Ekhlas Uddin no more

Noted children's author Ekhlas Uddin Ahmed, who became hugely popular among children for creating the fictional character ''Tuntu'', died at 74 after suffering a brain haemorrhage at a hospital in the capital yesterday.
A lifelong bachelor, Ekhlas left behind a host of relatives, well wishers and fans.
The Ekushey Padak winning author was admitted to the Square Hospital one and a half months ago following a brain haemorrhage. As his condition deteriorated, he was shifted to the hospital's intensive care unit (ICU) on December 12.
Ekhlas was mostly unconscious at the ICU over the last one week. He regained consciousness on Monday suddenly and started talking on different topics, said media personality and author Ali Imam.
The author breathed his last at the ICU around 5:00am, said Imam, also husband of Ekhlas's niece.
After his namaz-e-janaza was held at the Bangla Academy premises and then at a playground near his residence in Mohammadpur, Ekhlas was buried to eternal rest at the Martyred Intellectuals' Graveyard in Mirpur.
Born on December 15, 1940 in West Bengal of India, Ekhlas worked as a feature editor at the Bangla daily Janakantha for several years.
He was the founding editor of popular children's magazine Tapur Tupur that launched in 1965. This magazine had a significant contribution in boosting the country's children's literature.
In 1965, his first book Ek Je Chhilo Nengti was published too.
He wrote over 50 books including those of rhymes, non-fiction and novels, almost all of which were for children.
One of his most well-known books is Chharay Chharay Chhanda which bagged an international award for best publication at Leipzig Book Fair in Germany in 1967.
He created the popular character ''Tuntu'', a fictional adolescent character, which enjoyed popularity among child readers. His efforts were instrumental in founding the publication house Boi Ghar in Chittagong.
He received the Ekushey Padak in 2000 and the Bangla Academy Award in 1971.