Shahabuddin Nagari

Bengali poet Shahabuddin Nagari

Shahabuddin Nagari is a modern poet of Bangladesh who appeared in the 1970s and gained pre-eminence as a lyricist. He is a versatile literateur who walks all literary circuits. As of 2010, he has published more than fifty titles to his credit. Nagari is most noted for his songs and works for the children. He is a senior bureaucrat of the government of Bangladesh. In 1971, he actively participated in the liberation war of Bangladesh.

Family

He married Dr. Aftabun Nahar Maksuda on September 9, 1983 at the age of 28. His wife’s paternal residence is in Shalgaria, Pabna. At that time his wife was working as an Assistant Surgeon in the Chittagong Medical College and Hospital. His wife, having served as a government physician for a long time, was appointed as a Deputy Secretary to the Government of Bangladesh. At present she is working in the Ministry of Labour and Employment. Their elder son Rehan Uddin Nagari (1987) is now studying Public Administration at the Chittagong University for bachelors while the younger son Farhan Uddin Nagari (1991) is a candidate for HSC examination (2010) from the Notre Dame College in Dhaka.

Education

Nagari started his education in Dinajpur. After studying grade one and two in Dinajpur Bangla School, he got admitted into the Dinajpur Zilla School in grade three. At the middle of his grade five, his father was transferred to Barisal and he shifted with his mother and siblings to his village home. There, after finishing grade five in Shibnagar Primary School, he got admitted into Kansat High School in grade six. After getting promoted to grade eight, he moved with his family to Dhaka. At that time his father was working at the Dhaka DLR & SS Office, Tejgaon, having been transferred from Barisal. After coming to Dhaka, he got admitted into the Rajabazar Najneen High School. When he was a student of this school, he joined in a movement started in the country against the textbook Pakistan : Desh O Krishti (en: Pakistan : Country and Culture). A wave of popular agitation crystallized across the nation. From this school he passed SSC in 1972. By that time, since his father was transferred to Chittagong, he also shifted to Chittagong and got admitted into the higher secondary class in the Chittagong College. He passed HSC in 1974 from this college. Although he wanted to study English for Honours, he yielded to the desire of his family and got admitted into the Zoology Department of the Chittagong University in 1974. After completing his B. Sc. (Honours) in 1978, he continued in the same department in the Thesis Group for Masters. The topic of his thesis was Rice Field Spiders in Chittagong. He was the only entomologist who worked on spiders for the first time in Bangladesh (1978-80). Being a meritorious student all through his academic life, he finished his academic education in 1980 with a first class, standing first in the merit list. For some time he worked as a Research Fellow of the University Grants Commission under the supervision of Professor (Dr.) Shafique Haider Chowdhury. Again his focus of research was spiders.

Career

At the beginning of 1981, Nagari joined the Zoology Department of Chittagong University as a lecturer. However, inspired by his father, he appeared in the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) examination which he passed successfully and was appointed as Assistant collector of Customs & Excise. He left the University job and joined the government service in the early December of 1983. As a government officer he worked in various offices in different ranks and positions. At present he is serving in Dhaka as the Director General of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate.

Literary career

From the very childhood Shahabuddin Nagari has been involved in writing. When he was a student of his village school, he attempted to write some rhymes. His uncle late Abdul Mannan, then a student of Rajshahi University, would come to the village every week (1966-67) and arrange literary gathering. The cultured enthusiasts of literature of the village would join. There, the youngest member Shahabuddin Nagari would read out his rhymes. After moving to Dhaka in 1968, he became a regular subscriber of ‘Mukuler Mahfil’ (The Daily Azad) and ‘Kachi Kachar Ashor’ (The Daily Ittefaq). About that time he started to send his compositions for publishing. On July 30 1969, his first rhyme ‘Ami Kobi’ (I am a Poet) was published in the ‘Mukuler Mahfil’. After fighting the liberation war in 1971, he went back to Chittagong and resumed literary activity. When a son of the famous politician late Jahur Ahmed Chowdhury published a weekly called ‘Rajanigandha’, he started to contribute there. Then he started writing in the children’s section of ‘The Daily Michhil’. Besides the newspapers of Chittagong, he started to write for children in almost all the national newspapers and magazines of Dhaka. His first book of rhymes Nil Paharer Chhara (1978) was published by the-then famous publishing house of Dhaka ‘Muktodhara’ (The Swadhin Bangla Sahittya Parishad). He was yet a student. He published this book by directly contacting late Chittaranjan Saha, the founder of Muktodhara Publications. Not only rhymes, he started to write literary articles and poems regularly since the seventies. His second book Mahakaler Batighar contained articles on literature and was published by Caucus Publishers, Chittagong in 1986. The same year his famous collection of rhymes Mouly Tomar Chhara was published by Dolna Prakashani of Chittagong.

Poetry

Nagari is essentially a romantic poet whose focal point of writing is a reflection of his sensitivity. Love constitutes a key component in his poetic thought. Also, a yearning for the past, for social issues and the occasional sadness that encircles human life are also highlighted in his work. The portrayal of Nagari's feelings comes through the exceptionally descriptive. Not only does it paint a vivid picture of his memories, it also allows one to virtually live the experiences Nagari acquired as an adolescent. He writes mostly in free verse.

Midnight Locomotive and Other Poems

Midnight Locomotive and Other Poems is an anthology of eighty six poems by Shahabuddin Nagari, translated into English from original in Bengali by different hands. The culture of Bangladesh and a love for his country is a critical factor in Nagari's writing. This fact is unmistakably etched in the poem, Our Dreams:

I touch the river, water fills up and it flows to the brim

brim full of water abounds in silvery hilsa

If I look at a barren garden it is full with flowers, rose, marigold, hasnahena

If I dream, Bangladesh also dreams a better future super powers bow down to our dreams.

Publications

After his debut publication in 1978, a book of rhymes titled Nil Paharer Chhara, Nagari had never looked back. He wrote and published every year. Till date, he has published sixteen volumes of poetry including two in English translation. The count is seventeen for book of rhymes, six for juvenile novels and short stories and four for essays and articles. He has also written one novel and one travelogue. In addition he has compiled and edited with others three volumes of poems and rhymes. His introductory write-up on bengali rhymes (1947-87) (adopted as the Introduction of Bangladesher Chhara, 1987) is the first research work on Bangladeshi rhymes and recognised as the first reference in our literature. A complete list of his books is given below :

Poetry

• Bhalobasa Amar Thikana (poem card, 1993)
• Ghatok Tumi Sore Danrao (poetry, 1993)
• Ek Muthote Dukkho Amar Ek Muthote Prem (poetry, 1995)
• O Devi O Jolkonnya (poetry, 1998)
• Korotole Chumu Dey Chand (poetry, 2001)
• Moddhorate Paye Dilam Chumo (poetry, 2001)
• Kobitasomogro (collected poems, 2002)
• Aguner Ful Fote Thonte (poetry, 2003)
• Dorojay Danriye Achhi (poetry, 2004)
• Poems (english poetry, 2005)
• Dule Othe Rupali Chador (poetry, 2006)
• Muchhe Jay Jolrong Chhobi (poetry, 2008)
• Brishti O Jochhnar Kobita (poetry, 2009)
• Premer Kobita (poetry, 2009)
• Joler Niche Jolchhaya (poetry, 2010)
• Midnight Locomotive and other Poems (poetry in English translation, 2010).

Books of Rhyme

• Nil Paharer Chhara (rhymes, 1978)
• Mouly Tomar Chhara (rhymes, 1986)
• Rokom Rokom Chhara (joint effort, rhymes, 1986)
• Chhelebelar Din (juvenile poetry, 1988)
• Protidiner Chhara (rhymes, 1989)
• Chhorar Haat (rhymes, 1990)
• Swadhinotar Chhara (rhymes, 1990)
• Rajpother Chhara (rhymes, 1991)
• Ajkaler Chhara (rhymes, 1993)
• Khealkhushir Chhara (rhymes, 1998)
• Nakshikata Chhara (rhymes, 1999)
• Chharar Palki (rhymes, 2002)
• Chharae Jane Lorti (rhymes, 2002)
• Chharar Bari (rhymes, 2006)
• Chharar Ghuri Urouri (rhymes, 2009)
• Kaler Chhara (rhymes, 2009)
• Mojar Chhara (rhymes, 2010).

Juvenile Novels/Storybooks

• Dateline Teknaf (juvenile fiction, 1987)
• Bilu Mamar Gobeshona (juvenile stories, 1993)
• Hulobiraler Hukumnama (juvenile fiction, 2002)
• Kishorsomogro (collected rhymes/poems/stories/novels, 2002)
• Tutuler Monasa (juvenile fiction, 2006)
• Bilu Mamar New Project (juvenile story, 2006)
• Amar Bondhu ABC (juvenile story, 2006).

Articles/Columns and other Books

• Mohakaler Batighar (literary articles, 1986)
• Shahabuddin Nagarir Column (columns, 1993)
• Naribad (columns, 2002)
• Perekbiddho Kobita O Onnyanno Prosongo (articles, 2010).

Travelogue

• Kachher Deshe Durer Deshe ( travelogue, 2006)

Novel

• Shokun Shomoy (a novel on liberation war, 1988)

Edited antholies

• Bangladesher Chhara (jointly edited, 1987)
• Bangladesher Kobita (jointly edited, 1987)
• Kobita Album (jointly edited, 1988).

External links

• Passions that find a soul in poetry : A review of poetry of Nagari
• Nagari's poems in English rendering
• A catalogue of books by Shahabuddin Nagari
• A list of books by Nagari