NN Online:
Poet Daud Haider, best known for his work Jonmoi Amar Ajonmo Paap, has passed away.
He died on Saturday night at the age of 73, at a retirement home in Berlin, Germany.
Shawonti Haider, his niece and an associate professor at Dhaka University’s Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, confirmed the news to bdnews24.com. “Uncle died at 9:20pm local time. We will share more details later,” she said.
Daud left Bangladesh in 1974, first spending several years in Kolkata before settling in Germany in 1987, where he lived until his death.
A lifelong bachelor, Daud had been suffering from multiple health issues. In December of last year, he suffered a fall at his Berlin home, hitting his head. He was admitted to the ICU and, although he later returned home after treatment, he never fully recovered.
Born on February 21, 1952, in Pabna, Daud Haider was not only a poet but also a journalist and author. His poem Kalo Shurjer Kalo Jyosnai Kalo Bonnyai was published in Dainik Sangbad on February 24, 1974. Shortly after, he faced accusations of “hurting religious sentiments,” leading to his arrest on March 11 of that year amid widespread protests.
Though he was released on May 20, 1974, the government at the time failed to guarantee his safety. The very next day, Daud fled to Kolkata on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight, carrying almost nothing with him.
