Cultural Desk : dhakamirror.com
Noted poet Asad Chowdhury died of old-age complications while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Toronto, Canada on Thursday. He was 80.
The poet ‘died at 3:03am Canada time’ and ‘at 1:03pm Bangladesh time’, the poet’s son-in-law Nadim Iqbal posted on facebook Thursday afternoon.
The poet died at the Lakeridge Health Oshawa in Ontario, Canada where he was undergoing treatment for blood cancer, people close to the poet’s family said.
The poet had been suffering from blood cancer since November in 2022, and he was admitted to the hospital several times recently.
He was a poet, writer, translator, radio and television personality and journalist, as well as a cultural activist in Bangladesh.
He won Ekushey Padak in 2013 and Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1987.
Born in 1943, Chowdhury completed his master’s degree in Bengali in 1964 from the University of Dhaka. He started his profession as a lecturer in Bengali language and literature at Brahmanbaria College in 1973.
During the Liberation War of Bangladesh, he was a contributor and broadcaster of Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra in Kolkata.
He served as the director at the Bangla Academy, Dhaka and worked as an editor at the Bengali service of Deutsche Welle after his retirement.
His notable collections of poems include Tabak Deya Pan, Bitto Nai Besat Nai, Ekka Dokka, Joler Madhye Lekhajokha, Je Pare Paruk, Modhya Math Theke, Megher Julum Pakhir Julum, Nadio Bibastro Hoy, Premer Kabita, Batash Jemon Parichito, Brishtir Sansare Ami Keo Noi and others.
