Rohingya poet from Sittwe whose poems appeared on Rohingya Today, Arakan Pen and The Art Garden Rohingya, where she became an editor in 2020. She wrote of a life without a shore, of being left behind and of longing for the homeland, and kept up her editorial work until the end of her life. She died in 2020, at thirty-eight.
1981
Born Rokaiyah, also known as Ma Hla Hla Win, on 6 November in Nazi Village, Sittwe. Her parents, U Wali Ullah and Daw Sawfura, came from Myoma Ngakhura in Maungdaw Township.
Education
Earned a B.Sc. degree specialising in Chemistry. She married at twenty-one, and later gave birth to her son, Osman.
Poems
Published poems online in Rohingya Today, Arakan Pen and The Art Garden Rohingya, among them "Kan Pyout Bawa" (A Life Without a Shore), "Shan Yit Khae Tot" (When Left Behind), "Ywet War" (The Yellow Leaf), "Pyone San Par-Mi Yoe" (Smile, Mother) and "Mway Yat Myay Tan Shin" (Longing for the Homeland).
Early 2019
Fell ill with lung cancer, and was treated continuously in Myanmar and abroad.
2020
Became an editor of The Art Garden Rohingya in February, and carried the work with dedication to the end of her life. Her last poem was "Chit Thaw May May" (Beloved Mother).
2020
Died at 4 p.m. on 17 October, aged thirty-eight.In her memory, The Art Garden Rohingya published her poems as "The Last Footsteps of Romarun".
The last footsteps of a poet
Poet Romarun was born on November 6, 1981, in Nazi Village, Sittwe, Arakan State. Her birth name was Rokaiyah, also known as Ma Hla Hla Win. Her parents were U Wali Ullah (also known as U Kyaw Win) and Daw Sawfura. Her parents were originally from Myoma Ngakhura, Maungdaw Township, Arakan State.
She received her basic education in Sittwe and later pursued higher education, earning a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree with a specialization in Chemistry. At the age of 21, she married and later gave birth to a son named Osman.
Romarun had a deep passion for reading and writing. In an interview, she once said, “I usually write poetry only when I feel something deeply in my heart.” She wrote and published numerous poems on online platforms such as Rohingya Today, Arakan Pen, and The Art Garden Rohingya. Among her well-known poems are Kan Pyout Bawa (A Life Without a Shore), Shan Yit Khae Tot (When Left Behind), Ywet War(The Yellow Leaf), Pyone San Par-Mi Yoe (Smile, Mother), and Mway Yat Myay Tan Shin (Longing for the Homeland).
After contributing poems to The Art Garden Rohingya, Romarun became an editor of the platform in February 2020. She carried out her editorial responsibilities with dedication and goodwill until the final period of her life. Her last poem was entitled “Chit Thaw May May” (Beloved Mother). Romarun was also particularly fond of the literary works of A Kyi Taw. Explaining why she admired his writing, she once said, “His works not only entertain readers and make them laugh, but also offer them a wide range of literary emotions and experiences.”
Romarun had been suffering from lung cancer since early 2019 and underwent continuous medical treatment both within the country and abroad. However, death spares no one. Whether young or old, wise or strong, when one’s appointed time comes, departure from this world is inevitable. Every living soul must surely taste death. At 4:00 p.m. on October 17, 2020, Romarun bade farewell to her beloved mother and her only son and returned to Allah in accordance with His divine will.
Following Romarun’s death, The Art Garden Rohingya published a collection of her poems entitled The Last Footsteps of Romarun in her memory.
