In Remembrance of Poet and Lyricist Zahidul Haque

In the long and luminous journey of modern Bangla music, certain songs do more than merely reach the listener’s ears — they pierce the heart and remain there, quietly alive.
“Amar ei duti chokh pathor to noy, tobu keno khoye khoye jaay”
(My eyes are not made of stone, yet why do they slowly wear away) is one such immortal line. When the song was first broadcast in the mid-1980s in the soul-stirring voice of Subir Nandi, it instantly captured the imagination of audiences across Bangladesh. Behind those aching words stood poet and lyricist Zahidul Haque, a name synonymous with sensitivity, sorrow, and profound humanism in Bangla lyrical poetry.

Zahidul Haque began his creative journey in the late 1960s, at a time when Bangla literature and music were undergoing a quiet but meaningful transformation. His work spanned poetry, song lyrics, essays, and journalism, and in each domain he left behind a distinct and deeply personal signature. His writing was never loud or theatrical; instead, it spoke softly, allowing emotion, memory, and empathy to do the work.

Born on 11 August 1949 in Badarpur, Assam, Zahidul Haque grew up in a cultured yet gradually declining aristocratic family. His father, Dr Nurul Haque Bhuiyan, served at the Badarpur Railway Hospital, and due to his transferable job, Zahidul Haque’s childhood and adolescence unfolded across various parts of the region. This itinerant upbringing exposed him early to diverse landscapes, people, and lived experiences — elements that later enriched the emotional depth of his writing.

Though he studied at several schools, he eventually pursued higher education at Feni College and later at the University of Dhaka. His ancestral roots lay in Akdia village of Chauddagram upazila in Cumilla, at the historic Bhuiyan family home — a place closely woven into Bengal’s social and cultural heritage.

Professionally, Zahidul Haque was a towering yet understated figure in both print and electronic media. He served for many years as a Senior Editor and Broadcaster at Deutsche Welle in Cologne, Germany, contributing to international broadcasting with clarity and cultural insight. At home, he worked as Senior Assistant Editor at the national daily Sangbad and later held the influential position of Deputy Director General (Programmes) at Bangladesh Betar, where his creative vision and administrative acumen earned widespread respect.

His literary and musical contributions were recognised with the Bangla Academy Literary Award, along with a special honour from the University of Dhaka’s Department of Music. He also received numerous national and international accolades and was a Fellow of the Bangla Academy, reflecting his enduring impact on Bangla arts and letters.

An avid traveller, Zahidul Haque visited many historic cities across Europe and Asia. These journeys broadened his worldview, lending his work a quiet cosmopolitanism without ever diluting its emotional Bengali core.

On 15 January 2024, at midday, Zahidul Haque passed away while undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. With his departure, Bangla poetry, music, and media lost a deeply sensitive artist, a thoughtful intellectual, and a silent devotee of words.

Zahidul Haque may no longer be with us —
yet his songs, poems, and carefully chosen words do not fade away.
They do not erode with time; instead, they continue to live, growing ever deeper within our shared emotional memory.