The body of veteran actor, playwright and director Ataur Rahman will be taken to the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka on Tuesday for people from all walks of life to pay their final respects before his burial at Banani Graveyard.
Ataur Rahman, a recipient of both the Ekushey Padak and Swadhinata Padak, died late Monday night while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in the capital.
According to the Actors’ Association, his funeral prayer will be held after Zuhr prayers at the open field in front of his residence at Ispahani Century Arcade in Moghbazar. His body will then be taken to the Shaheed Bedi at the Central Shaheed Minar, where members of the public will be able to pay tribute between 3:00 pm and 4:00 pm.
Following the tribute ceremony, he will be laid to rest at Banani Graveyard.
Family members said Ataur Rahman’s condition deteriorated after he suffered a fall at his home last Friday. He was first taken to a hospital in Gulshan before being transferred to another hospital in Dhanmondi due to the lack of an intensive care unit facility.
He was placed on life support after being admitted. Although the support was briefly removed following slight improvement in his condition, he was later put back on ventilation after his health deteriorated again on Sunday.
Born in Noakhali on June 18, 1941, Ataur Rahman was regarded as one of the pioneers of Bangladesh’s post-independence theatre movement. Over several decades, he established himself as a playwright, actor, director and cultural organiser.
He received the Ekushey Padak and later the Swadhinata Padak in recognition of his contribution to theatre and culture.
Alongside his theatre work, he also taught part-time at several universities and acted in television dramas and films.
His published works include ‘Projapoti Nibondho’, ‘Mancha Sarathir Kabbokotha’, ‘Natok Korte Hole’, ‘Nattoprobondho Bichitra’ and ‘Lekohni’.
