An Honor to Ludu Daw Ah Mar

(Ludu Daw Ah Mar, 1915-2008)

"Mother of Mandalay"
A tribute poem to Ludu Daw Ah Mar on her 85th birthday by U Moe Hein(Son Journal Kyaw)

There...
In the capital
Of our golden days,
Is a lady, now 85,
But not so frail.

And her pen
Ever serves to produce,
Words dipped in love
Lines lit with truth.

Turning all heads
To our heritage,
Swelling all hearts
With due prestige,
She kindles a spirit
None can subdue.

She brings to memory
A nations glory.

A pen of honor
In that wrinkled hand,
Is but a strong beam
That lights our land.

And as a tribute
To her I pay,
This humble poem
For the mother of Mandalay.

U Moe Hein (Son Journal Kyaw)
2000 November 29th.

Apr 7, 2008 (DVB)– Ludu Daw Amar, one of Burma’s most celebrated writers and journalists, passed away in the cardiac ward of Mandalay general hospital this morning at the age of 93, her son Ko Nyein Chan said.
Born in 1915, Ludu Daw Amar was well known for her political activism, beginning with her involvement in the student movement against the British government.
She was co-publisher of the Ludu [People’s] daily newspaper, along with her husband Ludu U Hla, from its establishment in 1946 until its suspension in 1959.
The newspaper resumed publication but was permanently shut down in 1967 by Ne Win’s government, who also imprisoned Ludu U Hla.
Ludu Daw Amar was also known for her biographies of revolutionary leaders and famous artists, and published her first book while studying at Rangoon university.
She is survived by two sons, Ko Nyein Chan and Ko Pho Than Chaung, and two daughters, Dr Than Yin Mar and Daw Tin Win.
Nyein Chan is a well-known writer under the pen name Nyi Pu Lay, while Pho Than Chaung is a spokesperson for the communist party.
Ludu Daw Amar’s husband Ludu U Hla died in 1982 and her son Soe Win, a member of the communist armed movement, was killed in a clash in 1967.
Reporting by DVB (www.english.dvb.no)