Helal Hafiz laid to eternal rest with state honours

Eminent poet Helal Hafiz was laid to rest with state honours at the Martyred Intellectuals Graveyard in Mirpur area of Dhaka Saturday afternoon.

He was buried around 3:00 pm after the second Namaz-e-Janaza that took place at the Jatiya Press Club. The first Namaz-e-Janaza was held on Bangla Academy premises in the morning.

Family members, admirers, and distinguished personalities paid their last respects to the poet at these venues.

Among those present were cultural affairs adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki and director general of Bangla Academy professor Mohammad Azam.

Hafiz, a celebrated poet of rebellion and love, passed away at the age of 76.

Born on 7 October 1948 in Netrokona, Helal Hafiz rose to prominence with his debut poetry collection, ‘Je Jale Agun Jwole’ (The Water That Burns), published in 1986.

The book has since gone through over 33 editions, a testament to its enduring popularity.

Hafiz also worked as a journalist for many years, contributing to leading newspapers such as Jugantor.