The 68th birthday of renowned poet Mohammad Nurul Huda was celebrated in different parts of the city on September 30. Major themes in his poetry and writings include liberal humanism, nationalism, human relations, romanticised rebellion of youth, the emergence of and consequent events in Bangladesh, and opposition to religious fundamentalism. He has written most of his poems in free verse, often with the rhythm style.
The bard was born to Mohammad Sekander and Anjuman Ara Begum in Poak Khali of Cox's Bazar district in 1949. After high school, he studied English Literature at the Dhaka University and obtained his B. A. with Honours in 1970 and M. A. in 1972. He participated in training courses at the East West Centre, Hawaii. After graduation he taught English in a colleges for about five years and then at the Dhaka University for a brief period. His literary career commenced early and he emerged in the 1960s as a promising modern poet. He is the President of the Bangladesh Writers' Club.
In 2007, Mohammad Nurul Huda retired as Director of Bangla Academy. He put in thirty four years service in this most prestigious institution of the country. He also served as the executive director of the Nazrul Institute. He was a consultant of WIPO, Geneva.
A leading prolific writer of the country with sizeable contribution in various branches of literature, Huda is best known as a poet. He is particularly acclaimed as "Jtisattar Kobi" meaning "the poet of national identity". A versatile writer, he is also widely known as an essayist, literary critic, translator, folklorist and IPR-specialist for copyright and traditional cultural expressions.
Nurul Huda has also published two novels that brought him fame of a fiction writer with a difference. His 'Jonmajati' published in February 1994 is being acclaimed as an open-ended postmodern novel signaling a significantly newer turn in the world of Bangla fiction. The novel is also remarkable for its discovery of a unique folk universe, the background being the Lusai hills and the vast coastal area with a rare geographical setting of sea and hills and plains.
Huda's translation of famous Turkish Poet Yunus Emre's poems in collaboration with Arshaduzzaman has been widely acclaimed at home and abroad. He has also translated Nazrul's famous poems entitled 'Kemal Pasha' and 'Wardrum' into English. He was decorated with state honour as an outstanding personality contributing to the promotion of Turkish-Bangladesh relations by S. Demirel, the President of Turkey during his Bangladesh visit marking the silver jubilee celebration of Independence of Bangladesh on 25 March 1997. His noteworthy books include "Amra Tamate Jati", "Jonmojati", "Moinopahar", "Byangkumar", "Chander Buro Chander Buri", "Chhotoder Begum Rokeya", and others. He has received numerous awards including Bangla Academy Literary Award, Jessore Sahitya Parishad Award, Abul Hasan Poetry Prize, President's Honour from Turkey in 1996, and others.
