Prominent poet Shamsul Haque is another poet of protest. He also raised his voice through his mighty words in the poem, ‘Aar koto rokter dorkar hobe’.
“Ma tui ebar nijei bole de ei ekti shobdo/ Ucchariti/ ekti shobdo likhte kotokhani rokter dorkar hobe?/ Aamar deher aar kototuku rokter dorkar hobe?/ Jokhon ei shobdo aar bol’o shwodesh keo muche felte parbe na/ Ma; Barkat likheche – ma Salaam likheche – ma – Jobbar likheche , Man Motiur – Asad ora lokkho lokkho likhe geche – ma.”
Writer and poet Humayun Azad’s ‘E lash amra rakhbo kothay?’ is a notable poem on the movement : “E lash amra rakhbo kothay?/ Temon jogyo somadhi koi?/ Mrittika bolo, porbot bolo, Othoba sunil sagor’ jol/ Sobkichu chhedo, tuccho shudhui”
Poet Abdul Mannan Syed also expressed his acute feeling for Bengali language movement through his poems. ‘Ekushey February’ is a notable one among his poems:
“Tar modhye bochorer ekti dine/ Rastay rastay uthe ase mushthiboddho haat/ Rashtro bhasha Bangla chai Rashtro bhasha Bangla chai!” (Abdul Mannan Syed)
Bangla Academy has published an Ekushey edition including 132 Ekushey poems of 115 poets, 51 Ekushey stories and novels. Poems are published in both Bengali and English.
Here Jasimuddin’s ‘Ekusher gaan’, Sufia Kamal’s ‘Emon ashchorjyo din’, Hasan Hafizur Rahman’s ‘Omor Ekhusey’, Farrukh Ahmad’s ‘Bhasha andolone nihoto attar proti’, Abu Hena Mostafa Kamal’s ‘Ekusher kobita’, Nirmolendu Gun’s ‘Amake ki malyo debe dao’, Mohammad Moniruzzaman’s ‘Krishnochurar megh’, Sohid Kadri’s ‘Ekusher sikarokti’, Humayun Azad’s ‘Bangla bhasha’, Mahadev Saha’s ‘Tomra ki jano’, Mohammad Mahfuzullah’s ‘Ekusher gatha’, Rafiq Azad’s ‘Ponchanon Kormokar’, Hayat Mamud’s ‘Ghure fire falgun’, Belal Choudhury’s ‘Bornomalar nirostro sahos’, Asim Saha’s ‘Modhyo rater protiddhoni’ and more are included.
There are Abu lshaque’s ‘Po-shrom’, Shohidullah Kaiser’s ‘Emoni kore gore uthbe’ Shaukat Osman’s ‘Mouno noy’, Anisuzzaman’s ‘Drishti’, Sayid Atikullah’s ‘Hasi’, Sirajul Islam’s ‘Polimati’, Atwar Rahman’s ‘Agnibak’, Anis Chowdhury’s ‘Chetonar Chokh’, Ajit Kumar Guh’s ‘Bulu'” are some effective stories on Ekushey.
Selina Hossen’s ‘Japito Jibon’ (1981), ‘Nirontor ghontadhoni’ (1987), ‘Fire dekha’, Zahir Raihan’s ‘Ekushey February’, Munir Chowdhury’s Kabar (1953), Razia Khan’s ‘Shohid Minar’ are some of the precious creations in this edition.
Language songs in Bengali has informed us of our movement, which has inspired us with hope of achievement and which sent us the message of self determination. For this purpose, Engineer Mosharrafuddin Ahmed (1920-56) of Barisal composed an Ekushey song, ‘Mrittuke jara tuchcho korilo bhasha banchabar torey’on February 24, 1952 : “Mrittuke jara tuchcho korilo, bhasha banchabar torey/ Ajike smrorio tare/ Kothay Barkat kothay Salam, Sara BangIa kadiya morey/ Ajike smrorio tare/ Je rokter bane itihas holo laal/ Je mrittur gaane jibon jage bishal/ Se jage ei ghore ghore/ Ajike smrorio tare.”
Balladist Abdul Hakim also wrote for Bengali language movement in this way-
“Bangla moder matribhasha, Bangl moder buli/ Shei Banglay kotha koile pore/ buke chalay guli”.
People were inspired by these lines and were determined to attain mother language by the cost of their lives. People rose in revolt. They lodged open protest. But the stone hearted enemies did not accept the demand. They hatched conspiracy secretly.
However, the stories of heroism of Bengali nation are written in red letter in world history. This nation did not know to surrender to any evil power. So they took to the streets with their demands giving blood and defying all conspiracies against the Language and attained eternal glory through Ekushey Movement. Ekushey was a successful attempt and the beginning to attain a Sovereign State. Ekushey was the day for finding the meaning of life.
Ekushey is the day we pay our deep tributes to the brave martyrs who have given us the right to speak in our mother tongue and loving country about which we can take pride.
The literary compositions — poems, songs and stories of Bangladesh are inseparably linked with its cultural tradition and resistance that represent our national existence and identity in the world. Undoubtedly, in the Great Language Movement, the contribution of all forms of literary compositions is immensely abundant. Still these raise hope, determination and tone of freedom among Bengali souls and also sharp the sense of nationalistic notions and responsibility.
