Chattogram, Jan 02 (V7N) – Renowned poet and Ekushey Padak recipient Sukumar Barua passed away early Friday morning at JK Memorial Hospital in Gahira, Raozan Upazila, Chattogram. He was 88 years old.

According to family sources, Barua had been suffering from multiple age-related health complications, including diabetes, for a long time. His death has cast a shadow of grief over the country’s literary and cultural community.

Born on January 5, 1938, in Madhyam Binajuri village, Raozan Upazila, Barua began his professional life in 1962 as a fourth-class employee at Dhaka University and retired in 1999 as the university’s storekeeper.

Barua’s writings, marked by satire, humor, and moral instruction, also reflected the spirit and messages of the Liberation War. His notable works include Pagla Ghoda, Bhije Belal, Chandana Ranjanar Chhatra, and Kihu Na Khihu.

In recognition of his extraordinary contribution to Bengali language and literature, the government awarded him the Ekushey Padak in 2017. He also received multiple honors, including the Bangla Academy Literary Award, Bangladesh Shishu Academy Literary Award, Alaol Literary Award, Chattogram Press Club Honor, Ausr Literary Award, Anon Foundation Lifetime Honor, and Chandrabati Children’s Literature Award.

Sukumar Barua’s passing is mourned by literary circles, writers, and readers across the country, who remember him as a poet who enriched Bengali literature with rhythm, humor, and profound insight.

END/SMA/AJ