The passions that drive our souls
Z.A.M. Khairuzzaman sifts through feelings in a poet's heart
30 November 2007, 18:00 PM
Adhare Jale Dip
Mumtaz Renu Farook Uz Zaman
Publisher: Mumtaz Renu Farook Uz Zaman, Dhaka
Mumtaz Renu Farook Uz Zaman's writings and thoughts are based on the human touch, indeed based on truth, purity, beauty and the divine touch of love. Her poems spread the message of peace and love among mankind at a stage in our history when peace, within oneself and in the world, is most desired.
Behind all her artistic works there is a message for humanity, that a bond of love and purity exists between the Creator and His Creation. Love can transform human nature. It is through this consciousness of pure love that one can purify the human mind, body and soul.
A uniquely gifted poetess, Renu has composed poetry not only in her mother tongue Bangla but also in Urdu, Farsi, Hindi and Arabic, languages in which she has no formal training. Her works are enriched with an admixture of pearls of wisdom in many languages which she is even unable to read for that matter. She has no exposure to the grammar or syntax of Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, Sanskrit or Urdu. But the poet is made to understand every syllable, every word, every verse and every poem to its deepest meaning of inner essence. The poet reproduces what she is inspired to write without any reference to any denomination or religion.
Renu began writing Bangla poems in 1993. She has narrated the background in this way.
'It was in April 1993. I was sitting in the dining room of my residence in Toronto, Canada, glancing at the garden. As I looked across, my neighbour's rosebush caught my attention. The roses began to sway back and forth in the wind as if they were dancing with happiness. Instantly, some Bengali lines emerged in my mind. Surprisingly, the meanings of many words of those lines were unknown to me. At that moment I felt I was born again on this earth. While I was making my way upstairs towards the bedroom, nine lines appeared in my mind. Those lines were God-gifted and my inspiration to begin writing in Bangla. I wrote nine poems by using each of those lines as the title. It was the beginning of my attachment to poetry and it seems that ever since then I have not been able to distance myself from poetry as I got my ultimate reconciliation in it. I firmly believe that my poetic works are inspired by the divine. All that I write, I write for human nature. I have a mission to preach the divine message of purified love and sympathy. I want to complete my mission because I was asked to do so by the Almighty.'
Renu not only presents herself as a poet but also as a spiritual preacher. She has produced five books of Bangla poems. Adhare Jale Deep is her first such book.
Lamp Glows in Darkness, the English translation of the poems, is Mumtaz Renu's theme as told to her daughter Ambreen and son Adnan Farook.
The theme of the book comes in Mumtaz Renu's words. She believes that love and purity exist between the Almighty and His creations. Love and sympathy can change human nature. Through love and sympathy one can be transformed from dishonesty to honesty, from bad to good. Through consciousness of love, pure love can purify the mind and it is through the truth that one cannot harm another being. If we observe the creations of the Almighty closely we can see that everything is unified with the bond of love.
Renu is a priest of nature wanting to show her healing power to humankind. She is a visionary wanting to have a visitor of the spirit behind nature. Her attitude towards nature is unique. She observes a life of spirit beneath the eternal beauties and phenomena of nature. She links nature with people and links human associations and minds to natural landscapes. She delicately harmonises nature with the moods of human life and most artistically paints nature's changing and complex moods with poetic verses.
Born in a village on the banks of the Meghna in Shariatpur, Renu has been an intimate lover of nature and beauty since her childhood. She completed high school from Edilpur before the Liberation War. Later she continued her education at Eden College and in 1973 graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University of Dhaka.
Z.A.M. Khairuzzaman is Senior Sub-Editor, The Daily Star.
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