The living legend poet of Bangladesh

"Purbey nishchito surjo, poshchimey shotrur simantey oborodh,
Bangladesh-a borboroter nishchito kobor"
     - Nirmalendu Goon

The above words are extracted from a famous poem of poet Nirmalendu Goon which he wrote from the war field during our glorified Liberation War in 1971 to establish Bangladesh as a sovereign and independent state. His philosophical doctrine of realism is so sharp that he could sense that Bangladesh was nearer to born. I read that notable poem during that time which molded me staggeringly to fight the brutish Pakistani military force and their local bricoles.

Poetry and the spoken words have prominent places in Bangladesh's culture. Goon is one of the most popular poets in Bangladesh, lauded by many for his accessible verse in an age where Bengali poetry has become increasingly complex. He is a prolific poet in the annuls of the country's history.
He was born on 21 June 1945in Netrokona District of Bangladesh. 21 June 2019 will mark the 74 birth anniversary of this popular poet.

During my Dhaka University days from 1972 to 1976, I saw him regularly in and around the DU campus. I attended many poetry recitation programs where many famed poets including poet Goon recited their poems. Those were so encouraging, patriotic… that they cast a spell-bound on us and our poetry-loving friends.

A deep love and regard towards him was built up in my inward soul since Bangladesh's war of independence. He is a poet in the truest sense of the term. His stylus of writing is quite different from other poets. As patriotic poet as he is, he was one of the few people who openly protested Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's brutal assassination in 1975 in a period when even mentioning Mujib's name was considered life-threatening.

In times of thoroughly straiten after Bangabandhu's brutal murder, I found him writing poems potently protesting the very sad episode of our history. He could clearly fathom that the ideals which we established through our liberation struggles in the country would be sent into oblivion by the new military dictator Gen Zia and his compadres.

His first book of poetry was published in 1970. Since then, he has published forty-five collections of poetry and twenty collections of prose. Nirmalendu Goon is a modern poet. Class struggle, resistance against dictatorship, love and women- often became the focus of his poetry. His first poem `NotunKandari` was published in the magazine called `UttorAkash` before his Matriculation examination. When the 6-point movement started, the poet dedicated a poem to Bangabandhu. Later it was published in `Sangbad`.The Bangla Academy has published his selected poem compilation `Selected Poems of Nirmalendu Goon`.

On July 29, 1968, he got a chance to present himself in the young poets` gathering in the Hotel Purbani. This gathering got publicity through magazines and television at that time. This opportunity gave him fame among the readers and the poets. His ground-breaking poem 'Huliya' brought him nationwide popularity. Goon`s first book of poetry 'Premanghshur Rokto Chai' was published in 1970.

Along with poetry, Goon also wrote travel stories. His own opinion about poetry and prose was, "I think of poetry as my daughter and prose as my son, both of whom are my children."

For his extraordinary contribution in Bengali literature, the poet has been awarded with several prestigious awards. He got Bangla Academy Award, Ekushey Padak, Independence Day Award, Alaol Literary Award…He represented Bangladesh in the XI Afro-Asian Writers' Union Conference in Ho Chi Minh City in 1982, Bangladesh Festival in London in 1999, and the SAARC Writers Conference in Delhi in 2000.

Goon's poem "Shudhu tomar janye" touches our heart. Part of the generation of poets of 1960s, his poetry contains stinging criticism of the nouveau riche and a touching description of the contrasting fate of the masses. A love of freedom and faith in the human spirit also permeates many of his poems. An avowed Marxist, he has also written poems urging an upheaval of the poor against the rich. He also has written a number of poems on important personalities, including Rabindranath, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib, Lenin, Shakti Chattopadhyay and others.

Goon belongs to the generation of writers that emerged in the 1960s, a period marked by the sudden growth of a neo-rich class alongside stark poverty. The contradictions and conflicts of the period influenced Goon and fellow writers. His themes address an urge to overcome restrictions and break down the barriers dividing human beings. Love of freedom and faith in the human spirit underlie many of his poems.

Goon's significant works include, Na Premika, Na Biplobi, Caitrera Bhalobasha, Tar age Chai Samajtantra, Nirmalendu Gooner Premer Kabita, Dirgha Dibosh, Dirgha Rajani, Ochol Podaboli, O Bondhu Amar and others.
As a poet, he has worked on a range of themes -- some are contemporary, some induce nostalgia, while some are close to his heart. His works are closely linked to his inner views, personal agony, experiences, admiration, notions and beliefs.

Nirmalendu Goon is one of the most popular Bengali poets of Bangladesh who is known for his approachable verse line. He is also popular for his articles, short stories, travel stories, historical poems and paints. In his write-outs, it is important to him that he conveys the range that Bangladesh's poets have.

More than a writer, Goon is a chronicler of history, an advocate for peace, and a champion for the planet, as well as a patriot, a mentor, and a friend. To be shared and cherished, the wisdom and poetry of him proves there is always cause for celebration. It was Wordsworth who said, "Poetry is spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings having originated from emotions recollected in tranquility." Goon's life has in depth effects on his personal and social life as well and his poems do express a great deal of melancholy in expression.

A symbol of Bengali Renaissance, he has modernized Bengali poems and covered topics ranging from political issues to the personal ones.   He is the most famous living among the modern day contemporary writers in Bangladesh. He has been well received and appreciated by social activists and readers across the Bengali speaking communities. Even more salient facts about his life and works, will surely be known and celebrated by all readers and by all who revere this man.

Oftentimes, poets have a particular geography in which they write or select a set of poems around a place for which they have an affinity, for whatever reason. It is clear that he loves his homeland very much and celebrates it. His writings are a collection which is a definite homage to his homeland. Not only does he describe the landscape, but also includes the night sky, insight to the people there, the interplay between many things as well as the emotional landscape within and interpersonal relationships. Even if the physical place doesn't show up in every poem, it's still there.

He adores simplicity and economy of words and rejects excess in this collection - from the outset he is intentional in this goal. Being able to revel in life without excess is evident throughout. The way he introduces the collection reveals a connection to the land of his ancestors - a life unencumbered by many of the material things many hoard in today's age. He seems to find freedom in that kind of existence as well as beauty and wants to share it with readers as best he can.

In reading his poems, it is evident he is well-educated and is thus able to connect the imagery and spirit of Bangladesh to Bengali audiences all over the world. Even so, he is at times artistic and tangible in his renderings of the landscape and people and his emotional connection to them or between them, and in others, very ethereal, metaphorical, and lofty in his descriptions.

These are not poems to be read swiftly, one after the other, but instead to be read and then mentally and emotionally digested to grasp the whole of it. Some people prefer his poems plain and easily accessible; I am one of them. For those who like working for poetry reading, poet Goon is definitely for you to read immediately.

I adore him from the core of my heart for his writing style of poetry, lineament of his poems, his love for his homeland and our glorious Liberation War, patriotism for the country, deep veneration for Bangladesh's Founding Father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and many more. Long live poet Nirmalendu Goon in good health and in good spirits.


The writer is a senior citizen, writes on politics, political and humanist figures, current and international affairs