Author Shawkat Ali ‘ailing’, under intensive care at Dhaka hospital

Award-winning author Shawkat Ali is in ‘poor health' and has been put under intensive care at a hospital in Dhaka.

The 81-year-old was brought to the Labaid Hospital on Thursday afternoon, Saifur Rahman Lenin, an assistant general manager of the private hospital, told bdnews24.com.

He said Shawkat was under the care of medicine specialist Prof Samiran Chakrabarty.

“He has undergone a number of medical tests. His condition is not so good,” Lenin said.

The author’s son Shawkat Kallol said his father was suffering from lung infection.

Born at Raiganj of North Dinajpur in India’s West Bengal on Feb 12, 1936, Shawkat got involved with leftist politics in his student days.

After starting his career as a journalist, he moved to teaching.

He wrote for the leftist newspaper Natun Sahitya. His stories, poems and works for children were also published in Dainik Millat, monthly Samakal, and Daily Ittefaq.

Shawkat won the Ekushey Padak award in 1990 for his contribution to literature. He also won the Bangla Academy Award, Humayun Kabir Memorial Award, and Ajit Guha Memorial Literary Award.

He won the Philips Literary Award for his trilogy of novels ‘Dakkhinayoner Din’, ‘Kulai Kalsrot’ and ‘Purboratri Probodin’.

His other novels include ‘Pingol Akash’, “Prodoshe Prakritojon’, ‘Opekkha’, ‘Gontobye Ottopor’, ‘Uttorer Khep’, ‘Obosheshe Propat’, ‘Jononi O Jatika’, and ‘Jorh Bijorh’.

He also edited compilations of stories ‘Unmul Basona’, ‘Lelihan Sadh’, ‘Shuno He Lokhindor’, and ‘Baba Apne Jan’.