Bangladeshi poet Amaya Rahman launches ‘Tears of a Flower’

A young Bangladeshi poet, Amaya Rahman, has released her debut poetry collection, Tears of a Flower, which addresses two of Bangladesh's most overlooked subjects that deeply concern today's young generation: mental health and pressing social issues such as the July revolution and the Milestone plane crash. Published by Subarna Publications, an institution distinguished for scholarly and fiction works, the book was launched at the capital's Gulshan Club on 29 November 2025.

The poem collection is divided into two sections: "Bleeding" and "Hope," where the author passionately articulates her words to address mental health and broader societal issues.

In an interview with The Daily Star, she shared her motivation behind writing these poems.

"I want this book to inspire people who are struggling to speak up (about their mental health) and know they are not alone," Amaya Rahman said. 

Photo: MD Latiful Islam Liton

Referring to the first section, she expressed, "The poems are about my struggles with mental health and coping with grief after the sudden deaths of my Nanu and Dadi."

She also highlighted the second section of her book, saying, "I used poetry to raise the pivotal issues that took place in July 2024 (July Uprising) and July 2025 (Milestone plane crash)."

In a rebellious tone, the young author wrote in her poem 'A plane crash', "Yet they hid death tolls, abusing the ones who were searching for answers, censoring the ones who already know."

Farooq Sobhan, former foreign secretary and ambassador, attended the book launch event as the chief guest.

Photo: MD Latiful Islam Liton

Praising the poetic skill of the author at such a young age, Sobhan said in his speech, "While reading through the poems, I was amazed at the maturity of thoughts expressed through the verses in a variety of topics."

The event was attended by other notable guests who delivered speeches, including Naira Khan, an associate professor of linguistics at Dhaka University; Tibra Ali, a professor and associate dean of research at BRAC University's School of Data and Sciences; Anita Ghazi Rahman, a senior advocate of the Supreme Court and founder of The Legal Circle; and Khadija Afzal, senior vice president of the Bangladesh Federation of Women Entrepreneurs.

The young author has previously written a poem titled '15 Long Years and a Bangladesh That Stays United', honouring the sentiment of independence following the student-led protest movement in July 2025, which was also published in The Daily Star.