Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus has expressed profound shock at the passing of Language Movement veteran, Tagore exponent, poet, essayist and columnist Ahmad Rafique, describing him as a ‘leading witness and a fighting voice of the Language Movement’.
In a condolence message early Friday, Prof Yunus said Rafique’s death is an irreparable loss to the cultural and intellectual life of the nation.
“Despite his deteriorating eyesight and illness, he continued to spread the light of knowledge until his final days,” Prof Yunus said.
He said that Rafique was not only a poet, essayist, and researcher, but also a guiding figure in Rabindra Tattva.
By writing and editing more than a hundred books, Prof Yunus said, Rafique enriched the history of Bengali literature, culture, and the Language Movement.
“His contributions to Rabindra Tattva earned equal respect on both sides of Bengal. The Tagore Research Institute in Kolkata honored him with the title of ‘Rabindra Tattvacharya,’ a fitting recognition of his scholarship,” Prof Yunus mentioned.
He prayed for the salvation of the departed soul and said, “Ahmad Rafique’s life and work will inspire generations to come. The nation will remember him with deep gratitude.”
The Chief Adviser extended his heartfelt condolences to Rafique’s family, well-wishers, and members of the literary and cultural community.
Ahmad Rafique passed away on Thursday night at Dhaka’s Birdem Hospital at the age of 96. He had been on life support, and doctors pronounced him dead at around 10:12pm.
Following the death of his wife in 2006, Rafique had lived alone in his flat in the capital’s New Eskaton area.