Obituary
Home Minister mourns Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury's death
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Tuesday expressed deep shock and grief at the death of Gonoshasthya Kendra founder and freedom fighter Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury.
In a message, the minister prayed for his departed soul and expressed his deepest condolences to the bereaved family.
Read more: Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury no more
Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury passed away on Tuesday night at the age of 81.
He breathed his last around 11 pm at Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital, said GSK press adviser Jahangir Alam Mintu.
Earlier on Monday morning the veteran physician was put on life support at the hospital as his health condition deteriorated.
Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury had long been suffering from kidney-related complications.
Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury no more
Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder and freedom fighter Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury passed away on Tuesday night. He was 81.
Dr Zafrullah breathed his last around 11 pm at Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital, said GSK press adviser Jahangir Alam Mintu.
Read more: Home Minister mourns Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury's death
Earlier on Monday morning the veteran physician was put on life support at the hospital as his health condition deteriorated.
A medical board, led by Professor Brigadier General (Retd) Dr Mamun Mustafi, was formed on Sunday.
Dr Zafrullah had long been suffering from kidney-related complications.
Zafrullah Chowdhury was in the UK for his post-graduate studies in medicine when the War of Liberation broke out in 1971. Still barely 30 years old, he would return to set up, in collaboration with Captain Akhtar Ahmed, the Bangladesh Field Hospital, a 480-bed facility for freedom fighters and the refugees.
Run by a team of Bangladeshi doctors, medical students and volunteers, and women with no previous training in healthcare who were trained within days to help out the patients, it was the only one of its kind. The idea behind that revolutionary offering evolved into a philosophy for public health delivery after independence, when Gonoshasthya Kendra was born.
He was also the architect of the country's first National Drug Policy, adopted in 1982, that is still felt to be a central instrument in the country's success in the field of public health - an unforgivingly difficult task for the size of the population in Bangladesh.Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury was born on December 27, 1941. He spent his early childhood in Kolkata and later his family settled in Bangladesh. He founded the Gonoshasthya Kendra in 1972. The proposal was first presented in a concept paper in Dhaka titled "Basic Health Care in Rural Bangladesh."
Zafrullah was his parents' 10th child. After finishing his education at Nabakumar School in Bakshibazar, he attended Dhaka College. He became acquainted with communist political views while attending Dhaka Medical College to study medicine.
He completed his MBBS degree in 1964 and moved to the UK to pursue post-graduate studies in general and vascular surgery but returned to fight the war, using his background to set up the Bangladesh Field Hospital.
In 1985, he won the Ramon Magsaysay Award in Community Leadership category for his work on the Drug Policy 1982.
He received the Right Livelihood Prize in 1992 for his exceptional work for health and human development.
While constrained in scope, GK was a pioneer in the development of less expensive generic medications. A Rural Healthcare Insurance System was initially implemented in Bangladesh by Gonoshasthaya Kendra in 1973 under Zafrullah’s leadership.
He was recognised as an International Public Health Hero by UC Berkeley, one of the most reputed public universities in the US, in 2010.
Zafrullah Chowdhury endeared himself to the public by living a very simple life, yet never backing down from speaking his conscience in the public interest.
This meant although he was never directly involved in any political party, he was inevitably drawn into the political arena to talk about different political issues.
He did play a key role in the formation of BNP-led Jatiya Oikyafront before the 2018 election, and towards the end became known as a critic of the Awami League government.
But his overall life's work cannot be held to be partisan, and there were plenty of occasions when his views clashed with the BNP as well.
Metro rail: Shewrapara, Uttara South stations now open to public
Metro rail’s Shewrapara and Uttara South stations opened to the public on Friday.
With the opening of the two stations, all 9 stations on the Uttara-Agargaon route are now operational.
Meanwhile, MAN Siddique, the managing director of Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited (DMTCL) said metro rail will run from 8 am to 2 pm instead of 8:30 am to 12:30 pm from April 5.
“Considering the passengers' demand and aiming to provide more services, the timing has been changed,” he said in a press conference on Thursday.
He also said the metro rail will start in full swing from July this year and people can enjoy the metro service from dawn to midnight.
Read more: Metro rail to run following new schedule from April 5
According to DMTCL, the operation from Uttara to Motijheel may start by the end of 2024, and Kamalapur by 2025. By December 2024, the metro rail will start operation from Agargaon to Kamalapur route with 24 trains.
On December 28, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the country's first-ever elevated metro rail, setting a communication milestone in the country.
Ekushey Padak winning sculptor Shamim Sikder no more
Legendary Bangladeshi sculptor Shamim Sikder passed away on Tuesday at United Hospitals in the capital, aged 70.
She passed away at around 4:30 pm, renowned art curator and ARTcon founder ARK Reepon told UNB.
The Ekushey Padak-winning sculptor was undergoing treatment and had long been suffering from various health complications. She was admitted to the hospital on February 19 and shifted to the CCU on March 9.
Earlier, she was admitted to the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) and the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases before getting admitted to the United Hospitals, after coming back home from the United Kingdom.
Her body will be taken to the Dhaka University Faculty of Fine Art premises on Wednesday at 11 am, Reepon told UNB.
Born on October 22, 1952, in Faridpur, Sikder enrolled at the Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts at the age of 15. At the age of 23, she moved to the Sir John Cass School of Art in London, UK.
After coming back to her motherland, she served as a faculty member at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Dhaka University from 1980 to 2001. After taking her retirement, she went back to London.
She returned to Bangladesh seven months ago from the UK to preserve her artistic ventures; however, became unwell and hospitalised.
In 1974, she built a sculpture at Dhaka Central Jail to commemorate the country’s founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. She crafted her majestic work, ‘Shoparjito Shadhinota’ at DU's TSC in 1990 and Swadhinata Sangram at the university's Fuller Road area in the capital which was inaugurated in 1999.
Her other monumental works include the sculpture of Swami Vivekananda at Jagannath Hall in 1994 and many others in the home and beyond, and she has also participated in many exhibitions showcasing her majestic sculpture works.
Sikder received the Prime Minister’s Award for Sculpture in 1974 and was later awarded the Ekushey Padak in 2000, among many other awards. She is survived by two children, who live in London.
How was Bangabandhu’s birthday celebrated on March 17, 1975?
How was Bangabandhu’s birthday celebrated on March 17, 1975, before he was brutally assassinated 5 months later?
A video posted on Prime Minister’s ICT Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy’s verified Facebook profile shows how the country celebrated the Father of the Nation’s birthday that year.
Along with the video, Sajeeb Wazed posted a caption that reads: “March 17, 1975 was a memorable one as all ways led to Dhanmondi 32 where thousands of people gathered since the dawn to wish their leader on his birthday.
Read More: Bangabandhu’s birth anniversary and National Children’s Day celebrated in Canberra
“My grandfather Bangabandhu appeared before them, exchanging greetings and shaking hands. His day was tightly knitted with programs from appearing in an award-handing ceremony to receiving greetings from overseas diplomats. In addition, school students also greeted their leader inside the national parliament premises.
“Who knew that this man who kindled the spirit of freedom in the hearts of millions would be gunned down by the assassins the same year? The successive military rulers sealed the chapter in such a way that even the footages, recorded and stored by Bangladesh Film Archive, were not allowed to see the light.
“However, owing to the tireless works of those who preserved it, these footages are now made public.”
Read More: The Fearless Call commemorates fearless Bangabandhu
“On his birthday, I would like to pay my tribute to the father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” Sajeeb Wazed wrote.
Noted journalist Setara Musa passes away
Setara Musa, a noted journalist who edited the women's section of various newspapers, passed away at a hospital in the city on Tuesday. She was 83.
Setara, daughter of the prominent journalist Abdus Salam, breathed her last at the hospital in the afternoon, said journalist Parveen Sultana Jhuma, her own daughter.
The namaz-e-janaza of Setara, also the wife of prolific journalist ABM Musa, will be held at Iqbal Road Mosque in Mohammadpur after Esha prayer.
Later, her body will be taken to Fatehpur in Feni on Wednesday morning where she will be buried after Zuhr prayer near the grave of her husband ABM Musa.
Former FBCCI Vice President Abu Alam Chowdhury passes away
Former Vice President of Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce & Industries (FBCCI) Abu Alam Chowdhury died at a hospital in the capital on Monday. He was 75.
The eminent businessman breathed his last around 11 pm.
Namaz-e-Janaza of the deceased will be held on Wednesday at Nikunj-1 Jame Masjid after Zohar prayers.
FBCCI President Md. Jashim Uddin has expressed profound shock and sorrow at the death of Abu Alam.
In a condolence message, Jashim Uddin said the FBCCI will always remember his contributions to the business community.
The FBCCI President prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed deep sympathy to the bereaved family.
Alam was born on 30th September ,1948 in a respectable Muslim family in Chittagong district.
He did his Masters in Political Science from the University of Chittagong.
He played a commendable role in the great 69 movements against the Pakistani rulers, said the FBCCI.
During his studentship at Chittagong University, Alam was elected as cultural secretary and later served as general secretary of Chittagong University Central Students Union (CUCSU) and participated in the Liberation War of Bangladesh.
After completing his education, he started his business career in the media sector.
Chowdhury served as Vice-President of FBCCI and Director for 6 terms covering 12 years in the apex trade body .
Also Read: Raise awareness about intellectual property : FBCCI
He also served as Vice-President of the Confederation of Asia-Pacific Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CACCI) from 2008-2010.
He was a founding member of the Daily Financial Express, a member of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Bangladesh, and a former EC member of the SAARC Chamber of Commerce & Industry.
Barrister Nazmul Huda dies aged 80
Former minister Barrister Nazmul Huda died Sunday night while undergoing treatment at a city hospital. He was 80.
Trinamool BNP Secretary General Akkas Ali Khan said Huda breathed his last at Square Hospital around 10:25pm while undergoing treatment.
Huda is survived by his wife Sigma Huda, two daughters and a host of relatives to mourn his death.
A four-time MP from Dhaka-1 constituency, the lawyer served as the information minister (1991–1996) and the communications minister (2001–2006) during the BNP's rule under the leadership of Khaleda Zia.
In 2012, Huda resigned from the BNP and formed a new party named the BNF. He was expelled later from the party before the 2014 national election.
In November 2015, Huda formed another new political party named "Trinamool BNP" (Grassroots BNP), which had recently got registered with the Election Commission as a political party following a court order.
PM mourns Rouf Chowdhury's death
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has expressed deep shock and grief at the death of Rangs Group founding chairman Rouf Chowdhury.
Rouf died Saturday afternoon at his residence in Dhaka after a prolonged illness. He was 86.
Read: PM condoles death of Dr SA Malek
Hasina also prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul and extended her heartfelt sympathy to the eminent entrepreneur and his family.
Ex-BNP MP Ranu's mother dies
Noorjahan Begum, the mother of BNP's assistant training affairs secretary and former MP Rehana Akter Ranu, died on Saturday. She was 78.
She suffered a heart attack on Thursday and breathed her last around 11:45am on Saturday while undergoing treatment at a city hospital, Ranu told UNB.
Noorjahan left behind five sons, four daughters and a host of relatives to mourn her death.
She will be buried at her family graveyard in Feni's Kazirbagh union around 9:30pm after her namaz-e-janaza at a local mosque.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir expressed deep shock at her death.
In a condolence message, Fakhrul also prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul and extended his heartfelt sympathy to Noorjahan and her family.