Tributes paid to poet Abu Zafar Obaidullah

A recipient of Ekushey Padak and Bangla Academy Padak, Obaidullah was a language movement veteran, who at later stage excelled in composing poems and held international position in a United Nations body.

Born in Barisal on February 8, 1934, he was the second son of Justice Abdul Jabbar Khan, a former speaker of the Pakistan national assembly.

Obaidullah died in 2001 after suffering for about a year followed by a cerebral haemorrhage. The Bengal Foundation organised a discussion and a cultural function last night to pay tribute to the late poet.

Also a diplomat, bureaucrat and minister, Obaidullah contributed a lot to the agro-reformation and expansion in South Asia. He was the Deputy Director General of UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).