The poet who set alphabet ablaze with resistance

There is no greater achievement in our national life than the struggle for independence and the Liberation War. Countless poems have been written about these subjects. Poet Shamsur Rahman portrayed independence, the Liberation War, and patriotism in poetry with a powerful and aesthetic touch. His poems have found a place on people's lips, in slogans, on placards, wall writings, banners, and festoons. Like:
"Freedom, you are Rabindranath’s immortal poetry, an undying song."
Or: "To attain you, O freedom / To attain you / How many more times must we be swept away in rivers of blood? / How many more times must we witness the burning of Khandava forest? / Because you were coming, O freedom, Sakina Bibi’s forehead was smashed / Haridasi lost the vermilion of her parting."
Or: "Alphabet, my sorrowful alphabet."

Reciting these poems, one can feel how deep poet Shamsur Rahman’s respect, love, and emotion were for freedom, the Liberation War, and patriotism. He gave these elements poetic form.

He wrote: "From one end of the world to the other / Raising the sound and echo of a burning declaration / Unfurling new flags / Beating the drums across this Bengal / You must come, O freedom." That is why it is said that Shamsur Rahman’s poetry marched almost step for step with the emotions of the Bengali people’s national history. The emotions and dreams of Bengalis were most intricately captured in his poetry.

His entire poetic life reflects how deeply he was devoted to poetry. His movements, conversations, clothing, and style all echoed the essence of poetry. Let us quote from one of his poems: "Going near a tree I ask / Kind tree, can you give me a poem? / The tree replies: if you can penetrate my bark and merge into my marrow / Then perhaps you may find a poem!"

After the brutal assassination of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, he wrote “Electra’s Song.” When religious political polarisation began to rise, he wrote “The Country Rides on a Bizarre Camel.” After Nur Hossain’s death from the bullets of Ershad’s autocratic regime, he wrote “His Chest is the Heart of Bangladesh.” After Shaheed Asad’s death, he wrote “Asad’s Shirt.”
In short, his poetry circulated hand to hand like leaflets; many lines became popular sayings overnight; they appeared on posters, placards, and wall writings. The tune of his creation merged with the national consciousness. Through words, he built an eternal gateway to freedom; he ignited the fire of resistance in the very body of the alphabet.

23 October 1929. Dhaka’s Mahuttuli was then still a shaded, intimate part of the old city. That’s where Shamsur Rahman was born. His eyes carried questions, and his mind sought the light of words. His upbringing was a preparation steeped in literary awareness drawn from his surroundings. From his school years, he was drawn to poetry.

He studied English literature at Dhaka Collegiate School, Dhaka College, and the University of Dhaka. Through this, he touched many edges of the poetic world. Shamsur Rahman became part of a turning point in Bengali poetry. His first poem was published in 1949 in “Samakal”, edited by Sikandar Abu Zafar. Then in 1957, his first collection of poems “First Song, Before the Second Death” was published. Through a poetic language that fused the personal and political self, he created a new geography of urban introspection.

Outside poetry, Shamsur Rahman had a prominent voice in journalism. In Dainik Bangla, Bichitra, and Uttaradhikar—his pen was deep, analytical, and morally aware. From the political upheavals of the 1960s to the 1990s, his poetry never remained silent. He firmly stood against fundamentalism, religious dogma, and autocracy, favouring the clear expression of truth.

He received the Ekushey Padak, the Independence Award, and countless other honours. But beyond all accolades, Shamsur Rahman’s greatest recognition is that his poems live on the lips of the common people. The music of his creations has blended with the national consciousness. According to the poet, literature is not only a matter of creation but also of responsibility. He taught us—love means responsibility, freedom means resistance, and poetry means an utterance of conviction. He believed that unless poetry reached the very marrow of people, it remained a mere play of words.

Shamsur Rahman is known as the “urban poet.” He grew up in the capital, Dhaka. He loved the city’s alleys, roads, and second-hand book markets. In his book “My Dhaka”, he wrote:
"A long time ago. Back then there were quite a few second-hand bookshops in Banglabazar. Those shops sold various types of old books. Worn out, worm-eaten pages, yet valuable books. Some were first editions, rare books. In a sense, very precious books, yet sold at cheap prices. I remember buying large poetry collections of Dante Gabriel Rossetti for just one and a half taka."

The poet’s favourite hangout in Dhaka, Beauty Boarding, enriched his poetic language, while Madhur Canteen too appeared vividly in his memories. He wrote:
"Few students have not tasted tea, singara, or poached eggs from Madhuda’s canteen. Even many who were never students at Dhaka University came here at some point. Many came just to feel the environment, to breathe in its scent."

17 August 2006—today’s date. From that day, he was no longer present in this world. His departure was like a song, a poem, a shadow. Yet even after leaving, he remains—in the pages of Bengali poetry, in the rebellion of youth, in a young woman’s love, in a revolutionary’s blood-soaked dream. He lives on in poetic lines, in patriotism, rebellion, love, and silent protest.

Shahadat Hossain Touhid: Young writer and journalist