Language movement veteran, poet, and researcher Ahmed Rafiq was accorded the highest state and public honour as people from all walks of life paid their final respects at the Central Shaheed Minar on Saturday.
From 11:00 am, the Shaheed Minar became a sea of flowers as cultural, political, and social organisations expressed their homage to one of the nation's most revered intellectuals.
The Ministry of Cultural Affairs, Bangla Academy, and the Sommilito Sangskritik Jote were among the first to lay wreaths at the foot of the Shaheed Minar, followed by numerous government and non-government institutions.
Leaders and activists of various political parties also joined in paying tribute to the late scholar, whose life and work, they said, were inseparably linked with the spirit of the language movement and the cultural awakening of Bangladesh.
Following the homage at the Shaheed Minar, his body was taken to Ibrahim Medical College Hospital in accordance with his last wish. The Rafiq Foundation stated that his body was donated posthumously for medical research and student training, reflecting the humanitarian ideals he cherished throughout his life.
Ahmed Rafiq, who passed away on Thursday at 10:12 pm in the ICU of BIRDEM Hospital at the age of 90, had been suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure, kidney complications, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and lung infections.
Over his long literary career, he authored and edited around 50 books covering diverse subjects including the history of the language movement, political thought, Rabindra studies, short stories, poetry, and translations.
In recognition of his lifelong contributions, he received the Bangla Academy Literary Award, the Ekushey Padak, and the title of Rabindra Tatyacharja from the Tagore Research Institute in Kolkata.
