Nation bids farewell to eminent academic Syed Manzoorul Islam

Emeritus Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam has been laid to rest after people from all walks of life gathered to honour and bid farewell to one of the country's most respected literary and academic figures.

From 11am to 1pm on Monday, his body was kept at the Central Shaheed Minar, where mourners -- from government advisors and university teachers to students and admirers -- paid their last respects despite heavy rain.

Emeritus Professor Serajul Islam Choudhury, one of Bangladesh’s most eminent academics, said: “Manzoor was my student and later my colleague. He began teaching while still a student himself, and even then he was exceptionally perceptive.”

“His students loved him as a teacher… his connection to literature was also remarkable. For this, he received several awards, including the Ekushey Padak, all of which he truly deserved.”

Environment Advisor Syeda Rizwana Hasan recalled her relationship with the writer, saying: “A person like Manzoor bhai -- a teacher, a writer, and a thinker -- is no longer among us. My relationship with him was partly professional, but mostly personal. Both of us are from Sylhet. He was someone that everyone respected for his knowledge, his intellect, and his humility.”

“Dhaka University has lost one of its finest teachers today. The student community too has lost one of its best educators. If you look at the reactions on social media, you'll find that everyone had been hoping for a miracle -- that he would come back to us. But the day of departure is always written. At least we’ve been able to bid him farewell with honour.”

Asif Nazrul, who left his position as a Dhaka University law professor to serve as an advisor to the interim government, also shared his memories of the litterateur.

“I used to live next door to Sir on Fuller Road. Whenever he saw me, he would smile in such a heartwarming way. Only someone with a pure heart and soul can smile like that. That smile was his signature.”

He described Manzoorul as “extraordinarily learned” and “an immensely popular teacher”, adding that while they sometimes disagreed politically, he was deeply principled and selfless.

“Whatever he believed in or cared for, it came from conviction, never from greed. That’s why everyone loved him.”

FINAL FAREWELL

Representatives from numerous organisations, including the Bangla Academy, Bangladesh National Museum, Shilpakala Academy, World Literature Centre, Nazrul Institute, and Dhaka University, joined the public in paying tribute to Manzoorul.

Earlier in the morning, teachers and students honoured him at Aparajeyo Bangla on the Dhaka University campus.

After the ceremony at the Shaheed Minar, his coffin was taken to the Dhaka University Central Mosque for funeral prayers. He was later buried at the Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals’ Graveyard.

Manzoorul, a former professor of English at Dhaka University, passed away on Friday afternoon at Dhaka’s Labaid Hospital. He was 74.