Syed Mainul Hossain, 62, the man behind the nation’s most iconic monument, the National Memorial (Jatiyo Sriti Shoudho) which was built in memory of the martyrs of 1971, has passed away.
The sexagenarian architect of the memorial at Savar, died at Mirpur’s National Heart Foundation Hospital and Research Institute on Monday noon.
“He was admitted yesterday following a heart attack. He had high blood pressure. He passed away at 2:30pm,” hospital’s Director Abdullah Al Shafi said.
Born in 1952 in Munshiganj district, he showed interest to study architecture from boyhood and took admission in Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) in 1970.
In a nation-wide design competition held in June, 1978, Mainul’s design was chosen after the evaluation of fifty seven submissions.
Mainul Hossain won Sheltech Award in 2007.
Composed of seven isosceles triangular planes vary in size, in its height and base, in such a way that the elevation of it appears to be different in every rotation of 3600 angle. This feature makes it a unique and rare example of architecture. The memorial’s main monument, 150-feet tall, has come to be the ultimate symbol of sacrifice made by the martyrs during Bangladesh’s Liberation War in 1971.
Meanwhile, President Abdul Hamid, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Monday expressed deep shock at the death of National Memorial architect Syed Mainul Hossain.
In a condolence message conveyed by the President’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim from Beijing, the President, now in China, said the nation has lost a renowned architect with the demise of Syed Mainul Hossain.
Abdul Hamid prayed for salvation of the departed soul and expressed his sympathy to the bereaved family members.
In a message of condolence, Sheikh Hasina said that the National Monument built with the unique design of Mainul in memory of the martyrs of the Great War of Liberation, would remain forever as a symbol of utmost sacrifices of the Bengali nation.
The Prime Minister also prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed her sympathy to the family members of the bereaved.
Meanwhile, in a condolence message, the former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia said Mainul Hossain earned a unique self-esteem as a great son of the soil in the history of the nation by designing the National Mausoleum, epitomising the sacrifices of the 1971 Liberation War heroes.
observerbd
