BRAC University celebrated the 89th birthday of its founder, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, at its Merul Badda campus in Dhaka on April 27 through a number of events reflecting on his life, legacy, and values.

The day’s celebrations started off with female football players of BRAC University playing a special memorial match. Titled “Shombhabona”, this football match was a tribute to Sir Fazle’s lifelong commitment to women’s empowerment and to his belief that every woman deserves the opportunity to grow, thrive, and succeed.

Afterwards, a photo exhibition titled “Shopnojatra - A Life of Impact” was opened for visitors. The exhibition featured photos highlighting significant moments of Sir Abed’s lifetime, starting from his return to a newly independent Bangladesh after the Liberation War to come to the aid of the refugees through the establishment of BRAC.

The photos also depicted moments of his engagements with people to develop their own capacity to better manage their lives and beat poverty. The exhibition also showcased times he had been honoured with numerous national and international awards for his outstanding contributions towards the development of Bangladesh.

The exhibition also featured the Independence Award, the highest civilian honour in the country, which the Bangladesh government posthumously awarded to Sir Abed on March 25, 2025, in recognition of his lifelong commitment to social development and nation-building.

In the afternoon, some of Sir Fazle’s closest friends and colleagues, who also shared his dreams and passion for music, came together in a heartfelt session titled reminiscing the times they spent with him.

“Sir Fazle was very much interested in architecture and music and always supported anything that brought good,” said Abul Khair Litu, Chairman of Bengal Group and an avid promoter of the arts of Bangladesh.

Umme Sharmin Kabir, Founder of the social organisation Wreetu, informed how BRAC initiatives and scholarships enabled her to complete her schooling alongside higher education at BRAC University.

Litu; Kabir; Tamara Hasan Abed, Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of BRAC University; Professor Syed Ferhat Anwar, Vice-Chancellor, BRAC University; Lady Syeda Sarwat Abed, Founder and Adviser of the BRAC Institute of Languages; and BRAC University Registrar Dave Dowland presented the champions with the trophy of the morning’s football match.

Luva Nahid Choudhury, singer and Director General of Bengal Foundation, sang some songs of Atul Prasad Sen, Rajanikanta Sen and Dwijendralal Ray. Six students of Bengal Parampara Sangeetalay also kept the audience enthralled for an hour or so playing classical musical instruments.

The event was moderated by Khairul Basher, Director of Communications at BRAC University.