Musician Lucky Akhand buried with state honours

Reputable musician, singer-composer Lucky Akhand has been laid to rest with state honour.

People braved rains to pay their last respects to Akhand at the Central Shaheed Minar where a police team gave him the guard of honour on Saturday.

He was buried at Mirpur Intellectuals' Graveyard at 2:45pm after a namaz-e-janaza held at Dhaka University Central Mosque.

A Kulkhani will be held at his Armanitola home on Monday after Asr prayers, his family said.

The creator of many popular songs like "Eiye Neel Monihar", "Amay Deko Na", "Ritiniti Jani Na", "Age Jodi Jantam" died Friday evening after battling lung cancer.

Paying tribute to the artist at the Shaheed Minar, Cultural Affairs Minister Asaduzaman Noor said, "The entire Bengali nation is in the grief of losing him. He was a magnificent creative artist."

Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu termed him 'an artist of the masses'. "He bore the entire Bangladesh in his heart."

The ministers assured his daughter Mum Miniti Akhand Noor of taking steps to preserve the memory of the artist.

Dhaka North Mayor Annisul Huq, Dhaka University Vice Chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique, singers Fakir Alamgir, Timir Nandi, Nakib Khan, Fuad Naser Babu, among others, came to pay respect to Akhand.

The political parties and organisations that paid tribute to the artist included the Awami League, BNP, JaSoD, Workers Party, Sammilito Sangskritik Jote and JASAS.

Bangladesh Betar's Deputy Director Salahuddin Ahmed said at the Shaheed Minar that the state-run radio station recorded  Akhand's songs and would preserve those properly.

Showing the national flag covering the coffin, Sangskritik Jote President Golam Quddus said, "He will remain alive like this red and green flag."