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Humayun Azad is no more Ajoy Roy Dear Muktomonas, Here is a shocking news for everyone of us. No, his recent appeal to his countrymen, the great PM, and opposition leader and AL chief, nor we, his countless well-wishers, could save him from the inevitable. Humayun is no more. He was found dead in his dormitory residence on the morning (~ 11 a.m. about 4 p.m. Bangladesh time) of August 11, 2004 in Munich University premises. The fundamentalists would celebrate the day as ‘Nazat day’ (the day of rejoice) as one of their greatest enemies has been ‘eliminated’ by the great almighty Allah. The government of Begum Khaleda would also feel sigh of relief that it would not have to bother about his safety and security any more.
According to latest report that I could collect, Dr. Azad arrived Munich University on 9th August and was placed in a dormitory for his residence. As you already know perhaps, that he is there on 9-month fellowship provided by an association known as PEN (Poets Essayists Novelists). As he told me on 2nd or 3rd July over telephone that he would soon leave for Munich University where he intends do some research on some novels of distinguished German authors. As I learnt he spent the whole morning of 10th August in the department he was placed in getting acquaintance with the new environment and his colleagues. He attended a barbeque party in the evening on the same day, and returned to the dormitory to have a nice sleep following a hectic day. But alas, he never woke up from that fatal sleep. He passed away peacefully in sleep. He had an appointment with some gentleman regarding visa formalities in the morning of 11th August at the dormitory. As his room was closed, and even after knock no response was received, the door was broken open. He was discovered dead. The one of the saddest event in our literary and cultural life. The suspicion and mystery naturally grew the way he met his death. Surely it is not a natural death. Many suspect that he died of heart attack. As far as I know he has no record of heart ailing (but, I may be wrong). His family reaction is that ‘there is some conspiracy’. It is difficult to say right now, al least not before the postmortem report is available. Yesterday (12th August) evening a gentleman from German embassy with some teachers of DU went to Azad’s residence to disclose the sad news to his family members in the yesterday evening. Unfortunately, none was at home except his youngest daughter. They felt very uneasy to disclose the terrible news to a minor girl. They returned telling her they would come back later. Today (13th August), they went to his residence around 9 a.m. and disclosed the news to his wife. Needless to say for me, how the family members reacted. During our conversation over phone on early August, I got the impression that he wants to avail this opportunity to go to Germany, which would provide him a better atmosphere to continue his academic pursuit and an atmosphere to breathe freely. I told him that fear-free atmosphere would soon bring him back to normal Humayun Azad we knew, and his creative activity would soon return. At least for the time being he would live in a liberal atmosphere a distance away from the knives of the fundamentalists. He told me that he is contemplating to complete his intended novel ‘Minutes away from the death’, adding ‘Ajoy Babu, I now know how the death looks like.’ It is a pity that such a colourful life with full of potentialities has to be ended in such a pathetic way. If this were a conspiracy, how could we reveal ? God help us who are as helpless as Dr. Humayun Azad. Long live Humayun Azad, my good friend. Ajoy Roy -------------
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