"তার ও আগে বৃষ্টি নামুক আমাদের বিবেকের মরভূমিতে/ সেখানে মানবতা ফুল হয়ে ফুটুক, /আর পরিশুদ্ধ হোক ধরা,হৃদয়ের গ্লানি..."--শফিকুল ইসলাম

BOOK REVIEW "TABU O BRISHTI ASHOK"(LET IT BE RAIN) By Delwar Ahmed With the passage of thousand years turning and winding of time the trend that Bengali poetry is now flowing is called post modernism by some.Again some went to call it modernism. Modernism or post modernism what ever we may call it ; this present trend has come through various changes through years ,Centuries and ages . For ages countless poets are using various similes, metaphor, allegory, alliteration etc, morphology, wording and syntax have brought Bengali poetry this stage .Again this trend is also not stationary, rather always flowing for the urge of time & demand. In this flowing trend Shafiqul Islam is a vibrant poet, so far , five books of his poetry have been published , His published books are 'Ei Ghar Ei Localoy, "Ekti Akash o Anek Bristi, 'Srabon diner Kabyo,"Megh Bhanga Ruddur' and "Tabuo Bristi Asuk". This last one was published in February,2007. This is the subject of criticism here. Forty one poems of different tastes have been placed in this book. In his poems, he deeply searched for sense of life .Hope, expectation, disappointment and deprivation in life touched and jolted the poet intensely .He has experienced the reality of life intimately. That is why he could say-- "Akaser megh o ek shomoy Bristi hoye jharey jai Nadir jal ek shomoy shukiey jai Pathor o ek shomoy khaye jai Sriti keno tabu hoy na nishes" . ( Akaser Megh O Ek Shomoy) This is how the poet expressed his perception in simple language. But actually it is a collection of love poems. The poet here relished and perceived his love, anguish, distress & separation .And these relish & perception were exhibited in different poems through various similes and imagination. His expression came out sometimes in simple style, sometimes with intense sincerity .For example, in his poem ‘Priotama Bolo Ki Kory' he says-- "Mondiray Jokhon Puja ditay jai Mondidrer bigroho kokhon Tomar adolay paltay jai Ter paina, Aar Ami tomakey puja diey chale ashi". (Priotama Bolo Ki Kory) In this poem, heart-felt passion of love of the poet has been verbalized .Here the poet has tried to hunt creator among mankind or mankind in creator, and depth of real love is bestowed here. One can observe it reading Shafiqul Islam's poem. Poet's sense of deep love has been expressed in this poem. Here an attempt has been made to find human being in god or god is human being .And here lies the depth of real love and it can be perceived in every verse of Shafiqul Islam’s poem. Generally the main objective of poem is the creation of surreptitious sense behind perceiving sense, creation of intro-spection behind observation of many entities in one entity or creation of imagination of multitude after his own image and then spreading it .By giving novelty to the scenery with observation and observation with creation,a poet gives birth to originality in a different way . Originality is the main theme in respect of writing poetry. No poet can live long as poet if he/she can't achieve originality as poet. In all of Shafiqul Islam's poems one way or other originality is seen, his originality has taken the form of love . Love here has come to be the main theme. Here some examples can be given-- "Hai jiban tomi keno holena chota akta misti Sangiter moto chondoboddhyo ekti kabiter moto" . (Hey jibon ekdin tumi cheley) OR "Tomar kumol Boker um dieya Amar mrittu shitol dehe pran firieya dao" (Aaj koto din dhorey) In different poems poet Shafiqul Islam expressed unending message of love. As if he has made an attempt to give individual love a complete entity and he has done it so effortlessly .He has given love many varieties .Considering all aspects it can be said that the world of Shafiqul Islam is the world of arousing sense of love .And though that love is individual love, it becomes philanthropy.Personal love of the poet also became philanthropy .Here lies the poet's success. Most of the poems of Shafiqul Islam are of descriptive style which inhabits natural beauty of the poems. Still Shafiqul Islam’s pomes descriptive style has come an exceptional way .In this description he has used similes, metaphor, allegory etc. very masterfully .Use of these is not only his work of art in his poems but also here lies the specialty of his poems. Verse becomes successful when they match with the readers own mind. This quality is found in Shafiqul Islam's poetry. Here lies the poet's true success .So the poet is successful .As if he can read the mind of the readers and express it. Therefore the reader also wants to join him and say in one voice -- "Bohodin par aaj Ajosrodharay ajhore brishti namuk Aaj amader dholidhosorito molin hridoyer mat prantor joray" (Bohodin Par Aaj). Kalidas in his poem 'Meghadut' praised rain song a hymn. Rain is but the symbol of clouds and through the book "Tabu O Bristi Ashuk" poet Shafiqul Islam has sung the victory of unending love. So he can be called successful artist of love poem