Floral tributes poured in for Syed Manzoorul Islam, the renowned educator and literary figure, as the nation bade him farewell at the Central Shaheed Minar on Saturday.
Despite the rainy weather, citizens from all corners of the society gathered from 1am to 1pm to pay their respects and share memories of the late intellectual. Following the tribute, his body was taken to Dhaka University Central Mosque for the funeral prayers, and he was laid to rest at the Mirpur Intellectuals’ Graveyard.
Syed Manzoorul Islam, a former professor of the English Department at Dhaka University, was praised for his creativity, wisdom, and integrity by intellectuals, teachers, writers, cultural workers, and political figures who attended the event.
Emeritus Professor Serajul Islam Chowdhury remarked, “Manzoor illuminated everyone around him with his exceptional skills. He was first my student, then my colleague. He was a creative person and an inspiration to the younger generation. His contributions to literature, painting, and aesthetics will always inspire future students.”
Law Adviser Asif Nazrul has referred to Syed Manzoorul Islam’s signature smile, saying, “I was his neighbor. He always greeted me with a smile that was truly heartwarming. A person cannot offer such a pure smile without a pure soul. He was an unselfish and detached person.”
Adviser to the Ministry of Forest and Environment, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, described Syed Manzoorul Islam as one of Dhaka University’s finest teachers, stating, “Today, students have lost one of their greatest teachers. Syed Manzoorul Islam will always be respected by the people of this country.”
Kafi Ratan, General Secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, said, “Scholars like Syed Manzoorul Islam are the beacons of society. The younger generation needs mentors like him.”
Poet Dilara Hafiz expressed, “Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam inspired Bangladeshi youth to engage in English literature. His door was always open for new writers. As a liberal-minded writer and critic, he carved his place in Bengali literature.”
Earlier in the morning, at 10am, Syed Manzoorul Islam’s body was brought to the base of the Unfinished Victory sculpture at Dhaka University, where faculty members, including Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Professor Siddiqur Rahman Khan, and Chairperson of the English Department, Professor Tazin Aziz Chowdhury, along with other teachers and students, paid their respects.
Syed Manzoorul Islam passed away on Friday evening at the age of 74 at a private hospital in the capital after being treated for a massive heart attack on October 3. He had been receiving treatment ever since. For his outstanding contributions to literature, he was awarded the Bangla Academy Award in 1996 and the Ekushey Padak in 2018.
