Noted playwright and art critic Sayeed Ahmad was recalled by eminent personalities and theatre lovers on Monday with the premier of his play Shesh Nawab at National Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

Friends, family and peers of Sayeed Ahmad attended the programme, recalling their associations with the actor and his versatile career.

The programme was organised by Sayeed Ahmad Foundation for Culture and Arts (SAFCA), in association with Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, according to a press release.

Premier of the Sesh Nawab was performed under the direction of noted director Gazi Rakayet and by his group Charuneedam Theatre.

Speakers said Sayeed Ahmad thought very advance than others and came out from traditional contents with his plays by including western theatre.

During the programme, eminent director Mamunur Rashid said, ‘The journey of modern theatre began in Bangladesh with hands of Sayeed Ahmad during sixties. He was the most modern theatre director during our time.’

‘The plays written by Sayeed Ahmad are different from any other writer. His plays have covered both the contexts of western arena and the perspectives of Bangladesh in a single platform,’ he added.

Recalling the memories, former adviser to the caretaker government Advocate Sultana Kamal said Sayeed Ahmad was simultaneously a play writer and an art critic, and was involved with multi-level traditional art forms.

‘He has done everything that a person can do to flourish all his creativity,’ she added.

Eminent theatre personality Ataur Rahman, Gazi Rakayet, and artist Mustafa Monowar also spoke at the occasion.

Sayeed Ahmad's wife Perveen Ahmad, SAFCA members, eminent theatre personalities and artists also attended the programme.

Playwright Sayeed Ahmad was a pioneer who introduced 'threatre of the absurd' to the country's theatre scene. His absurd plays like The Thing, Milepost and Survival earned him international recognition.

Ahmad is well-known to the BTV audience for his ‘Bishwa Natok’ where he introduces and directs plays of international fame.

He is also well known for his plays Kalbela (1962), Milepost (1965), Trishnae (1968), Ek Din Protidin (1974) and Shesh Nawab (1988), which have been translated into English, French, German, and Italian.

The eminent art critic received the Bangla Academy Award in 1974 and 'Officier des arts des' lettres' award from the French government in 1993.

The art critic passed away on 21 January 2010. He was awarded with the Ekushey Padak posthumously on 21 February 2010.