Waheedul Haq (Bengali: ওয়াহেদুল হক) (March 16, 1933 - January 27, 2007), born in Dhaka, Bangladesh, was a veteran Journalist, writer, musicologist, and an expert and teacher of Tagore songs .[1] He was also a cultural leader and thinker, a campaigner-activist for social-political-cultural causes, and an organiser of several cultural institutions and events. He is a recipient of the prestigious Ekushey Padak[2]
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Waheedul Haq (also spelled Waheedul Haque, Wahidul Haque) was born on March 16, 1933 at Bhawal Monoharia village under Keraniganj Upazila, Dhaka. His father,Mazharul Haq, was a member of Bengal legislative assembly in 1946. Mewa Begum was his mother. Waheedul was the eldest among three brothers and two sisters. His brother Rezaul Haq is a journalist while another brother Ziaul Haq was a martyr in 1971. Waheedul Haq grew up in the old part of Dhaka city, and was educated in the Dhaka College.
Waheedul Haq was the founder of Chhayanat, which played a vital role in the cultural-political movements during late 1960s, prior to the country's liberation war. Apart from establishing Chhayanat in 1961, along with some other enlightened persons Haq also founded a number of prominent cultural organisations like Kanthashilon, Nalonda, Anandadhani, Fulki, Bratochari Samity and Bashanto Utsab Udjapon Parishad. He also formed the Jatiya Rabindra Sangeet Sammilon Parishad in 1980. Haq was also involved in filmmaking and the film society movement during the 1960s. He also composed the musical scores for noted Indian director Ritwik Ghatak's film Titash Ekti Nadir Naam - the post-production of which was done after the death of the director. Some of his articles on music and society have been compiled and published as books, namely 'Gaaner Bhitor Diye' (Seen Through Music) and 'Chetonadharay Esho' (Come With The Stream Of Consciousness).
During his fifty five year-long career in journalism, Waheedul Haq served in some major English dailies of the country, including The Daily Star, where he worked as an Assistant Editor and later as a Joint Editor. He was a shift in-charge of the Daily Observer in the 1960s. He also worked in The People, The Morning News and The New Nation. Since the late 1990s he wrote extensively as a freelance columnist in a number of Bengali newspapers including The Daily Bhorer Kagoj and Daily Janakantha.[3]
Waheedul Haq died at Dhaka’s Birdem Hospital on 27 January,2007. The 75-year old intellectual had been suffering from pneumonia, lung and kidney diseases and was undergoing treatment at the hospital for the past few weeks.