Selected Poems of Bimal Guha

SELECTED POEMS OF BIMAL GUHA
Translated by SIDDQUE MAHMUDUD RAHMAN

BIMAL GUHA is one of the leading poets of Bangladesh. In his poems he portrays patriotism, national history and culture, poverty and irregularities of the society. He made his readers captivated and inspired them right from his first book. From his second volume, the poet’s popularity became more pervading. Without following the traditional ways of his predecessors he creates his own style of writing demonstrates great adroitness in the use of smile imagery. He is also conscious about prosodic exactness of his lines.

Uncompromising in life straggle, Bimal ever bends down to the ungraceful. He has revolting fire in himself; he straggles with quick-sand all through his life. During seventies, especially after the liberation war, who have transformed our poetry into newer consciousness and human rejuvenation, and develop expression of art to arrest time and space into a never vision – Bimal is one of them.

After three decades, he still goes on through the path of poetry with same vigor, energy, belief determination. This book of translation is presented to a wide area of readers who will find a new dimension in our poetry.

BIMAL GUHA was born on 27 October 1952 at village Bajalia of Chittagong district. He is the eldest son of Prasanna Kumer Guha and Manadabala Guha. Bimal had his early education in local school and college, and in universities at home and abort. He had his PhD in modern Bengali poetry from the University of Dhaka. He entered the literary arena in 1968 while a school student and is still continuing his literary activities. His first books of poems Ahongkar; Tomar Shabdo was published in 1982. Hi has published as many as 20 books to his credit including 12 books of poems. BIMAL GUHA was awarded Bangladesh Parishad National Litterary Award for Poetry in 1979 by the Government of Bangladesh as a young poet; National Litterary Award for Poetry in 1979 by Kingbontir Amra, Dhaka; Bangabondhu Memorial Award in 2001; Nirnoy Shilpagosthi Gold Medal, Faridpur in 2008. He is also a poet celebrity of the Bangladesh writers club, Dhaka. Dr Guha now Heads an administrative office of the University of Dhaka.

Comment Bimal Guha’s Poems are about the problem of our time, more particularly about the difficulties of adjustmentthat feeling and thinking individual facs in an increasingly alienating world. As values are forgotten or become obsolete, and relationships become problematic, individuals have to struggle to cling to their dreams. Guha writes movingly about love which can offer a way out but which is constantly thwarted by a mechanical universe, Guha also writes about the need for social change. What makes his poems remarkable is his crisp style which both invokes the rich tradition of the 1930s and charts its distance from it. His diction is persona, contemporary and colloquial. His poems are indeed records of a creative pursuit that xcels when in finds challenges. – Dr Syed Manzoorul Islam, Professor, University of Dhaka, Department of English