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Professor Abul Kashem Fazlul Haque, president of Bangla Academy and former chairman of the Department of Bangla at the University of Dhaka, passed away on Sunday. He was 85.
He breathed his last in the capital’s Mirpur area on Sunday afternoon. The news was confirmed by Bangla Academy Director General Prof Mohammad Azam, one of his former students.
According to Prof Azam, Prof Haque fell ill while having a meal at a restaurant in Mirpur-1 between 2:30pm and 3:00pm. He was rushed to a nearby hospital before being taken to the National Heart Foundation, where doctors declared him dead.
Prof Haque taught for many years at the Department of Bangla, University of Dhaka, and later served as president of Bangla Academy. He made significant contributions to Bangla language, literature, culture and intellectual thought.
His notable works include Ekushey February Andolon, Rajniti Darshan, Sahitya Chinta and Sanskritir Soja Katha. He also edited Bangladesh Culture in the Light of History and Swadeshchinta.
He received the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1981 in recognition of his contributions to literature and research. Throughout his career, he also played an important role in promoting the use of Bangla at all levels.
His death has cast a pall of grief over Bangladesh’s literary, academic and cultural communities.