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Adieu, friend of the poor

Staff Correspondent
Hundreds of people braved the morning chill yesterday as they thronged the Army Stadium to pay tribute to Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, who passed away in a hospital in the capital on Friday night.
From ministers, lawmakers, politicians, to diplomats of different countries, and civil society members to relatives, all came to attend the first namaz-e-janaza at the stadium.
They walked in silence towards the coffin inside the Army Stadium and placed floral wreaths on it.
People poured into the venue well before the body of Sir Fazle Abed arrived there around 10:30am. After they paid their last tribute, the namaz-e-janaza began around 12:45pm.
Sir Fazle Abed, known in the country as the friend of the poor or the champion of the deprived, was then laid to rest in Banani graveyard after a second namaz-e-janaza held on
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the graveyard premises, following Zohr prayers.
Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus said, "It is unimaginable that an individual can play such a huge role in changing people's fortune. Seventeen crore countrymen somehow have been benefited from what he [Sir Fazle Abed] did for the country.”
He added that Abed had spent his entire life for the wellbeing of the people.
In a condolence book kept at the venue, Yunus wrote, "Sir Fazle Hasan Abed is the part and parcel of the history of the country's mass people."
He delved deep into every issue, said Dr Yunus, adding that in doing so he had to form many organisations and he created a unique system for the management of those.
"1 will ask our young generation to take lessons from his activities and apply those for the wellbeing of the people,” he added.
Recalling Abed's contribution, National Professor Anisuzzaman said he turned Brae into the largest NGO of the world, which he had initiated through distribution of relief materials among the people of a war-torn Bangladesh.
"It is indeed a reflection of his extraordinary legacy," said Anisuzzaman.
Brae's contributions to eradicating poverty, reducing illiteracy and ensuring basic healthcare for the poor is outstanding, he added.
Anisuzzaman hoped Brae will continue its journey upholding Sir Fazle Abed's ideology.
Noted jurist Dr Kamal Hossain said Abed is recognised as a true friend of the poor.
He worked throughout his life for the people starting from the country's independence in 1971 through founding different organisations, said Kamal, also president of Gonoforum.
"He was an extraordinary personality."
After Abed's body was taken to the Army Stadium, representatives on
behalf of President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina placed wreaths on the coffin and stood in silence for a few minutes.
Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury and Deputy Speaker Fazle Rabbi Miah then paid their tributes.
An Awami League delegation, led by its General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, BNP delegation, led by the party's Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, and members of several other political parties paid their tributes as well.
National Professor Anisuzzaman, Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda, former CEC ATM Shamsul Huda, Nobel Laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus, PM's advisors Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury and Salman F Rahman, Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, former finance minister AMA Muhith, and Dhaka North City Corporation Mayor Atiqul Islam were all present to pay their tributes.
Members of Federation of NGOs in Bangladesh, Gonoshasthaya Kendra, Bishwa Sahitya Kendra, Brae, Brae University, Ain O Salish Kendra, Manusher Jonno Foundation, Sajida Foundation, CAMPE, Pip Trust, Nijera Kori, Bengal Foundation, CCDB, CRP, World Vision Bangladesh, and Grameen Bank placed floral wreaths on Abed's coffin.
The poor people of Bangladesh have lost a true friend..., said Akbar Ali Khan, former adviser to a caretaker government.
Despite leading a large organisation such as Brae, Abed believed in learning all the time, said Khan.
Abed introduced various models to eradicate poverty in Bangladesh, which are now being followed in many other countries, he added.
AL General Secretary Obaidul Quader said Sir Fazle Hasan Abed's life and works are spread across the globe.
He worked silently for the betterment of marginalised people and their wellbeing. The role of Brae is
unlimited for the betterment of rural people, Quader said.
"Bangladesh lost one of her best sons in Abed, who was creative and meritorious," he added.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said Sir Fazle Hasan Abed's departure is an irreparable loss for the country.
"We saw discipline in his everyday activities which is an extraordinary example. He was a creative and pro-people person. The vacuum created through his departure will not be filled," he added.
Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda said Abed was an inspiration for finding the potential in marginalised people.
Australian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Julia Niblett said with the death of Sir Fazle Abed, Bangladesh has lost a giant in development.
"The contribution that he has made over several decades to reduce inequality, and serving the people of Bangladesh with quiet humility, is outstanding and enduring," she said.
US Ambassador in Bangladesh Earl R Miller said Abed contributed to eradicating poverty and to the progress of living standards of millions of people in Bangladesh and beyond.
UK government's Department for International Development Country Representative Judith Herbertson said Bangladesh, and indeed the world, has lost a true visionary.
Sir Fazle Abed changed the face of Bangladesh and his consistent focus on the poorest and most marginalised is beyond comparison, she said.
Unicef Bangladesh Representative Tomoo Hozumi said Sir Fazle Abed made revolutionary changes to the concept of NGO and its operation, including social entreprises not only in Bangladesh but also globally, and positively impacted the lives of millions of people.
AL lawmaker Fazle Noor Taposh said Abed was an inspirational personality.
"He is a pride of the nation," Taposh said.
Sir Fazle Abed left a cozy and comfortable life behind for the wellbeing of the poorest and marginalised in Asia and Africa, said good governance campaigner Badiul Alam Majumdar.
"A man larger than life, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed was a trailblazer, proving through his life that it is possible to lift millions in the world out of poverty and touch the lives of countless others in positive ways, he will live on in the hearts of the people, in the stories of lives and proudly, in the history of Bangladesh and all other countries where Brae operates," said UCEP Bangladesh Executive Director Tahsinah Ahmed.
In an email sent to The Daily Star, Professor Emeritus Geof Wood of International Development at the department of social and policy sciences at the University of Bath wrote: "...His contribution to development is global, while never losing sight of individual suffering and practical remedies...He was never afraid of being ambitious for Brae, seeing scale as a virtue. An inquisitive and generous listener, before steering -- gently, but firmly. The people of Bangladesh can show who they are through him and his legacy."