Maqsoodul Haque on the legacy of Azam Khan

PHOTO: SAYEED SIDDIQUI

In 2011, the entire country mourned for an icon of Bangladeshi music -- Azam Khan, a man who went from liberating the country as a guerrilla fighter, to being a revolutionary in the pop music industry. When the ‘Pop Samrat’ passed away after his long battle with cancer, Maqsoodul Haque became distraught with sorrow. “It was then that I decided to write a book dedicated to Azam Khan,” said the anti-establishment musician, “I wrote it for a month at a stretch, and finished it.” The book touches upon not only the life and legacy of Azam Khan, but also the tumultuous times of the Liberation War and its aftermath.

“I was fortunate enough to be close to him, and he would often tell me stories about the war. He was truly larger than life,” said Haque.

The book, History of Bangladeshi Rock – The Legacy of Azam Khan is bilingual, as it also comes with a Bengali translation by writer and poet Tanvir Hossain, titled Bangladesher Rupgatha – Azam Khan er Uttaradhikar. Published by Bookish, it will be available at the Ekushey Boi Mela for BDT 300.