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Bhat De Haramzada, Noile Manchitro Khabo

Bhat De Haramzada, Noile Manchitro Khabo
by Rafiq Azad
Original titleভাত দে হারামজাদা, নইলে মানচিত্র খাবো
CountryBangladesh
LanguageBengali
SeriesSimaboddho Jole, Simito Sobuje
Subject(s)Bangladesh famine of 1974
Genre(s)Prose poetry
PublisherPriyomukh
Publication date1974
Lines33

"Bhat De Haramzada, Noile Manchitro Khabo" (lit. 'Give me food, bastard! Or I will engulf your map') is a famous Bengali-language Bangladeshi poem written by Rafiq Azad. It is included in his poetry book Simaboddho Jole, Simito Sobuje. Its subject is Bangladesh famine of 1974 that was the cause of food shortage in Bangladesh. After the poem's publication, rumors spread that it was written with the then prime minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in mind. It has 33 rhythmic lines.

Background

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In 1974, three years after Bangladesh's independence, a famine occurred due to rampant corruption that resulted in food shortages in the country at that time.[1] At that time, Aftab Ahmed, a journalist of The Daily Ittefaq,[2] took photo of one person wearing a net and published it in the newspaper on 11 September.[3] He also took photo of another eating vomit and published that in the newspaper. After seeing the photos, poet Rafiq Azad got angry and wrote the poem.[a][4] The poem was published in the poetry book Simaboddho Jole, Simito Sobuje. The book was banned by the then government for the poem.[5] The poem made some people his enemies.[4] Rafiq Azad went into hiding after it was published.[6] At that time, rumors spread that the poem was written with the then prime minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in mind. As a result, the poet's family became anxious out of fear of legal action. Consequently, Azad's brother-in-law, Anwar Ul Alam, Deputy Director of the Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini, took him to the prime minister.[7] Even though the then prime minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman did not tell him anything, Rafiq Azad had to submit the reason for writing the poem to the Deputy inspector general of police in written form as an accountability at the Special Branch office.[4]

Themes

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The main theme of the poem is the Bangladesh famine of 1974. At that time, the lack of food caused the reaction in the public mind, the poet highlighted in his poem.[1] Columnist Aktar Hosen thinks that the poet blamed Sheikh Mujibur Rahman for the famine in the poem and called him "Haramzada".[8] However, according to professor Soumitra Sekhar Dey, the poem does not blame Rahman but the opposition forces of the then government.[9]

Analysis

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As a prose poem, open syllable and blank verse forms are used here.[10] This is an informal poem in nature.[11]

Reception

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This poem was popular with Siraj Sikder and the members of National Socialist Party. Humayun Azad called the poem Rafiq Azad's "fury expressed in slang".[8] Imdadul Haq Milan said about the poem, "Rafiq Azad was a imperious freedom fighter. He was the assistant of Kader Siddique. He was a follower of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He shook the country by writing the poem during the famine of the 1974..."[12] According to poet Ashim Saha, the poem was then used politically and caused embarrassment to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his government.[13] According to writer Zakir Talukdar, despite being a blind devotee of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, regular irregularities by the government during the famine forced Azad to write the poem.[14] Rumeen Farhana, politician of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, feels that no one has the courage to write such a poem present day.[15] According to Rizwan Kabir, Azad emphasized the importance of economic freedom along with political freedom by highlighting the freedom aspect of basic human needs by expressing aggressive attitude in the poem.[16] Antara Biswas compared the poem with "Bidrohi" by Kazi Nazrul Islam and said that although Azad is a symbol of the middle class, the character of the hungry people has emerged in the poem.[17] According to Farid Ahmad Dulal, although Azad was originally a fantasy-driven poet, he became popular by writing this poem which is rebellious in nature.[18] According to Ahmed Munir, Rafiq Azad became known to common readers because of this poem.[19] Alat Ehsan said of the poem "Such intense lines are rare in the history of poetry in any language of the earth, which modify the map of poetry, teaches us to think".[20] According to Fazlul Haque Saikat, the poem reflects the emotions of the famine-stricken people of independent Bangladesh, juxtaposing material deprivation against the ideals of independence.[11]

Controversy

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In 2020, AFM Azizul Islam Pikul, former mayor of Nandail municipality, mentioned the poem on social media in the context of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's birth centenary celebrations by the fourth Hasina ministry, commemorating the death of people due to 1974 famine during Rahman's premiership and accused Rahman's daughter Sheikh Hasina of dictatorship who was the prime minister that time. As a result, Pikul's views created controversies and he was arrested by the police.[21]

References

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Notes

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  1. ^ The poet said in an interview that the context in which the poem was written was wrong. He was unaware of the fact that the journalist was acting in order to gain popularity and to force another person to vomit for ৳100. As a result, he wrote the poem from a wrong observation without knowing the matter. The poet questions why the BNP or its like-minded parties are listening to the previous words of the poet but not listening to the latter, i.e. the mistake of the poet's point of view.[4]

Citations

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  1. ^ a b 'ভাত দে হারামজাদা, নইলে মানচিত্র খাবো' [Bhat De Haramzada, Noile Manchitro Khabo]. Dhakatimes24.com (in Bengali). 12 March 2016. Archived from the original on 16 September 2019. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  2. ^ Sagar, Asifur Rahman (27 December 2013). "ইতিহাসের অগ্নিসাক্ষী আফতাব আহমদ". The Daily Ittefaq (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  3. ^ "বাংলাদেশ সংবাদপত্র পরিষদের উদ্যোগে প্রকাশিত বিশেষ বন্যা ত্রাণ ক্রোড়পত্র". The Daily Ittefaq (in Bengali). 11 September 1974. p. 7.
  4. ^ a b c d Jabbar Al Nayeem (14 March 2020). রফিক আজাদের সাক্ষাৎকার [Interview with Rafiq Azad]. Bangla Tribune (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  5. ^ Chowdhury, Mayur (10 March 2017). কালের খেয়া: কথা প্রসঙ্গে রফিক আজাদ [Kaler Kheya: Rafiq Azad in conversation]. Samakal (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 2 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  6. ^ Parvez, Altaf (2015). মুজিব বাহিনী থেকে গণবাহিনী ইতিহাসের পুনর্পাঠ (in Bengali). Oitijjhya. p. 577. ISBN 9789847762050.
  7. ^ Ahmad, Mohiuddin. বেলা-অবেলা বাংলাদেশ ১৯৭২-১৯৭৫ (in Bengali). Baatighar. p. 141. ISBN 9789848034682.
  8. ^ a b রফিক আজাদের কবিতার ‘হারামজাদা’ সর্বকালের শ্রেষ্ঠ বাঙালি [Rafiq Azad's poem 'Haramzada' and the best Bengali ever] (in Bengali). Channel i. 18 March 2016. Archived from the original on 2 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  9. ^ Sekhar, Soumitra (27 March 2016). "রফিক আজাদের কবিতা বিষয়ক কথকতা" [Discussion about Rafiq Azad's poetry]. Weekly Ekota (in Bengali). Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  10. ^ রফিক আজাদ এক বিপ্লবী কবি [Rafiq Azad, a revolutionary poet]. Daily Inqilab (in Bengali). 1 January 2020. Archived from the original on 5 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  11. ^ a b Saikat, Fazlul Haque (2018). "ভাষা-আন্দোলন ও মুক্তিযুদ্ধ: কবিতায় শৈল্পিক উচ্চারণ" [Language Movement and Liberation War: Artistic Expression in Poetry]. Bangla Sahittiki (in Bengali) (5). Rajshahi College: 165. ISSN 2227-1635.
  12. ^ Milan, Imdadul Haque (13 February 2017). "জন্মদিনের শ্রদ্ধাঞ্জলি: আমার কবি রফিক আজাদ" [Birthday tribute: My poet Rafiq Azad]. Bangla Tribune (in Bengali). Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  13. ^ ‘ভাত দে হারামজাদা’ এবং কিছু প্রাসঙ্গিক কথা ['Bhat de Haramzada' and some relevant topic] (in Bengali). Channel i. 14 March 2016. Archived from the original on 18 January 2023. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
  14. ^ Talukder, Jakir (20 July 2021). "ঝিনুক নীরবে সহো: দ্যুতিমান বিষণ্ণতার আখ্যান" [Jhinuk Nirobe Soho: Narratives of Shining Melancholy]. Bdnews24.com (in Bengali). Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  15. ^ Farhana, Rumeen (1 March 2023). "মানুষের ভাতের ক্ষুধার কাছে সব ক্ষুধাই তুচ্ছ" [All hunger is insignificant compared to human hunger for food]. Manab Zamin (in Bengali). Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  16. ^ Kabir, Rizwan (20 February 2015). "কবিতায় একজীবন" [A life in poetry]. Kaler Kantho (in Bengali). Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  17. ^ Biswas, Antara (14 February 2022). "রফিক আজাদের কবিতা: স্বতন্ত্র ও যোজিত স্বর" [Poems of Rafiq Azad: Individual and Composite Voices]. Bangla Tribune (in Bengali). Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  18. ^ Dulal, Farid Ahmad (15 March 2024). "কবি রফিক আজাদ স্বাপ্নিক কিংবদন্তি" [Poet Rafiq Azad, a fantasy legend]. Amader Shomoy (in Bengali). Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  19. ^ Munir, Ahmed (20 January 2017). "রফিক আজাদের কবিতাবিশ্ব" [Rafiq Azad's world of poetry]. Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  20. ^ Ehsan, Alat (19 February 2015). "রফিক আজাদ : কবিতার মানচিত্রকর" [Rafiq Azad: Cartographer of poetry]. RisingBD.com (in Bengali). Retrieved 31 October 2024.
  21. ^ "বঙ্গবন্ধু, মুজিববর্ষ ও প্রধানমন্ত্রীকে নিয়ে কটুক্তি, সাবেক মেয়র আটক" [Criticism of Bangabandhu, Mujib and Prime Minister, former mayor detained]. Janakantha (in Bengali). 19 January 2020. Retrieved 31 October 2024.

Further reading

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