The publication ceremony of the "Kavita Samagra", the 500-page complete works of poet Talim Hussain, was held in the city yesterday with participants paying respects to the elderly poet who has been suffering from various ailments for quite a long time, reports BSS.

Litterateur Mafruha Chowdhury, who is also the president of the "Poet Talim Hussain Trust", edited the compilation.

Held in the National Museum Auditorium in the morning yesterday, the publication ceremony was addressed, among others, by Prof. Ashraf Siddique, Prof. Anisuzzaman, Prof. Muniruzzaman, Shahed Ali, Siddiqur Rahman, Prof. Abdul Mannan Syed and Mafruha Chowdhury.

The participants observed that poet Talim Hussain now in his eighties, started writing in the late thirties and recognised as a creative genius he is also a great humanist. They also said that though the poet held a different socio-political view and devoted his pen to reflect his beliefs, he had changed his beliefs with the changing need of time like many great people did.

The 'Kavita Samagra of Talim Hussain' includes all his poems and most of his songs. The meeting was told that the complete prose collection of Talim Hussain will also be published soon.