Remembering S. M. Shahrukh

He was funny, witty, irreverent, honest, brilliant and perhaps a little more. He was a trailblazer and definitely a humanist with a large heart. Such a combination also made him unforgettable to most. St Gregory’s School, Notre Dame College and Chemical Engineering from BUET were only the formal part of his education. Yes, he passed with flying colours. His interest and ability to learn, analyze objectively and retain the knowledge was more than average and the span of subjects was - yes, you guessed it - uncommonly wide. He loved books, movies, music, cricket, chess, photography - and ah, so many other things. He is known more for his writings and varied interests now than anything else. But when did he start writing? In 2011 he had a massive heart attack and was on life support. A triple emergency bypass surgery in Dhaka saved his life, but left him with a very ailing heart and amplified his indomitable spirit. He was in a state of heart failure. It was all during these eight years that he started to write op-eds, poems and short stories. He was highly proficient in both Bangla and English. He loved to drive and for the last 4 years he drove to different places like Mymensingh, Comilla, Chittagong, Kaptai, and others including his favorite Cox’s Bazar. Lately his health deteriorated further and about a month back he was hospitalized once again in a state of critical heart failure. Stabilized, he returned home. He was delightfully happy because he was to fly to Cox’s Bazar to spend a few days. On the morning of his flight, 31 July 2019, Picklu did not wake up. What else can we tell you? Suffice it to say, he was, and to us, he still is. Sardar Muhammad Shahrukh,

Picklu -

from the hearts and minds of Imaad (son) and Samina (wife)