Goodbye ‘Tree Samad’

Abdul Samad Sheikh, a rickshaw puller from Faridpur known as “Tree Samad” died early today at the age of 60.

The man from Vajondanga village who planted at least one tree everyday for the past 48 years died around 4:00am at Faridpur Medical College Hospital.

Samad was diagnosed with a tumor in his liver after he was hospitalized on July 2, a day after he fell sick.

Doctors at Faridpur Medical College Hospital operated successfully on Tree Samad on July 12, our Faridpur correspondent reports.

“Samad died of Septicemia which he was affected by after his operation as his immune system got weak” Professor Ratan Saha of surgery department of the hospital told The Daily Star.

Tree Samad used to plant trees with the money he earned by rickshaw pulling. He planted trees beside highways, on government office compounds, at mosques and temples, our correspondent reports.

The Daily Star on the occasion of its 26th founding anniversary on February 22, 2017 honoured this nature lover at the capital's International Convention City Bashundhara. He was also given a check of Tk 1 lakh to help build his house. He was living in two huts on government land with five members of his family.

“How much can I alone do? You all should plant trees,” an overwhelmed Samad said, after receiving the award on the occasion.But even before the programme began, he went up to The Daily Star Editor Mahfuz Anam and complained: “I could not plant a tree today because of this programme.”

Later, a coconut tree was brought for Samad, who then planted it by the hall room of the convention city.