Ekushey Padak winner poet Belal Chowdhury dies

Eminent poet Belal Chowdhury, who was awarded the Ekushey Padak in 2014 for his contribution in Bangla literature, passed away on Tuesday. The poet’s son Abdullah Protik Yusuf Chowdhury confirmed that Belal Chowdhury breathed his last at 12pm while undergoing treatment at Anwar Khan Modern Hospital. The poet was admitted to the hospital for kidney complications in August last year. He was also suffering from various advanced age-related complications. He was put on life support a week ago after his condition deteriorated. Born on November 12, 1938, Belal Chowdhury was a Bangladeshi poet, journalist, columnist and translator. During his illustrious literary career, Belal was awarded the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1984, Mazharul Islam Poetry Award in 2013 and Ekushey Padak in 2014. Belal had served as the editor of Bharat Bichitra, a magazine published from the Indian embassy in Dhaka. He was also an editor of the Shaptahik Sandwip published by Rupali Group and Krittibas, a Bangla poetry magazine, edited by Sunil Gangopadhyay.This article was first published on banglatribune.com