Emotional send-off for Baby Maudud

She always identified herself first as a journalist and considered the National Press Club (NPC) as her home. AN Mahfuza Khatun Baby Maudud on Friday night received her last farewell there bathing in respect and love from her family, relatives, colleagues, journalists, politicians and many other personalities. Senior journalist, writer, social worker, women rights activist and former MP Maudud died at a Dhaka hospital on Friday of cancer after a long battle at the relatively young age of 66. Baby Maudud was laid to rest at Banani Graveyard after namaj-e-janaza (funeral prayers) and tributes at the NPC. Earlier, grief-stricken environment descended on the NPC premises when her mortal remains were brought there around 9:30pm. She was a permanent member of the club. Long-time colleagues of the senior journalist became emotional while paying their last tributes. Many staff of the press club were wiping away their tears when they were paying last respects to their ‘caring Baby Apa’. After a namaj-e-janaza there, the Prime Minister’s Military Secretary Maj Gen Miah Md Joynul Abedin paid last tributes and placed wreath on her behalf on the coffin. The Prime Minister’s Special Assistant Mahbubul Hoque Shakil was present at the time. Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, Law Minister Anisul Haque, Civil Aviation and Tourism Minister Rashed Khan Menon and Information Commissioner Sadeka Halim also paid their respects to the former MP. Floral wreaths were put on her coffin on behalf of journalists’ associations, political parties, cultural and literary associations. Among others, CPB Adviser and former president Manjurul Ahsan Khan, Awami League leaders Nuh-ul Alam Lenin and Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor AAMS Arefin Siddique, the president’s Press Secretary Ehsanul Karim Helal, the Prime Minister's Press Secretary AKM Shamim Chowdhury and Dhaka University Professor Muntasir Mamun, Samakal Editor Golam Sarwar, senior journalists Habibur Rahman Milon, Jaglul Ahmed Chowdhury, Shafiqur Rahman, Farid Hossain, Azizul Islam Bhuiyan, BSS Chief Editor Abul Kalam Azad, Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists President Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul, Secretary General MA Aziz, Dhaka Union of Journalists President Altaf Mahmud, General Secretary Kuddus Afrad, Jahangir Alam Pradhan, National Press Club President Kamal Uddin Sabuj, General Secretary Syed Abdal Ahmed, Dhaka Reporters Unity President Shahed Chowdhury and General Secretary Ilias Khan, Editor-in-Chief of bdnews24.com Toufique Imrose Khalidi also took part in the funeral prayers. After the janaza and tributes there, an ambulance took Baby Maudud’s body to Banani Garaveyard around 10:45pm, according to bdnews24.com.