Poet Shamsur Rahman

THE demise of poet Shamsur Rahman has come as a shock to the nation because he is among the frontline poets of Bangladesh who have taken the Bangla poetry to new heights and have established clear superiority of Dhaka over Kolkata in this sphere. The late National Professor Abdur Razzak had in the late seventies, in one of his famous lectures, pointed at this trend in Dhaka’s triumphant march towards great achievements in poetry, art and literature as the liberation of Bangladesh with Dhaka as its capital made the people to think big.

Shamsur Rahman, however, was famous for his brilliant works well before the liberation of the country. He was 77 when he embraced death after being on life support system for days at the hospital. Some writers have termed him as a poet of romance and love and of humanism. He was not only a modern poet, but also a modern man in his life style. He was a patriot, a promoter of the rights and dignity of the human kind. He gave unparalleled expressions to some feelings, emotions and sentiments which will keep him alive in the memories of people for many years to come.

The poet had over 60 books some of which were translated into English and were held in high esteem by poetry lovers from near and far. He was a recipient of the Bangla Academy Award, the Ekushey Padak and the Swadhinata Padak. Poet Shamsur Rahman had began his career as a journalist and continued to be in the profession till the late eighties. He was the editor of the now defunct Dainik Bangla. There was a time when newspapers and literacy circles could not think of bringing out a supplement or a special issue without a contribution from him. During his time Dainik Bangla used to be called a house of poets. Frontline poets like Ahsan Habib worked with him in the same paper. Many young poets used to get inspiration from him and his colleagues who used to work in that paper.

The poet was a down to earth man. After leaving the profession of journalism he came close to a number of social and cultural organisations, and for a while took to activism to champion the cause of democracy and human rights and promote progressive ideas. He was a celebrity, and an icon of reference. But he was also a human being and passed through both good and bad times. But he faced all situations with patience and courage. We believe the works of Poet Shamsur Rahman would continue to inspire the nation. It’s difficult to say after how many years another poet of Shamsur Rahman’s stature will be born. But it can be said without any hesitation that new poets and writers would continue to be inspired by his writings to go to new heights. The nation shall remember the great poet.