Dhaka: The 47th death anniversary of Dr Muhammad Shahidullah, one of the country’s most revered educationists, writers, philologists and linguists, was observed on Wednesday.

Bangla Academy placed wreaths at the grave of Dr Shahidullah on the Dhaka University campus in the morning.

The academy also organised a discussion titled ‘Banglar Renaissance and Muhammad Shahidullah’ at its Poet Shamsur Rahman Seminar Room in the afternoon where Dhaka University’s Bangla Department Chairman Akter Kamal presented the keynote speech.

Speaking on the occasion, Emeritus Professor Dr Anisuzzaman said, ‘He (Dr Shahidullah) had opened an important door for the language, literature and history. His basic work was to discover the roots (of Bangla literature), and at the same time reforming the terms and terminology of Bangla language.’

‘The dictionary of regional dialects published under his editorship was a noteworthy work that he undertook in the eleventh hour of his life. He will be remembered for both his research works and social activities,’ added Dr Anisuzzaman.

Artist Murtaza Baseer, son of Dr Muhammad Shahidullah, was present at the discussion.

Dr Muhammad Shahidullah was awarded the 'Pride of Performance Award’ by the then Pakistan government, and was made Professor Emeritus of Dhaka University in 1967.

He also received the 'Knight of the Orders of Art and Letters' from the French government in 1967 for his lifetime achievement in researches on language and literature.

‘Buddhist Mystic Songs’ (1960) is one of his seminal works which is a translation and edited version of the Charyapada. He was the first to note that Charyapada was written in Bangla.

Shahidullah died in Dhaka on 13 July in 1969.