Poet Shamsur Rahman’s death anniversary August 17

Today is the 14th death anniversary of one of the most distinguished poets of contemporary Bangla literature Shamsur Rahman. Every year Jatiya Kabita Parishad observes the occasion by placing a floral wreath on Shamsur Rahman’s grave at Banani graveyard in the capital in the morning and arranges a program to commemorate the life and works of the poet. However, the organisation will not arrange any event this year due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Shamsur Rahman had penned a total of 60 collections of poems, besides novels and essays. Liberal humanism, human relations, youth, patriotism and opposition to religious fundamentalism are some of the recurrent themes that Rahman expressed in his poems. He had enriched our literature through his immense creations. The poet was born at his grandfather’s house in Mahuttuli, Dhaka on October 23, 1929. He started writing poetry at the age of 18. His first collection of poems, ‘Prothom Gaan Dwityo Mrittyur Agey’, was published in 1960. From the 1960s, Rahman appeared as a leading poet with his many popular poems like ‘Asad-er Shirt’, ‘Swadhinata Tumi’ and ‘Tomake Pawar Jonno Hey Swadhinata’. Shamsur Rahman also served as the editor of the now-defunct national daily Dainik Bangla and weekly Bichitra in the 1980s. He died from heart and kidney failure on August 19 in 2006 at the age of 77.