Poet Shamsur Rahman's 10th death anniversary tomorrow

The 10th death anniversary of one of the major poets in modern Bengali literature, Shamsur Rahman, will be observed tomorrow. 

Different socio-cultural organisations have drawn up different programmes to mark the day.

The programmes include placing wreaths at the poet's grave at Banani graveyard, holding discussion meetings and recitation and musical functions.

A press release of Jatiya Kabita Parishad today said Jatiya Kabita Parishad, Kabi Shamsur Rahman Smriti Parishad and Kabi Shamsur Rahman Foundation have jointly organized a number of programmes marking the poet's 10th death anniversary.

As part of the programmes, floral wreaths will be placed at his grave at 9:30 am and a get-together of poets and litterateurs will be held at Shamsur Rahman's ancestral village home in Raipura of Narsingdi at 3 pm.

Talking to BSS, poet Habibullah Siraji said Shamsur Rahman is one of the greatest poets of the Bangalees. He was the poet of the mass people, he added.

Jatiya Kabita Parishad President poet Dr. Muhammad Samad said Shamsur Rahman was vocal against fundamentalism and religious fanaticism.

Major themes in Shamsur Rahman's poetry and writings include liberal humanism, human relations, romanticised rebellion of youth, the emergence of and consequent events in Bangladesh, and opposition to religious fundamentalism.

Born on October 23 in 1929 at Mahuttuli in the capital, Shamsur Rahman made his mark as a poet and a journalist. He authored more than sixty books on poetry and is considered a key figure in Bengali literature.

He took part in various socio-cultural movements and played a vital role in critical moments of the nation.

The poet, who also served as the chief editor of the now-defunct Dainik Bangla, earned a number of prestigious awards at home and abroad. He breathed his last on August 17, 2006 in Dhaka.

Source: BSS