New Delhi: Dr. Abid Raza Bedar, the former director of Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library, Patna, and a distinguished scholar, breathed his last in Aligarh on March 28.
Expressing condolences, the Secretary of Ghalib Institute, Professor Siddiqur Rahman Kidwai, said that Dr. Abid Raza Bedar was an eminent intellectual, researcher, and former director of the Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library, Patna.
“His tenure is considered a golden era for the library. He not only developed the library as a research centre but also earned it national and international recognition. His scholarly contributions included the preservation of manuscripts, cataloguing, and extensive research on Islamic history and culture. His demise is a great loss to the academic world. I extend my condolences to his bereaved family and pray for the elevation of his ranks in the hereafter,” said Prof. Kidwai.
The Director of Ghalib Institute, Dr. Idris Ahmad, stated that Dr. Bedar’s vision and unique approach significantly enhanced the reputation of the library. “He was also a fearless thinker who expressed his views on some controversial topics. He performed a great service to the Urdu literary world by compiling all the articles of the greatest Urdu researcher, Qazi Abdul Wadood. I extend my condolences to all his surviving family members, particularly Dr. Shaista Bedar, who herself served as the Director of Khuda Bakhsh Library, and I pray for his forgiveness.”
