National Professor Anisuzzaman buried at Azimpur graveyard

National Professor Anisuzzaman, one of Bangladesh's foremost authors and cultural activists, has been laid to rest at Dhaka's Azimpur graveyard amid an outpouring of grief.

Volunteers of Al-Markazul Islami, an organisation that has been performing funeral rituals of patients who die from COVID-19, collected his body from Dhaka's Combined Military Hospital (CMH) around 9 am Friday, according to his son Ananda Zaman.

They later conducted his last rites in line with the guidelines for the burial of COVID-19 patients.

"The volunteers took my father's coffin from CMH to the Azimpur graveyard in the morning. He was later buried after a Namaz-e-Janaza at around 10:15 am," said Ananda.

Prof Anisuzzaman was accorded a guard of honour by the Dhaka district administration ahead of his burial, added Ananda.

The 83-year-old national professor breathed his last at CMH on Thursday afternoon.

Aside from a combination of heart, kidney and lung ailments, Prof Anisuzzaman was also suffering from Parkinson's disease and prostate complications.

The doctors also collected samples from him before and after his death as he had a fever, one of the symptoms of COVID-19. The test result came out positive.

State Minister KM Khalid, Bangla Academy Director General Habibullah Siraji, Bengal Foundation Chairman Abul Khair Litu, Anisuzzaman’s son-in-law Azimul Haque and a few other relatives were present at the funeral prayer, according to a statement from the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. 

“The nation has suffered an irreparable loss with the sad demise of National Professor Anisuzzaman,” Khalid said in tribute to the professor at Azimpur graveyard.

“He was a shining light in the country's education and cultural spheres. He became a forerunner with his philanthropy, nurturing of progressive and democratic ideals, intellect and knowledge.”

The state minister also highlighted Prof Anisuzzaman's 'guiding influence' on the nation during any crisis while noting his contributions to the language movement, the mass uprising in 1969 and the Liberation War in 1971.

Having taught Bengali literature at Dhaka University and Chittagong University, he was a professor emeritus at the University of Dhaka. He authored many books in Bangla and English.

Born in 1937 in Kolkata, Prof Anisuzzaman was a recipient of the Bangla Academy award for research (1970) and the Ekushey Padak, the second-highest civilian award in Bangladesh, for his contribution to education in 1983.