Late noted poet, writer and editor Rafiq Azad, widely well-known for his much-talked about poem ‘Bhaat De Haramjada’ (Give me food, bastard), will be remembered in a befitting manner on the 76th birthday anniversary today (1 Falgun). In this regard, Kobi Rafiq Azad Smrity Parshad has organised a commemorative event today at 4pm at the poet’s residence in the capital’s Dhanmondi area. The programme will feature musical performance, poetry recitation, reciting poems of poet Rafiq Azad and discussion. Besides, an anthology of prose titled ‘Godder Gohon Arannye’, a collection of prose of the poet, will be launched at the today’s event.

Presided over by president of Kobi Rafiq Azad Smrity Parshad poet Rabiul Hossain, Professor Emirates Dr Anisuzzaman will be present at the event and poet Muhammad Samad will deliver welcome speech.

Veteran artist Hashem Khan, poet Asad Chowdhury, litterateur Anwara Syed Haq, Rubi Rahman, Habibullah Siraji, Asim Saha, Tariq Sujat, Ferdous Nahar, Obayed Akash, Piyas Majid and son of Rafiq Azad, Ovinna Azad will participate in the discussion on the life and work of Rafiq Azad.

Also, Pijush Bandyopadhyay and other recitation artistes will recite the poems of Rafiq Azad at the event.

Born on February 14 in 1942 in the remote village of Guni in Tangail district, poet Rafiq Azad participated in the war against the Pakistani occupation forces in 1971 and was awarded ‘Notable Freedom Fighter Award’ in 1997. He received the Bangla Academy Award in 1984 and Ekushey Padak in 2013 for his contribution to Bangla language and literature.

He is credited with 45 collections of poetry, including ‘Prakriti O Premer Kabita’, ‘Asambhaber Paye’, ‘Sahasra Sundar’, ‘Haturir Nichae Jiban’, ‘Khub Beshi Durea Noy’,‘Khamakaro Bahaman Hey Udar Amiyo Batas’ and others. He is most well known for his poem ‘Bhaat De Haramjada, Noile Manchitro Khabo’, which was written during the famine of 1974.

Throughout his professional life spanning 50 years, Azad had many roles. He began his career as a lecturer at Kagmari College (now Govt. Maulna Mohammad Ali College) in Tangail in the late 1960s. He joined the Bangla Academy in 1972 and worked there until 1984, as the executive editor of ‘Uttaradhikar’, a monthly magazine. He was also the editor of ‘Robbaar’, another popular weekly in 1980s. Later, he went back to teaching and became a visiting professor of literature at Jahangirnagar University in Savar.

The renowned poet breathed his last on March 12, 2016 in Dhaka, and his body was entombed in Martyred Intellectuals' Cemetery in Mirpur, Dhaka.