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Daud Haider, the distinguished poet, writer, and columnist who held the unique distinction of being the first exiled poet of independent Bangladesh, has passed away. He breathed his last a short while ago in a care home in Berlin, having lived a solitary life without close relatives in his final years. (Inna Lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un - Indeed we belong to Allah, and indeed to Him we will return). Swadhin Khosru, a prominent playwright and organizer, confirmed this news to Daily Dazzling Dawn. Swadhin Khosru could not provide any information regarding where his burial might take place.
But he added, 'The poet's friends and admirers are saying that the current government of Bangladesh can bring his body back to Bangladesh to show their final respects to the poet.'
The Daily Dazzling Dawn family has expressed deep sorrow over the death of this remarkable poet, writer, and journalist of the Bengali language for nearly the past five decades.
Daud Haider was a celebrated Bangladeshi Bengali poet, writer, and journalist. His life took a significant turn in 1974 when he was forced into exile from his homeland. He spent the initial thirteen years in India before moving to Germany in 1987, where he continued to live in exile. In recent times, he worked as a broadcasting journalist. A prominent figure in modern Bengali poetry, he is widely recognized as one of the leading poets of the 1970s. His notable works include the poignant collection of poems titled "Jonmoi Amar Ajonmo Pap" (Birth is My Inborn Sin).
A pivotal moment in his life occurred following the publication of his poem "Kalo Surjer Kalo Jyotsnay Kalo Bannyay" (In the Black Flood of the Black Moonlight of the Black Sun) in the Dainik Sangbad newspaper on February 24, 1974. The poem sparked legal action against him, accused of offending religious sentiments.
Consequently, police arrested him on March 11, 1974, on these charges, and on May 21, 1974, the government expelled him from the country. Earlier in his career, during the early 1970s, Daud Haider served as the editor of the literary page of Dainik Sangbad. In 1973, the London Society for Poetry bestowed the prestigious "The Best Poem of Asia" award upon one of his poems. It was in the literary pages of Sangbad that he penned "Kalo Surjer Kalo Jyotsnay Kalo Bannyay." More recently, he was a regular columnist for Bangla Tribune.
He was 73 years old at the time of his demise. He had been grappling with various health issues since December of last year and had undergone prolonged treatment in the hospital.
A lifelong bachelor, Daud Haider had been dealing with loneliness and various age-related health complications. Last year, on December 12, he suffered a fall on the stairs of his Berlin residence. Following the incident, he was rescued and admitted to the hospital, where he remained under intensive care in the ICU for an extended period.
Born in Pabna on February 21, 1952, Daud Haider wore many hats – he was a poet, a writer, and a journalist. The tumultuous public unrest of 1974 ultimately led to his forced departure from his beloved Bangladesh.
