Poet Farrukh's home on the brink of ruin

A rusty tin shed might well prove a source of inspiration to a poet, but a befitting memorial it cannot make. In Majhail village in Magura's Sreepur upazila there is such a house, the ancestral home of renowned twentieth century poet and children's author Farrukh Ahmed. Sadly, the already modest homestead is now quite dilapidated.

Born on 10 June 1918, Farrukh published several volumes of poetry in his lifetime, with the plight and promise of the downtrodden Muslims of Bengal being a recurrent theme. Indeed, so prevalent was the theme that the man is commonly known as the Poet of the Muslim Renaissance. He also penned a number of novels.

For his contribution to literature, Farrukh, who died in 1974, was made the recipient of several prestigious awards including the Bangla Academy Award, Swadhinata Puraskar and Ekushey Padak.

“His famous poems include 'Panjery' and 'Muhurter Kabita',” notes Mollah Foyzur Rahman Lavu, the headmaster of Amtoil secondary school in the upazila. “Perhaps his most notable novels are 'Sat Sagorer Mahji' and 'Naufel O Hatem'. His contribution to Bengali literature is significant. I hope his house is restored and preserved.”

In Majhail itself the poet is also remembered as a decent and polite neighbour. “Nobody ever had a quarrel with Farrukh Ahmed,” says 73-year-old villager Abdul Khaleque. “He wasn't overly talkative and was always well-behaved. His house should be cared for in order to commemorate his achievements, so future generations can be inspired.”

The two-room tin home of approximately sixty by thirty feet stands on the brink of collapse. The poet's younger brother Maruf Ahmed, 78, who says he is a freedom fighter, still lives in the village but isn't in a position to do much to save the home. “My income consists of a Tk 10,000 monthly allowance and I have to manage the family with that,” he says. “I did write a letter to the government about it last June, urging the restoration of the poet's house.”

Sreepur upazila's nirbahi officer, Md Ahsanullah Sharafi meanwhile told The Daily Star that he will visit the place soon and take action to ensure the home's preservation.