the final tributes, Shahed Kamal was laid to rest at Azimpur Graveyard at 4pm.
Shahed Kamal began his journalism career in 1957 and worked for many years at the Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS). He joined the Department of Mass Communication and Journalism at Dhaka University as a teacher in 1976 and also served as a trainer in various journalism training programs. Many journalists currently working in Dhaka were among his former students.
