Editors' Council condoles death of Golam Sarwar

The Editors' Council yesterday expressed profound shock and sorrow at the sudden passing of its founding president, Golam Sarwar, also editor of Bangla daily Samakal.

In a condolence message, the Council said his demise created an irreplaceable vacuum in Bangladesh's journalism, especially at a moment when his astute guidance and experienced mentorship was most needed.

The veteran journalist passed away at a Singapore hospital on Monday night. He was 75.

Sarwar had been an untiring crusader for journalistic freedom and fighter for the rights of journalists. He had been an active member of numerous journalistic bodies in all of which he worked to uphold ethics of the profession to which he devoted his whole life, the Council said in a statement.

He obtained his bachelor and master's degrees in Bangla literature from Dhaka University. In his student life in 1962, he started his career as a university correspondent at the daily Azadi. Later, he worked in the daily Sangbad and the daily Ittefaq.

In 1999, he became the editor of Bangla daily Jugantor and in 2005, he joined another Bangla daily Samakal as its founding editor and served as the editor at the newspaper until his death. 

Sarwar was awarded the Ekushey Padak in 2014 for his contribution to journalism. As chairman of the Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB), he was involved in improving the quality of journalism training, the Council said.

Apart from journalism, Sarwar was a member of the Bangladesh Film Censor Board's Appellate Division and had worked as a senior vice-president of the National Press Club several times. He also authored several books. “Sampadoker Jabanbondi”, “Aumio Gorol”, “Amar Joto Kotha”, and “Swapna Beche Thak” are notable among them, the Council mentioned.

In a career spanning over five decades, Sarwar has left a rich legacy that will inspire journalists for years to come, the Council said.

The Council conveyed its sincerest condolences to his bereaved family and prayed to the Almighty for the salvation of his soul.