Voices from a small town

The building that houses the Jessore Shahittyo Parishad is not much to look at. From its appearance, it's difficult to get a measure of the impact it made in its heyday. Poet Azizul Haque, a Professor of Bangla at M M College, founded it in 1983 with the patronage of the then deputy commissioner Abdul Awal and Abdur Razzaque, an engineer. The District Council allocated a small room to the poets and writers. "We felt free here. We were not free outside this room," says Kazi Mazed Nawaz, general secretary of the council.  

It's a drizzly evening, a day before Eid. I am on holiday, travelling. Someone who had a role in founding the organisation suggested that I might stop by to see what the literary minds of Jessore were up to these days. Who knew I would have my horizon shifted? 

A small group of 15 or so poets, writers, poetry lovers, among them two teachers, are chilling out. It's not entirely a men's club. I see two ladies in the group. Kazi Mazed says, "From 1983 to 1991, a large conference of poets was organised every other year. During this time, the conference reached great eminence. What was said here was taken very seriously at the national level. Important poets, writers and journalists from home and abroad in the likes of Shamsur Rahman, Syed Shamsul Haq, Al Mahmud, Asad Chowdhury and Sunil Gangopadhay participated." 

It was their golden age. Young poets like Rezauddin Stalin, Dara Mahmud, Kabir Hossain Taposh, Abdur Rob and Sayed Rana Mostoofee wrote rapturous lyrics of love and protest. With the support of the District Council, a book of poems by these budding poets was published. "Those who wrote at that time maintained a high standard," Kazi Mazed, himself a poet, says. "It wasn't like they were some obscure writers from a small town. The next generation saw the emergence of Nannu Mahbub, Mustafa Sohel Ahmed, Uttam Chakroborty, Pablo Shahi, Masudul Alam and Mashuk Shahi, among others."

So what a few poets found their voice here? "The role of the Shahittyo Parishad is not limited to poetry or short stories," Warisul Abid, a member, says. "It has had a profound impact on our worldview. Jessore being a border down faces unique challenges like drugs and crime. The scope for the youths to get derailed is wide. We can play an important role in engaging them in productive activities. Here I was introduced to many ideas from world literature to quantum mechanics. It was a great opportunity to have our eyes opened up to knowledge."   

The biggest challenge the once-thriving organisation is facing is of accommodation. "This room is rented from the District Council," Kazi Nawaz says, "The rent was Tk. 245 in 1992. All of a sudden, the authority sent us a notice. It said we would have to pay the arrears at a much higher rate. The council operates primarily on the donation of members. We have no income generating activities. We have tried offering poetry recitation classes. But how much could that earn? We don't even have a lavatory. They sent us eviction notices. At one stage, they put a lock on the door. We have been paying off the amount slowly." 

The anxiety in their eyes is clearly visible. "It affects our writing," Warisul Abid says. "Ours is absolutely a non-political organisation. Getting sponsorship for literary activities is extremely difficult. Some people have reservations about writing in general. The number of writers is decreasing." 

These constraints have curtailed their activities. "We used to publish literary magazines," Kazi Mazed says. "We used to organise weekly literary gatherings. Every year on the 21st February, we arranged poetry recitation programmes. Poems were read aloud and hundreds of people listened to them, transfixed. We made a list of wrong spellings on the billboards and asked people to correct them." 

Despite all the limitations, they managed to organise a competition for poems and short stories this year. Warisul Bari says, "If provided some cooperation, the Jessore Shahittyo Parishad could contribute to the development of the youths of Jessore and the country." 

It's quite late. I must leave now. When coming down the stairs, I get a lesson in a most unexpected manner. I am warned that I will have to bend forward and down to avoid banging my head with the top horizontal frame of the entrance. "We haven't made any adjustment to it.  Jessore Shahittyo Parishad not only helps us evolve with finer literary bent, but also teaches us how to be humble, down-to-earth and respectful to others. Humility is the single most important aspect of an individual. The entrance can be taken as a visual context to this great virtue; and with this quality, we can stand against the odds of life and make this world a better place for all. We stoop to conquer," Warisul Abid whispers, borrowing from the title of Oliver Goldsmith's famous comedy.    

Abid and his friends never started a revolution with the weight of their words. They are satisfied if their little songs inspire a different way of looking at bigger troubles. Like a ripple that keeps going out from a pond, their work can keep going out all over the country spreading the message of peace and justice and equality for all.

 Can the authorities extend a little more cooperation to them? 

The writer is a member of the Editorial team at The Daily Star.