Family donates Sanjida Khatun’s body respecting her wish

Family donates her body respecting her wish for organ transplantation and medical research

Sanjida Khatun, a guiding light of Bengali culture and a founding member and president of Chhayanaut, has donated her body for organ transplantation and research, fulfilling a wish she made 27 years ago.

The process of handing over her body to Bangladesh Medical University Hospital (PG Hospital) in Dhaka had been completed, her son Partha Tanveer Naved said on Thursday.

He told bdnews24.com, “This was Sanjida Khatun’s decision from 27 years ago. In accordance with her wish, the entire family agreed to donate her body. The process was completed today.”

Renowned for her legendary status in Bengali cultural circles and her remarkable contributions to research, Sanjida Khatun dedicated her life to exploring Bengali identity through music.

She passed away at 3pm on Tuesday while undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) at Square Hospital in Dhaka.

On Tuesday night, her body was preserved in a mortuary.

The following afternoon, her coffin was taken to the Chhayanaut building, where teachers and students of the institution paid their final respects through song.

From there, the body was moved to Dhaka University’s Bangla department, where she had once worked.

Later, at the Central Shaheed Minar, artists, cultural activists, and people from all walks of life bid her farewell.

On Wednesday night, her remains were placed in the hospital’s mortuary, and on Thursday, her family completed the donation process at the PG Hospital.