& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Poet Abu Zafar Obaidullah's second death anniversary

RASHED KHAN MENON
IT will be two years since poet Abu Zafar Obaidullah's sad departure on March 19. He died at his own residence in Gulshan. He had passed the last year of his life in a semiconscious and paralysed state due to his critical health condition.
Poet Abu Zafar Obaidullah was able to find his own place in the hearts of the critics and readers alike from the moment he set
pen to paper and allowed the poetry to flow out from his pilgrim soul. He has made an indelible mark on Bengali poetry by dint of his wholehearted dedication and his sparkling originality. His poetry began with the Language Movement when he began penning the grief and the aspirations of the beleaguered Bengalis. The poem Kono ek ma-ke is recited on the 21st of February every year. Poet Abu Zafar Obaidullah's poetry blossomed further during and after the Liberation War. In the tumultuous post-liberation years the poet devoted himself completely to poetry. At times melodic and at times epical, his oeuvre contains the essence of Bengali culture and history. His poetry, on the one hand, burns with the fiery emotions of the Liberation War, and on the other hand deals with the softer emotions of nostalgia and human bonds. Mother, soil and love -- the themes predominant in his work -- have brought the poet closer to the people's
hearts.
He was an environmental activist and he was well versed in food security and poverty eradication. In spite of being one of the top mandarins in the civil service, he preferred to be known as a poet rather than as a bureaucrat.
Abu Zafar Obaidullah was born on February 8 in Barisal. His father was Justice Abdul Jabbar Khan and his mother was Saleha Khatoon. After completing Bachelors (Hons) and Masters degrees from the Department of English,
he joined the University of Dhaka as a Lecturer. He was among those leading a procession in '52, defying Section 144. Later he sat for the Pakistan Civil Service examination where he stood second. He joined government service, retiring as a Secretary. As the Secretary for Agriculture and as a technocrat Minister for Agriculture he established the present infrastructure of the agriculture sector. His experience from these appointments presented him with opportunities to work in an international setting. He served as the Director of the Asia-Pacific region for FAO. He was also appointed the High Commissioner of Bangladesh to the United States of America.
Poet Abu Zafar Obaidullah obtained a diploma in Public Administration and Development Economics from Cambridge University in England. He was also a member of the governing body of the Winrock Foundation and a Fellow of the Centre for International Affairs at Harvard University.
As a poet, Abu Zafar
Obaidullah was awarded the Ekushey Podok. Among his published works are Shaat Narir Haar, Kokhono Rong Kokhono Shuur, Komol-er Chokh, Ami Kingbodontri Kotha Bolchi, Shohishnu Protikkhai, Brishti Ebong Shahoshi Purush-Er Jonno Prarthona, Amar Shomaoi Amar Shokol Kotha, Khachar Bhitor Ochinh Pakhi, and in English-Yellow Sands' Hills: China through Chinese Eyes, Rural Development: Problems & Prospects, Creative Development, Food and Faith.