Nation pays tribute to Syed Manzoorul Islam at Central Shaheed Minar

Emeritus professor and leiterary figure Syed Manzoorul Islam Syed Manzoorul Islam was honoured by people from all walks of life at the Central Shaheed Minar on Saturday morning (Ocotber 11).

His body was first taken to Dhaka University’s Aparajeyo Bangla at 10:30am, and then moved to the Shaheed Minar around 11:00am for public homage.

Tributes were paid by Faculty of Arts Dean Prof. Siddiqur Rahman Khan, English Department Chair Prof. Tazin Aziz Chowdhury, English Alumni Association, Department of Music, and students and teachers from various faculties.

According to the National Poetry Council, the body will remain at the Shaheed Minar until noon. A janaza prayer will be held after Zohr at the Dhaka University Mosque, followed by burial at Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals' Graveyard.

Syed Manzoorul Islam, 74, passed away on Friday afternoon at Labaid Hospital. He is survived by his wife, son, and admirers nationwide. His death cast a pall of grief over the country’s literary and cultural circles.

Hospital sources said his condition worsened Friday morning, and he was put on life support. Doctors declared him dead around 5.00pm.

On October 3, he suffered a massive heart attack en route to ULAB in Dhanmondi. He was initially taken to a nearby hospital, then transferred to Labaid where two heart stents were implanted.

Born on January 18, 1951, in Sylhet, Syed Manzoorul Islam earned his BA and MA in English from Dhaka University, and a PhD from Queen’s University, Canada, on the influence of Emanuel Swedenborg in Yeats’s poetry. He served as a long-time professor in DU’s English department and was later named Emeritus Professor.

He debuted in literature in 1974 with the short story Bishal Mrityu. Notable works include Andhokar o Alo Dekhar Golpo, Prem o Prarthonar Golpo, Sukh o Dukkher Golpo, and novels Ajgubi Raat, Tin Porber Jibon. He also wrote on visual arts and aesthetics.

He received the Bangla Academy Award (1996) and the Ekushey Padak (2018) for his contributions to literature. His passing leaves a profound void in Bangladeshi intellectual and cultural life.