Veteran journalist Waliul Bari Chowdhury passed away. He took his last breathe at his home in Majampur area in Kushtia town at 7pm on Saturday. He was 84 years. He had been suffering from old age complications. The death of this warrior journalist casts a shadow of mourning over the district’s journalist community.
He has been associated with this profession for almost 60 years of his life.
He has survived by his wife Firoza Chowdhury, son Manzur Ehsan Chowdhury Mithu, Hasan Imam Chowdhury Tinku and daughter Avi Chowdhury.
Waliul Bari Chowdhury has a colorful life in journalism. He was the editor of ‘Swadhin Bangla’, the first newspaper published from the warrior front of Bangladesh during the war of liberation. He was publisher and editor of ‘Ispat’ magazine and pre-independence weekly ‘Mashal’. Both were published from the greater Kushtia region. He edited Swadhin Bangla from Ranaghat in Nadia district in West Benagl in India on 15 April 1971, which was the first fortnightly magazine during the liberation war. Prior to that, he was the publisher and editor of another monthly magazine, Saptahik Mashal in 1964. He was the publisher of fortnightly Samikkha after independent.
In 1975, when all newspapers in the country were closed down, only Ispat magazine was on publish and which was the only newspaper in Khulna division. On November 17, 1985, Ispat Patrika started publishing as weekly.
In addition to journalism, he was involved in various social and cultural organizations. Recently he received various illness due to old age complications. He received treatment in India, Singapore and Thailand.
Chowdhury’s death has been condolence by different quarters.
Editor and Publisher of Bangla daily The Dainik Kushtia and English weekly The Kushtia Times Dr. Amanur Aman has expressed his deep shock to the death.