Syed Haq no more

Be it verses, plays or stories - he depicted a nation's proud history with a mastery that no one else could hope to achieve in one life.

Syed Shamsul Haq, most eminent of contemporary Bangla poets, an ambidextrous writer and playwright, died at a city hospital last evening at the age of 81. 

His Nuruldiner Sara Jibon (The Entire Life of Nuruldin) captured the rise of the peasants of Bengal in rebellion against the tyranny of the British Raj at around the end of eighteenth century in Rangpur, the district Haq himself was born in about 200-years later. Through the voice of an unsung leader Nurul Uddin, he uttered the magical words of uprising -- Jago Bahe, Konthe Shobai.

1971, the nation's most glorious year in modern history, reemerges as a truthful flashback each time Haq's famous play -- Payer Awaj Paoa Jay -- (We Hear the Footsteps) is staged at theatres.

Years later, in the '90s, Haq delivered yet another of his legendary poetic creation - Amar Porichoy (My Identity). It has it all -- from the anthropological history to cultural heredities, from remote ancestry to Bangali nationhood.

In his own words, Syed Haq says about -- Amar Porichoy -- “I wrote 'Amar Porichoy' at a point when I was inspired to write a short history of Bangladesh for young readers. It was to enable them to learn the history and backdrop of our identity. Later, I changed my mind to express my feelings through the most antique form of literature -- poetry. Thus an interesting and well-received poem emerged in 1993."

"I am very happy that it gives you a patriotic passion revisiting the roots of our identity. I have tried to include the four pillars – nationalism, secularism, socialism and democracy – the essence of the Liberation War. I have tried to assimilate that through my poetic effort…say for example, excerpts like, 'Ami To Eshechhi Barendrabhum-e Sona Masjid Theke, Ami To Eshechhi Matir Deul Aaul Baul Thekey' or  'Ami To Eshechhi Zainul Ar Aban Thakur Theke, Ami To Eshechhi Geetanjali O Agniveena'r Theke' evokes that essence."