Bangla Academy has devastated the dignity of award, presenting so many awards

Rezauddin Stalin is a foremost poet of the eighties. Love, revolution, nature, politics, and human consciousness are the main themes of his poetry. He wrote very little prose compared to poetry. Essentially, he identified himself as a poet, and poetry was his lifelong pursuit. For the past fifty years, he has been writing poetry. During this time, 65 volumes of his poetry have been published. His poetry has been translated into 42 languages. In 2006, he received the Bangla Academy Award for poetry composition. Poet Rezaulddin Stalin was born on November 22, 1962, in Jashore district. Rezauldin Stalin is not only a prolific poet but also a person known for his amicable nature and simplicity in personal life. Recently, there was a discussion about his life and the book fair with Views Bangladesh. The interview was conducted by Kamrul Ahsan, the Senior Sub-Editor of Views Bangladesh.

Views Bangladesh: How are you doing?
Rezauddin Stalin: Well, thanks.

Views Bangladesh: What new book are you publishing in this year's book fair?
Rezauddin Stalin: In this year's book fair, my completely new poetry book is being published. There's an allegation against me that in most of my books, there are two or three poems from old books. But this time, there won't be any old poems. It's entirely new. The book is being published by 'Konthoswar Prokashoni,' and its title is 'Akdin shob tthik hoye jabe', ('One day everything will be alright.')

Views Bangladesh: How many poems are there in this poetry book?
Rezauddin Stalin: There are a total of 54 poems.

Views Bangladesh: In what time frame did you write these poems?
Rezauddin Stalin: I wrote these poems throughout the entire year of 2023. I completed writing them by the end of December.

Views Bangladesh: You have published nearly fifty poetry books, right?
Rezauddin Stalin: No, I have published 65 poetry books.

Views Bangladesh: 65! That's a record!
Rezauddin Stalin: Yes, Shamsur Rahman has 55 poetry books to his credit. My target is to publish a total of 101 poetry books.

View Bangladesh: Considering the many years you have been writing poetry, what differences do you see in your latest poetry?
Rezauddin Stalin: If I simplify the difference in my latest poetry, I have always tried to bring poetry to the language of people. I have endeavored to bring forth the language that resonates with people directly. I have tried to encapsulate the words spoken in everyday conversation into my poetry.
You see the title, "Akdin shob tthik hoye jabe" is a phrase commonly used in everyday conversation. When someone faces trouble, others console them by saying, "Don't worry, everything will be alright."

Views Bangladesh: What is the reason for choosing such a title?
Rezauddin Stalin: People are very disillusioned. The way politics and culture are deteriorating, heading towards uncertainty, there is not much hope in front of people. The title of my poetry book, 'One day everything will be alright,' expresses the hope for salvation for humanity from the dire state of affairs, including the global war situation and the threat of nuclear war prevailing across the world.

Views Bangladesh: As a poet, you are expressing hope, that’s fine. But if you analyze it intellectually, is there a certainty that one day everything will indeed be alright?
Rezauddin Stalin: I believe in Marxist ideals. During my student life, I was involved in leftist politics. From my studies in Marxism, I have observed that if an egalitarian society is established, there will be some level of peace among people. Individuals will work according to their abilities. They will eat as they need. There, building a humane society is possible. Exploitation and oppression can be greatly reduced. People will have their rights to freedom. But people want to live with an ideal, a dream. Otherwise, society could not have progressed so far through so many adversities. Despite all these adversities, the resilience that people have, it's for this optimism, for the dream. And above all, love is the greatest. Once I was asked what the greatest discovery of mankind was after the Second World War. I said, after the Second World War, the greatest discovery of mankind is the heart. Love.

Views Bangladesh: However, during the Second World War, humanity witnessed the pinnacle of barbarity.
Rezauddin Stalin: It's from that ultimate adversity that humanity has emerged, for the sake of love. Loving one another, for the sake of mutual love. Against the Nazis, people around the world united. To protect themselves. For their own love. Humans, in the way they can extend a helping hand through cooperation, surpass other creatures in this regard. So, even though many species have become extinct, humans still endure. Humans endure because of the power of love.

Views Bangladesh: If I ask that old question again, does poetry affect society?
Rezauddin Stalin: Poetry actually influences the human psyche. And it's the mind that controls humans. If humans want to stand against the injustices, oppressions, and atrocities of this world, if they want to fight, they need to first control their minds. And that's exactly what poetry does. We have witnessed it during our language movement. The poets were the first to compile an anthology, edited by Hasan Hafizur Rahman, titled 'Ekusher Kobita'. It was in that compilation that Abdul Gaffar Choudhury's unforgettable poem, 'Amar Bhaier Rokte Rangano Ekushe February/Ami ki bhulite pari' was first published. Later, it was set to music by Altaf Mahmud. As a song, it deeply resonated with the hearts of millions of Bengalis. The awakening of consciousness through the events of Ekushey February has indeed directed our attention towards the movement for independence, the Liberation War. Even during the Liberation War, songs and poetry inspired us. I remember, during the Liberation War, I was very young, but I would sit by the radio all the time. What was the reason for that? To listen to songs and poetry of liberation. The revolutionary poetry of Nazrul has indeed stirred us in a unique way, incomparable to anything else. Then there's a song, 'Tir Hara Ei Dheuer Sagar Pari Debore'. It inspired us immensely. Music, poetry, any form of art does that. It inspires people. It teaches us to love even more.

Views Bangladesh: Your poetry has been translated into many languages around the world. How did you establish this international connection?
Rezauddin Stalin: My poetry has been translated into a total of 42 languages. Books of mine have been published in four or five languages. This happened during the time of the coronavirus. I have been in touch with many poets and poetry organizations around the world. They later asked me to translate my poetry into English and send it to them; they would print it in their language after translating. Then I collaborated with several translators to translate some poems and sent them. This way, an international network was formed. I even had conversations with Haruki Murakami. We are close friends.

Views Bangladesh: Well, you have a long life as a poet, it would take a lot of time to listen to all your experiences. Our today's chat is mainly centered on the book fair. Let's go back to the book fair talk. Did you go to the book fair?
Rezauddin Stalin: Yes, I went for two days.

Views Bangladesh: How do you feel this year's book fair?
Rezauddin Stalin: It seems a bit messy to me. The space feels a bit cramped, and there's not much room for walking around. It would be better if they could open up the area a bit more.

Views Bangladesh: Since the beginning of this year's book fair, there have been various discussions and debates regarding the awards conferred by the Bangla Academy.
Rezauddin Stalin: Obvious! Discussions and critiques about the Bangla Academy awards happen every year now. I don't think we needed so many awards. In our time, we only had awards in four categories. Now, there are awards in sixteen categories. In many cases, the Bangla Academy awards are given in areas where they are not necessary. There is a Ministry of Science for giving awards in the field of science. There is a Children's Academy for giving awards in children's literature. There is a Ministry of Liberation War Affairs for giving awards to freedom fighters. Why should everything be given by the Bangla Academy? Receiving Academy awards is not easy. By giving so many awards, the Bangla Academy has diminished the prestige of its awards. I believe the Bangla Academy should move away from this situation. Another issue is that many people already know who is on the award committee beforehand. As a result, personal relationships are formed, and judgments are influenced by them. However, it should be noted that discussions and criticisms surround all awards worldwide, including the Nobel Prize.

Views Bangladesh: Fiction writer Zakir Talukder has returned the Bangla Academy Award. What is your opinion on this?
Rezauddin Stalin: He can return his award; it is up to him. But why after ten years? It would have been meaningful to give back when the award was received.

Views Bangladesh: Another point to consider is that Bangladesh, with a population of 17 crore people, sees book sales of less than 100 crore Taka at this month-long book fair. However, many authors around the world earn more than 100 crore Taka from their writings.
Rezauddin Stalin: Haruki Murakami is indeed a wealthy author. Then there's J. K. Rowling, who became a billionaire through her books. And let's not forget Paulo Coelho, another immensely wealthy author. Here, perhaps, the reason why no author becomes rich by selling books is that there are fewer readers. In foreign countries, many people read a lot of books. But how many readers do we have in Bangladesh? And even when there are readers, publishers often don't pay authors properly. Book marketing is also not very effective, and there's a lack of national patronage for literature. There are many problems. However, Humayun Ahmed, Imdadul Haque Milon and some others made some efforts in this regard. But now the situation has worsened. No author thinks about making a living by writing books in Bangladesh anymore.

Views Bangladesh: Thank you very much for giving us time.
Rezauddin Stalin: Thank you too.