Indian psychiatrist, essayist, fiction writer and poet Dr Kamal Hossain has died after a prolonged illness. He died at 7 a.m. on Saturday, India’s Independence Day, after suffering a severe stroke on August 1 and receiving intensive care at a private hospital, where he was placed on a ventilator. His age was not stated.

Hailing from Berhampore in Murshidabad, Hossain built a prominent literary career alongside his medical work. His first short-story collection, “Onno Prokash,” was published in 1979 by Buddhadeb Bose and Pratibha Bose’s Kabita Bhaban. His writings addressed challenges within post-independence Muslim society and families as well as wider Bengali society. His novel “Param Bishwaser Gondho” won first prize in the Narayan Gangopadhyay Memorial Novel Competition, while “Dwipbhumi” received the Proma Award.

Hossain also treated patients at a Mother Teresa institution and regularly served rural residents at a clinic in North 24 Parganas. He had first suffered a stroke on November 26, 2022. Ahmad Hasan Imran, former parliamentarian and editor of “Puber Kolom,” expressed grief and prayed for the deceased and his family.