‘PalliKabi’ Rural poet– this is how Jashimuddin is known to most of the readers of Bengali literature. He dedicated his entire life writing about the rural life of Bengal. This way, he has made a strong place in Bengali literature and he is considered to be one of major poets.
Bangladesh is a country of villages. We have heard the slogan that if 68,000 survive then Bangladesh will survive. Well, many of the villages have not survived anymore. They have turned into modern wastelands with people destroying nature and making unplanned constructions. Development is surely good but unplanned development is a trap for unhappiness.
So, few people care for the life that Jashimuddin depicted in his poems. In many villages now such a life only exists in the memory of old generation. Yes, Bangladesh is changing very fast. So, is Jashimuddin still relevant today in our life? I do not think so. The other day, I was talking about a poem of Jashimuddin to one of my former students. He is a urban boy and he could not understand any significance of the poem.
It’s not that Jashimuddin wrote his poems in difficult language. Rather it is the other way around. He used very simple language and simple thoughts. Simplicity was most powerful poetic weapon that he could use very successfully.
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