A paean to a global body
Takir Hossain throws light on a novel work
11 January 2008, 18:00 PM
O United Nations
Sinha M A Sayeed
Bangladesh Political Science Association (BPSA)
O United Nations is a collection of three prose poems that will give the readers a real taste of modern, that is, modernist poetry. The work is a sharp evaluation and focuses on the past, present and future of the United Nations. After a close perusal of Sinha M A Sayeed's works, one does not find much of an uncomplicated task tracing the exact shadow of the poet's mind. It is quite clear that he is a modernist in a complete sense. His poetic style is undoubtedly very distinctive, individualised and enlightening. In the book, Sayeed has tried to concentrate on the present and past images of the United Nations. He shows up a vision as to what the image of the United Nations can mean for us all. The UN is an international organisation whose avowed aim is to facilitate cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues.
The goals of the United Nations are thus to uphold international peace and security, safeguard human rights, provide a mechanism for the operation of international law, promote social and economic progress, improve living standards, world health, education, address refugee concerns and fight disease. It provides countries with an opportunity to balance global interdependence and national interests when dealing with international problems.
Sinha M A Sayeed has segmented his book into three parts. The first relates the beginning stage of the United Nations and its preliminary activities worldwide. It began functioning with certain commitments and duties before it. Its primary aim is to save the world from any perilous situation. Our dream is to see a world where all children go to school, where all children can go to sleep well fed, where all children are healthy, where no children are infected by HIV, nobody is going to hit any child where children can play, sing and run free. Here is a remarkable stanza from part one, where readers can find the writer's gratitude to the world body:
O United Nations/A place of harmony and symphony/Of debates and speeches/Of logic and emotion/Of cooperation and determination/Of peaceful reconciliation and resolution/Accept my heartiest greetings
Sayeed is very strong, honest and truthful in his convictions. He writes that which he believes. Of course, for that very reason he cannot help but be very frustrated with current global conditions. Sayeed depicts the true picture of the United Nations as it appears before us in the second part of his work. We have lots of complaints against the UN and its recent activities. In the past few years, the UN's failure in upholding human rights and other matters of concern to people worldwide has been glaring. As the following canto notes:
O United Nations/Allegations against you/Are not less strong, less voiced/Disregard, dismay and frustrations/Are not unexpressed, unsounded either
Sinha M A Sayeed is a dreamer and a visionary. He wishes to see a world where there is freedom from war, famine, crime, drug trafficking and, in fact, the entire gamut of unlawful activities. In the book, he expresses the feelings of the community who are deprived of their fundamental rights. The book is a mirror of disadvantaged people in the world. In the third part of the book, Sayeed presents his case in a novel way. The UN appears to us almost in a halo: in the future the UN will have no allegations levelled at it and none will arise to question its neutrality. The UN will run on its own knowledge, power and wisdom. Sayeed approaches the present UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon thus:
O Ban Ki-moon/It is a challenge to you/To run this august organization/Not being subservient to the will of any power and position/Please bear in mind for all the time/What you told the reporters on 1 January 2007/The day of your entrance into the towering landmark building/Housing UN headquarters on New York's East River.
Takir Hossain is a journalist and regularly reviews books .
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