Published: 01:53 AM, 07 March 2026
Between Love and Liberation: The Poetic Revolt of Obayed Mazumder
Narmada Ramani is the first poetry collection of poet Obayed Mazumder, published in 2010. The very naming of the book reveals the poet's erudition. "Narmada" refers to a sacred river in India, a river believed to bestow happiness and prosperity-giver of bliss. By joining Narmada with Ramani (beloved woman), the poet expresses his longing: that his desired beloved would grant him happiness and abundance like the river Narmada herself.
Toward the end of the title poem Narmada Ramani, the poet envisions his beloved as eternally youthful like the Narmada, a perennial source of joy and prosperity in his personal life. As he writes: "Your surrender, your withdrawal / your God / O fossil-bound beloved / engraves a tablet of sorrow in my core / I wish to cast my eyes into yours, unblinking."
The second poem of the book is dedicated to language martyr Abdul Barkat. The poet describes Barkat's sacrifice as though it were commanded by God. He writes:
"God commanded, 'Go to the procession'… / The shots were fired! God did not know there would be bullets / Does a procession invite gunfire?"
In the poem Ma Jeno Mosto Marlin (Mother Like a Mighty Marlin), the poet points his finger at contemporary intellectuals: "As soon as freedom appears / countless sharks and vile beggars / devour it whole." In remembrance of Khwaja Ahmed, famed as the "King of Feni," he writes a poem titled Nibedito Shobdo (Words Dedicated). He names Khwaja Ahmed "the poetry of Feni":
"O Vaishnav of Vaikuntha / O poetry of Feni / return to us, return / we have no president."
In the poem Teen Mohashoktike Bolchi (Speaking to Three Great Powers), the poet identifies corrupt wealth, corrupted intellect, and corruption itself as three dominant forces, calling for resistance against them. In Ekti Angulei Shadhinota (Freedom in a Single Finger), he writes:"Only the finger of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman / that finger of the Seventh of March / that finger at the Racecourse / that finger of independence / or the independence of that finger / or freedom within a single finger."
In the poem Kathahin Bhasha (Speechless Language), recalling the sacrifice of the language martyrs and hinting at the present-day dishonor of the Bangla language, he writes: "Here they play Holi / king, merchant and bureaucrat in one line / therefore / let this spring make language speechless / in the right to speak."
Remembering the reception accorded to playwright Dr. Selim Al Deen at his village home in Senerkhil, the poet writes Senerkhiler Sonaru (The Golden One of Senerkhil). Eleven days after that reception, upon Selim Al Deen's untimely death, he composed another poem titled Shukhgulo Nao Tar Jonno (Take the Joys for Him).
Throughout the book, the poet addresses every dimension of society, unveiling the landscapes of the mind. Though dwelling in a border village, he paints urban life with poetic hues. Thus, in the final poem Jam, he portrays city life: "Dust, smoke, and stench-dwellers / those Dhakaiyas / yet they only show me / the High Court, the High Court."
Beyond love, he proclaims rebellion in an unequivocal voice. Social and political crises, irregularities, and tensions are fearlessly articulated. Obayed Mazumder is conscious of his era and modern in literary sensibility. He possesses a rare ability to transform events and narratives into poetry-drawing from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, and even Vidyasagar's Panchatantra. His poetic language is sharp, modern in imagery, and deeply evocative.
Bisesh Drashtabya (Special Attention) is his second poetry collection, published fourteen years after the first. The reasoning behind such a title is easily surmised. "Special attention" signals a line or subject demanding focus. Through this volume, too, the poet seeks to command the reader's gaze.
At the beginning of the title poem Bisesh Drashtabya, addressing inequality between rich and poor and the aggression of capitalism, he declares his willingness to be hanged a hundred times for a single utterance: "For one statement / I deserve to be hanged / again and again, a hundred times / You are rich / therefore I am poor."
In the poem Moddhe Kantatar (Barbed Wire Between), the poet reflects the undying emotions, love, and bonds that persist across the barbed boundaries between India and Bangladesh: "The days of the dreadful two-nation theory / the terrifying days of '62-
holding father's hand you left for Krishnanagar
the neighboring village Krishnanagar, with barbed wire between."
In Bhore Kotha Mishe Hoy Bikele (Morning Words Turn False by Evening), he exposes the corruption of contemporary politics:
"How often I said-do not go into trade / you deceived me in the name of public service
O kingly policy / it is you who pierced my chest with the arrow
yet-
Long live revolution."
He dedicates a poem titled Proshno (Question) to Dr. Kamal Hossain, lamenting how we barter ideals for fame and wealth: "Each minute we change / our ideals and beliefs / breathlessly advancing / toward fame and fortune."
In Mohan Mrittudondo (The Great Death Sentence), he voices anguish over how we forget the historic traumas of 25 March, 15 August, 21 August, 3 November, and how we still clasp hands with Pakistani specters: "We forget 25 March / when humans were food for foxes and vultures / we forget 15 August, 21 August, 3 November
even today we confront / Pakistani phantoms / defiling my motherland."
In Mahatamar Jonmodine (On the Birthday of the Mahatma), invoking Mahatma Gandhi, the poet recalls the power of nonviolent resistance and urges its application in daily life: "Your nonviolent strength / your political creed
'Foreign chairs, foreign dishes / everything foreign / Bengalis love to consume / foreign kicks'
Einstein said the same-
you were the light of India's life / the blazing lamp of the world
we shall only / pour oil and set the wick."
In the poem Bhalobashar Bhorosa (The Assurance of Love), he offers a singular mantra of love to humanity, urging a place within the human heart-even if seized by force: "There is a mantra of love-
within the territory of the heart / seize a fragment of land."
In Bisesh Drashtabya, the poet unveils his anguish over personal, social, and political life. His patriotism emerges vividly-so vivid that, were power in his hands, he would dispel darkness in an instant and flood the world with light.
Having been involved in the correction, refinement, and editing of both Narmada Ramani and Bisesh Drashtabya, I have glimpsed their inner chambers and understood how formidable a poet Obayed Mazumder truly is. The fourteen-year interval before publishing his second poetry book reveals his poetic consciousness. His strength was already evident after the publication of Narmada Ramani. While working on some of his poems, I found myself overwhelmed by his poetic genius. I believe these two volumes will preserve him in the memory of time itself.
Emran Emon is an eminent journalist,
columnist and Editor of Saturday Post.
He can be reached at
