Dreams of a better world
M. Abdul Hai sees light in poetry's tunnel
Ambiguity is a typical feature of modem poetry. It is so because readers always find it difficult to understand the state of mind of a poet that was really at work while writing a poem. A poem usually appears different to different readers. It also depends on their age, attitude and mentality. What interests you today may not do so tomorrow. The way you interpret a poem today may appear way different tomorrow. Beebortoner Kobi Bolchhi needs to be taken in an unconventional way. Because Mohammad Shamsul Haque Shams, the aeronautical engineer turned poet, has always tried in his poem to present his thoughts and ideas, removing all coatings of confusion and ambiguity. He has remained meticulous in selecting words. Foreign words, as in English and Arabic, have been used with unusual ease, and readers rather find it interesting to read them. The poet, keeping his target readers in mind, has used his poetic skill and wisdom to make his poetic expressions easy to understand. Difficulty in apprehending a line or a word seriously dampens the pleasure of reading a thing. The poet has been conscious all through, and that is what makes his poems so interesting to read. Once you embark on a journey through his books, you will find that your rapt attention is established right away. There is something of magic in his poems and you will not feel like leaving the book without coming to the last line, to the last page of it. The poet has dealt with a wide variety of subjects with uncanny ease. His scholarly abilities can best be realised and appreciated only through serious reading, and once you come to the end of the book, you will feel that you have been elated, you have become more knowledgeable. You will be left mesmerised. You surely will come across quite a few logical presentations --- religious, social and political --- which will leave you thinking for many days. They will seem to be new ideas and you will start thinking again about your own concepts about life and the world. Religious thoughts are surely mind-boggling. You will feel like scrutinizing the entire gamut of your religious understanding. Optimism is a pivotal element that presents itself through every page of the book. You will never miss the silent music sung in celebration of life and living. The poems will help you take a different and yet a positive approach to life, and thus help you nurture optimism far deep in your heart. Bingsho Shotabdi Porikroma is a fantastic poem. It is a sarcastic exposition of the so called modern age. One must not leave the book without a complete apprehension of the philosophy that the poet propagates. The poems will surely help readers develop a kind of spiritual enlightenment once they give a serious reading. The title which appears at the top of this review tells the readers that the poet is the spokesman of the positive changes he envisions. This guiding principle helps him appear as an ameliorant. Every poem in this book has an undercurrent of hope. He shows light at the other end of the tunnel. He emphasises a nurturing of moral values which, he affirms, are the only antibodies to purge our world, to make it free of man-made cancer. The problems which are discussed in this book have both local and global dimensions. The man-made problems, typical of this modern age, have been depicted with disapproval. The poet is very critical of obscenities and immoralities which are taking hold of our society in the name of modernism. Here the poet makes it clear that modernism will never succeed in bringing peace unless it rejects immoralities and injustice. The poet does not stop by painting a dismal picture of the earth we live in; he also prescribes a way out of it. He helps us dream, of a better world.
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