Shamsur Rahman

His poetry shed light on the simple beauty that is all around us even in the mist of misery.

I was fortunate to know him personally years ago. In the 1950s, a group of us used to spend a lot of time in and around the Dhaka Medical College Hostel and the tea shops in the area. The members of the group all became accomplished in their fields of endeavour and they include such luminaries as Hassan Hafizur Rahman, Shamsur Rahman, Borhanuddin Khan Jahangir, Abdul Gaffar Choudhury and occasionally we would be graced by the presence of Alauddin Al Azad and Murtaza Bashir, the man with the magical painting brush. Being in this continent for over 47 years, I am nostalgic now to recall the days of our youth and vigour when we discussed poetry, politics and other things that are now inconsequential, but certainly were not then.

Poet Shamsur Rahman will be sorely missed but his legacy will remain to inspire us all to strive for excellence with humanity and compassion.

Poet Shamsur Rahman breathed his last at 6 :30 pm on August 17, 2006. The nation lost a great poet, a great warrior.

At the Central Shaheed Minar in the capital several thousand mourners comprising colleagues of the poet, litterateurs, artists, cultural activities, academics, journalists, politicians and people from all walks of life and ages thronged to pay their last respect to our greatest poet-- Shamsur Rahman. In accordance with the poet's last wishes, his body rests in peace in his mother Amena Khatun's arms at Banani graveyard.

The whole country observed the great poet's funeral. While I was observing the funeral programme my expectation was that he would be given the highest state honour, but that didn't happen.

My question to the authorities concerned: is there any poet greater than Shamsur Rahman in Bangladesh at present ? So why did you fail to give the honour that he deserved?

Francis Halder East Rajabajar, Dhaka

Shamsur Rahman, one of the greatest poets of Bangladesh, was known to me for some years. That is why since the time he was admitted to hospital, I had been up-to-the-minute about his health condition. Hence, the news of the poet's demise came to me as a great shock. With over 60 books to his credit, an active campaigner of the liberation war of Bangladesh, a social worker with loud voice for strengthening democracy, he also chaired a national committee of editors, writers and artists dedicated to resisting fundamentalist forces opposed to individualism and democracy. Besides, he also had a long career as a journalist and was the editor of a national daily, Dainik Bangla, and the weekly Bichitra. One who has read "Shadhinota Tumi", a famous poem written in 1971 during the liberation war in Bangladesh, would feel how great he was.

Now, the style of his writing which attracts me the most is that he is always deeply rooted in his own traditions. In his range of sympathy, his catholicity, his urgent and immediate relevance for us, Shamsur Rahman was second to none. Moreover, because of his strong personality, he was always different from the people of his rank.

Death of such a great man is an irreparable loss for any country. That is why, despite his death, he will remain at the hearts of Bengalees forever.

Syed Nazmul Alam Gulshan-2, Dhaka