Asad Chowdhury (Innalillah… Rajeun) died on Thursday, October 5th, local time in Toronto, Canada. 3:03 a.m. at Lakeridge Hospital in Ashwaha, Toronto.
In addition to his wife Shahana Chowdhury, two children Ashek Chedhuri Asif and Zarif Chowdhury, and daughter Nusrat Jahan Chowdhury Shaoli, the poet left countless admirers of his poetry, fans, friends and relatives. Coffins were placed in the playground below the mosque for an hour before prayers on Friday 6th October for everyone to pay their last respects and say goodbye. After prayers, his Janaza was offered at the well-known Nugget Mosque in Toronto’s Bengali community. A large number of people spontaneously attended the funeral. According to the wishes of the poet’s children, he was buried at Dauphin Meadows Cemetery in Pickering, Toronto.
On behalf of Bangladesh Embassy, Consul General of Toronto Consulate Office, Md. Lutfar Rahman, other officials came to the Nugget Mosque at 11:30 a.m. to give the national honor “Guard of Honor” deserved as a freedom fighter. Bangladesh national flag and garlanded his last farewell and gave him the state “guard of honor”! A condolence statement was also released by the consulate office.
He is a teacher, writer, journalist, freedom fighter and ex-progressive student political activist and besides playing a role in the independence war, he overshadowed the professional identity of his personal life and became a poet and one of the main poets of the country and Bengali literature. A long chapter is needed to introduce his poetry and writings. In addition to books of poetry, he has written children’s books, rhymes, translations, biographies, and edited volumes. At the end of his career, he settled in Canada to be with his children.
As a result, this ever-smiling poet became one of the main faces of Bengali society in Canada and became the “Assad Bhai” of everyone. As he was involved in many organizations in the country, he was also involved in many organizations abroad. He was either a founder or an organizer in many other organizations such as Asiatic Society of Baladesh Life Member, Fellow of Bangla Academy Dhaka, Vice President of Bangladesh Radio-Television Artists Association, Advisor of Bangladesh Udichi Artists Group.
Even in exile, he was in the forefront of protest, movement, meetings on any issue of the country. All local cultural, social, political, media, writers, various university alumni associations, various district associations, and other institutions have expressed their condolences on the poet’s death. Kabir’s body was kept in a coffin at Toronto’s Nugget Mosque to pay his last respects. Thousands of people have left their work in this country to pay their respects and see the last time! Many on behalf of the organization and many personally. Most of the organizations have expressed deep grief and condolences to the bereaved family members, saying that the country and the nation have lost a great son and his death in this difficult time of the country is an irreparable loss to the national life! Yet he will live on in his literary works.
Being diagnosed with blood cancer, the poet was under close observation in the hospital for some time and everyone wished that he would return to normal life. But everyone’s hopes and prayers failed yesterday, October 5, local time in Toronto, Canada. Born on 11th February 1943 in Barisal. He received the Bangla Academy Award in 1987 and the Ekushey Padak in 2013. According to his family, since no one of his own family is living in the country at this time, his grave is being done in the land of this country. Although the living poet Asad Chowdhury has always hoped for the last bed on the soil of the country, as his pulse was tied to Bengali poetry and to the roots of Bengali, which has been expressed many times in his poems!
