Professor Jatin Sarkar, one of Bangladesh’s most respected educationists, essayists, and Independence Award-winning writers, has passed away at the age of 89.
He breathed his last on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, at 2:45 pm while undergoing treatment in the ICU of Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. The news was confirmed by Emdadul Haque Millat, president of the Mymensingh district committee of the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB).
Sarkar had been suffering from various age-related complications for years. In June, he sustained a hip fracture after a fall and was taken to Dhaka for advanced treatment. Last week, he was brought back to Mymensingh, where he remained under medical care until his death.
A lifelong believer in Marxism-Leninism, Jatin Sarkar was deeply involved in politics and cultural activism alongside his teaching career. He served two terms as president of the central council of Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigoshthi and was associated with numerous cultural organizations, including Bangabandhu Parishad, Bangladesh Shanti Parishad, Rabindra Sangeet Sammilan Parishad, and Sammilit Sangkritik Jote. He was also a life member of the Bangla Academy.
Brief Bio of Professor Jatin Sarkar
Born on August 18, 1936, in Kendua Chandapara, Netrokona, Sarkar was the eldest of three siblings. After completing his early education in Netrokona, he earned his BA from Anandamohan College in 1959 and an MA in Bengali Language and Literature from Rajshahi University in 1963. He began his career teaching at various schools and later joined Nasirabad College in Mymensingh in 1964, where he taught until retirement.
Sarkar’s political activism began in his student life, participating in the Language Movement and the anti-Ayub movement. In 1971, he helped organize the Mymensingh Intellectuals’ Struggle Camp during the Liberation War and later worked with the Muktijoddha Recruiting Cell in Baghmara, Meghalaya, India. He was arrested following the assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and spent 18 months in prison between 1976 and 1977.
His literary career began relatively late, with his first book, Hope for Literature, published in 1985 at the age of 50. Over the years, he authored more than 50 books, including Philosophy of Pakistan’s Birth and Death, Manab Mon-Manab Dharma and Social Revolution, Socialist Tradition of Bengali, and several works on noted literary and cultural figures. He was also a regular newspaper columnist, writing under titles such as Amar Yatuku Sadhya and Mukta Batayan Pandi.
The Legacy of Professor Jatin Sarkar
Sarkar was honored with numerous awards, including the Bangla Academy Literary Award in 2008 and the Swadhinata Padak in 2010—Bangladesh’s highest civilian honor. His other accolades include the Dr. Enamul Haque Gold Medal (1967) and the Prothom Alo Barsho Best Book Award (2006). In 2006, filmmaker Tanvir Mokammel released a documentary on his life.
Following his death, his body will be taken to Udichi’s Mymensingh office for the public to pay their respects before being transported to his birthplace in Netrokona for the final rites.
Professor Jatin Sarkar leaves behind his wife, Kanan Sarkar, a teacher; his son, Suman Sarkar, who resides in Slovakia; and his daughter, Sudipta Sarkar, a judge in the judicial service.
His passing marks the end of an era for Bangladesh’s progressive intellectual, political, and cultural movements—a legacy that will be remembered for decades to come.
