Dhaka: Emeritus Professor of the English Department at Dhaka University (DU) and renowned educationist Syed Manzoorul Islam passed away while undergoing treatment at a city hospital at the age of 74. "Islam, also a fiction writer and essayist, breathed his last around 5:00 pm while undergoing treatment at LabAid Hospital in Dhaka," DU English Department Chairman Professor Dr. Tazin Aziz Chaudhury informed BSS.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Prof Islam was admitted to Labaid Hospital on October 3 following a heart attack. Despite undergoing several medical tests and having two stents placed in his heart, his condition deteriorated, and he was placed on life support on Sunday evening. He leaves behind his wife, a son, students, and numerous admirers and well-wishers.
To honor his legacy, Prof Islam's body will be brought to the Central Shaheed Minar tomorrow around 11 am and will remain there until 1 pm, allowing people to pay their respects to the esteemed professor and novelist. The first Namaz-e-Janaza will be conducted after Zuhr prayers at the Dhaka University Central Mosque. Subsequently, his body will be taken to the Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals' Graveyard for his second Namaj-e-Janaza and final burial.
Born on January 18, 1951, in Sylhet to Syed Amirul Islam and Rabeya Khatun, Prof Islam completed his secondary education at Sylhet Government Pilot High School in 1966. He pursued higher studies at MC College in Sylhet, followed by a BA and MA in English at the University of Dhaka, and earned his PhD from Queen's University in Canada in 1981. He retired as a professor from the English department and was named professor emeritus in 2023.
Throughout his career, Islam garnered numerous accolades, including the prestigious Ekushey Padak in 2018 and the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 1996, recognizing his significant contributions to literature.