Bangladesh achieved many things in the outgoing year - 2017 - but it also lost a number of prominent personalities, both in the political and cultural arenas - that will take time to heal the wounds, reports UNB.
In August, legendary Bangla film actor Razzak passed away at a hospital in Dhaka at the age of 76. Journalist Ahmed Zaman Chowdhury gave Razzak the famous title what people say as 'Nayak Raj'.
Nayak Raj, the powerful actor, had devoted his entire life to Bangladesh filmdom and today, even after his demise, he remains above everything.
On August 30, the country lost renowned singer Abdul Jabbar. He passed away at the age of 80. His powerful songs had inspired the freedom fighters during the country's glorious Liberation War.
People in the country know Jabbar for his patriotic songs like 'Salam salam hajar salam' and 'sharhe shaat koti manusher aaj ekti naam,'
At his death, the country has lost a legendary singer who inspired freedom fighters through his songs from Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra during the 1971 Liberation War.
In the first week of December, Bangladesh lost a 'change-maker' and Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Annisul Huq. The dynamic businessperson and civic crusader with full of energy and a man on mission to have 'clean Dhaka' lost the battle for life in a London hospital after nearly three months' treatment there.
On April 21, noted singer-composer Lucky Akhand died after a prolonged illness at a hospital in Dhaka at the age of 61.
Born in 1955 in Old Dhaka and diagnosed with grade-IV lung cancer back in 2015, Lucky Akhand fought a long battle with the disease. An enlisted music composer of HMV Pakistan at the age of nearly 14 and a musician of HMV India at 16, the singer joined Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra in 1971. People still keep singing his songs.
On November 24, eminent folk singer and flautist Bari Siddiqui passed away at Square Hospitals in Dhaka. The 63-year-old singer had been kept on life support there since the night of November 17 after he suffered a heart attack.
He had also been suffering for long from diabetes and complications in both kidneys. Music lovers still sing his popular songs like 'Shua Chan Pakhi' and 'Amar Gaye Joto Dukkho Shoy'.
In December, Chittagong's iconic figure and ruling Awami League's port city unit president ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury passed away.
Mohiuddin became mayor of the Chittagong City Corporation in 1994. The freedom fighter held the office for 17 years straight before being defeated by BNP candidate M Manjurul Alam in 2010.
