‘Facebooke Dekhi Chand’ at the book fair

‘Facebooke Dekhi Chand’ ((I See the Moon on Facebook), is the first poetry book by poet Rashed Mehedi. He delves into the existence and values of modern humanity, the ‘dilemmas’ of mechanical lifestyle, and reflects them in his poetry. While being descriptive and message-driven, his poems also feature innovative use of metaphor, symbols, and imagery.

Poet Nirmolendu Goon extends his best wishes for the poetry book ‘Facebooke Dekhi Chand’ by stating, ‘The moon seen on Facebook and the moon seen in the sky are not the same. Rashed Mehedi has vividly reminded us of this fact. Simultaneously, he has created an individual world of Facebook and the moon. Inevitably, he illuminates the world of love for this new era.’

In the poetry collection "Facebooke Dekhi Chand” various themes such as love, deception, nature and human experiences are explored in diverse ways. While, the country is progressing along the path of development, it seems like we are regressing towards the medieval era along this path. Today the green island resembles a desert. Through his poetry, the poet subtly expresses a sense of apprehension.

Perhaps upon witnessing the destructive tendencies of the people of Earth, the poet desires to depart for another planet. He seeks a companion named ‘Amrita’ to accompany him on his journey to another world. This ‘Amrita’ could be a portrayal of Banalata Sen. Just as Jibanananda Das sought sanctuary in Banalata Sen after traversing weary paths in the civilization of mankind for thousands of years, poet Rashed Mehedi seems to express a similar longing or prayer for a human love figure named ‘Amrita’.

Each poem can be discussed at length individually. In short, it can be said that the poetry collection ‘Facebooke Dekhi Chand’ reflects the mirror of our current artificial life. Facebook, the cyber world takes us away from the real world and presents artificial entertainment. Our current civilization is a life of evasion! The poems in the book 'Facebooke Dakhi Chand' tell us to be aware of that evasive life.

Rashed Mehedi is well-known as a novelist. His first novel, ‘Goni Adamer Campus,’ written during his time at Jahangirnagar University, caused a stir among readers when it was published in 1998. Following this, two more novels of his were published: "Rajpath-er Mahakabyo" and ‘Concrete-er Kalo Birdal.’

However, he is more renowned as a journalist. For the past 27 years, he has been engaged in journalism. He has successfully fulfilled significant responsibilities in Daily Sangbad, Bhorer Kagoj, Jonokantho, Samakal, and Ekushey Television. Currently, he is the founder editor of the country's first bilingual (Bangla and English) views portal, ‘Views Bangladesh.’