Language movement veteran, Ekushey Padak-winning dramatist and cultural activist Professor Momtazuddin Ahmed died of old-age complications at a hospital in Dhaka. He was 84.
“Prof Momtazuddin breathed his last at the Apollo Hospitals here at about 3.48 pm,” president of Sammilito Sangskritik Jote Gulam Quddus told reporters.
He left behind his wife, two daughters, two sons and a host of admirers to mourn his death. Known as a writer-director of plays, Momtaz Uddin also has been a model for many creative artists of the present time, reports BSS.
Ahmed has written 25 plays for stage, radio and television and directed several of them. Most of his directions and writings were for his theatre troupe Theatre (Natok Shoroni).
Apart from plays, he has written several novels, research papers, essays, newspaper columns, screenplays for cinema, and textbooks for primary and secondary educations of Bangladesh.
Ahmed taught Bengali, Sanskrit, and European drama in several non-government and government colleges for over 32 years. He was a professor in the department of Bengali, in Jagannath University and a part-time lecturer at the Department of Music and Dramatics, in Dhaka University.
Rabindra Bharati University has included his writings Bibaha and Ki Chaho Shankhachil in its curriculum. Several of his plays are also included in the primary, secondary and higher secondary curriculum in Bangladesh.
Ahmed’s career as a teacher, writer as well as an actor earned him wide recognition but theatre is the most prolific part of his career. As a man of progressive conviction Ahmed took an active role in state language movement of Bangladesh, struggle for freedom during the Pakistani era and movement for getting back democracy in post-independence Bangladesh.
His body will be taken to Central Shaheed Minar premises today to allow the public to pay their final respects for the legendary playwright, Quddus added.
