Abul Hasnat, eminent litterateur and journalist, passes away

Eminent writer and journalist Abul Hasnat has died in hospital care at the age of 75.

He passed away in the capital's Anwar Khan Modern Hospital around 8:30 am on Sunday after suffering from heart disease, said Anindya Rahman, executive officer of Chhayanaut.

"He actually had a lot of health issues. There was a lot of pain in his body. He had stone in the gallbladder but an operation couldn't be done to remove it. In the end, he was being treated for pneumonia," said Tarik Sujat, general secretary of the National Poetry Council.

He was also tested for COVID-19 but the result came back negative, according to Tarik.

Hasnat will be laid to rest at Mirpur's Martyred Intellectuals' Graveyard following a namaz-e-janaza or funeral prayers at the mosque in  Dhanmondi's road No. 7 after the Asr prayers on Sunday. Before that, his body will be taken to Bengal Foundation and Chhayanaut where his colleagues and well-wishers will pay their final respects.

Abul Hasnat was born on July 17, 1945 in Old Dhaka. He wrote under the pseudonym 'Mahmud Al Zaman'.

He has published numerous books of poetry, including 'Jyotsna O Durbipak', 'Kono Ek Din Bhubandanga', 'Bhubandanga Megh O Nadhar Kalo Beral'.

He also wrote several books for children and adolescents such as 'Juddhodiner Dhushor Dupure', 'Ranur Dukkho-Bhalobasha' and 'Tuku O Samudrar Golpo', for which he received the Agrani Bank Children's Literature Award in 1982. He was also made an honorary fellow of Bangla Academy in 2014.

Hasnat served as the literary editor of the daily Sangbad with distinction for 24 years. At the time of his death, he was the editor of the acclaimed literary magazine 'Kali O Kolom'.