Eminent industrialist and entrepreneur Syed Manzur Elahi was laid to eternal rest at Banani graveyard yesterday.

He was buried around 4:30pm, according to a senior officer of Apex.

Elahi's first namaz-e-janaza was held at East West University in Dhaka at 10:30am yesterday.

He was then taken to the headquarters of Mutual Trust Bank PLC, where employees of the bank and Apex Group paid their respects and bid him farewell, officials said.

Later, he was taken to Gulshan Azad Mosque for the second janaza after the Zohr prayers.

Tributes from all corners of society, including business leaders, government high-ups, political leaders, and employees from different organisations he established, poured in, honouring his memory.

Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed, Commerce Adviser Sk Bashir Uddin, economists Rehman Sobhan and Mustafizur Rahman, President of International Chamber of Commerce in Bangladesh Mahbubur Rahman, business leaders Ak Azad, Aftab Ul Islam, Simeen Rahman, Nihad Kabir, Rizwan Rahman, Ahsan Khan Chowdhury, Russell T Ahmed, Arif Dowla, Md Sabur Khan, Sharif Zahir, Ashraf Ahmed, political leaders Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and Zonayed Saki, among others, paid their respects at the Gulshan mosque.

Bankers, including Syed Abu Naser Bukhtear Ahmed, Naser Ezaz Bijoy, Sheikh Mohammad Maroof, and Rizwan Dawood Shams, also paid their tributes.

Earlier on Wednesday, his body was brought to Dhaka from Singapore.

Elahi breathed his last at Gleneagles Hospital in Singapore on Wednesday at 7:30am Bangladesh time. He was 83.

"Plain living, high thinking," Elahi repeatedly told his children, said Syed Nasim Manzur, son of Elahi, at the janaza.

Before his death, Elahi advised his children that the country comes first, above everything else.

This reflected his unparalleled patriotism, as he never considered leaving the country under any circumstances, said his children.

With his demise, Bangladesh has lost one of its finest industrialists -- a man who built not just businesses, but institutions, including Apex Footwear, Apex Tannery, Mutual Trust Bank, Pioneer Insurance, Grey Advertising, East West University, Sunbeams School, Manusher Jonno Foundation, Freedom Foundation, and many more, Apex said in a statement on Wednesday.

Born on September 26, 1942 in Calcutta, British India, Elahi came from a family of legal minds. His father, Sir Syed Nasim Ali, was the chief justice of the undivided Bengal.

While Elahi could have followed the same path, he chose to become an entrepreneur and succeeded. His illustrious journey was not confined to business alone.

He served as an adviser to the caretaker government twice, played a leadership role in various chambers and associations, and contributed to improving the business and regulatory environment.

He also played key roles in the Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB), Bangladesh Bank, the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), and several other financial and industrial institutions.

                                  His contributions to Bangladesh's economic landscape earned him prestigious honours, including Business Executive of the Year 2000 by AMCHAM, Business Person of the Year 2002 by The Daily Star and DHL, and a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023 from UKBCCI, Apex also said.