Rezaur donated throughout life

Rezaur Rahman was a great philanthropist and his death is a huge loss for the country, said speakers at a commemorative meeting yesterday.

Rezaur devoted all his time and resources for charity, they said at the meeting held at Brac Centre Inn at Mohakhali of the capital.

Rezaur set up AF Mujibur Rahman Foundation, a charitable trust, in 1985 as a tribute to his father late AF Mujibur Rahman, a mathematics scholar.  He donated almost all his assets to AF Mujibur Foundation, including Shaw Wallace Bangladesh Ltd, a company he acquired in 1979. The foundation's great achievement is the fully-furnished eight-storey AF Mujibur Rahman Ganit Bhaban that was handed over to Dhaka University in December 2014 with a hope that it would become the centre of mathematics studies and research in the region.

Hafiz Chowdhury, a colleague of Rezaur, said Rezaur was a brilliant accountant who gave scholarships to bright students who studied accounting. SM Anowar Hossian, architect of the Ganit Bhaban, said around Tk 10 crore was spent to construct the building. Rezaur also donated Tk 10 lakh to a mosque, he added. Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury, founder of Gonoshasthaya Kendra, said Rezaur donated money throughout his life and urged DU to build a sculpture of the accountant in front of the Ganit Bhaban. Barrister Rafiqul Haque, Prof Nurul Amin and Khushi Khabir also spoke. Rezuar died in London on July 1.