Poet of love and freedom

Kazi Nazrul Islam was a poet, musician and revolutionary who pioneered poetic works espousing intense spiritual rebellion against fascism and oppression. His poetry and nationalist activism earned him the popular title of Bidrohi Kobi (Rebel Poet). Accomplishing a large body of acclaimed works through his life, Nazrul is officially recognised as the National Poet of Bangladesh and commemorated in India.
Born into a Qazi (justice) family in India, Nazrul received religious education and worked as a muezzin at a local mosque. He learned of poetry, drama, and literature while working with theatrical groups. After serving in the British Indian Army, Nazrul established himself as a journalist in Kolkata (then Calcutta). He assailed the British Raj in India and preached revolution through his poetic works, such as ‘Bidrohi’ (‘The Rebel’) and ‘Bhangar Gaan’ (‘The Song of Destruction’), as well as his publication ‘Dhumketu’ (‘The Comet’). His impassioned activism in the Indian independence movement often led to his imprisonment by British authorities. While in prison, Nazrul wrote the ‘Rajbandir Jabanbandi’ (‘Deposition of a Political Prisoner’). Exploring the life and conditions of the downtrodden masses of India and the world, Nazrul worked for their emancipation.
Nazrul’s writings explore themes such as love, freedom, and revolution; he opposed all bigotry, including religious and gender. Throughout his career, Nazrul wrote short stories, novels, and essays but is best-known for his poems, in which he pioneered new forms such as Bengali ghazals. Nazrul wrote and composed music for his nearly 4,000 songs (including gramophone records), collectively known as Nazrul geeti (Nazrul songs), which are widely popular today. At the age of 43 (in 1942) he began suffering from an unknown disease, losing his voice and memory. It is often said, the reason was slow poisoning by the rulers and authority. It caused Nazrul’s health to decline steadily and forced him to live in isolation for many years. Invited by the Government of Bangladesh, Nazrul and his family moved to Dhaka in 1972, where he breathed his last in 1976.
Kazi Nazrul Islam was born in the village of Churulia near Asansol in the Burdwan District of Bengal (now in the Indian state Paschimbanga). He was born in a powerful Taluqdar family and was the second of three sons and a daughter, Nazrul’s father Kazi Faqeer Ahmad was the Imam and caretaker of the local mosque and mausoleum. Nazrul’s mother was Zahida Khatun. Nazrul had two brothers, Kazi Sahibjaan and Kazi Ali Husain, and a sister, Umme Kulsum. Nicknamed Dukhu Mian (Sadman), Nazrul began attending the maktab and madarsa ; the local religious school run by the mosque and dargah where he studied the Qur’an and other scriptures, Islamic philosophy and theology. His family was devastated with the death of his father in 1908. At the young age of ten, Nazrul began working in his father’s place as a caretaker to support his family, as well as assisting teachers in school. He later became the muazzin at the mosque, delivering the Azan and calling the people for prayer.
Attracted to folk theatre, Nazrul joined a leto (travelling theatrical group) run by his uncle Fazle Karim, working and travelling with them, learning acting, as well as writing songs and poems for the plays and musicals. Through his work and experiences, Nazrul began learning Bengali and Sanskrit literature, as well as Hindu scriptures such as the Puranas. The young poet composed a number of folk plays for his group, which included ‘Chashaar Shong’ (‘The drama of a peasant’), ‘Shakunibadh’ (‘The Killing of Shakuni a character from the epic Mahabharata’), ‘Raja Yudhisthirer Shong’ (‘The drama of King Yudhisthira again from the Mahabharata’), ‘Daata Karna’ (‘Philanthropic Karna from the Mahabharata’), ‘Akbar Badshah’ (“Emperor Akbar’), ‘Kavi Kalidas’ (‘Poet Kalidas’), ‘Vidyan hutum’ (‘The Learned Owl’), and ‘Rajputrer Shong’ (‘The drama of a Prince’).
In 1910, Nazrul left the troupe and enrolled at the Searsole Raj High School in Raniganj (where he came under influence of teacher, revolutionary and Jugantar activist Nibaran Chandra Ghatak, and initiated life-long friendship with fellow author Sailajananda Mukhopadhyay, who was his classmate, and later transferred to the Mathrun High English School, studying under the headmaster and poet Kumudranjan Mallik. Unable to continue paying his school fees, Nazrul left the school and joined a group of kabiyals. Later he took jobs as a cook at the house of a Christian railway guard and at the most famous bakery of the region Wahid’s/Abdul Wahid and tea stall in the town of Asansol. In 1914, Nazrul studied in the Darirampur School (now Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University) in Trishal, Mymensingh District. Amongst other subjects, Nazrul studied Bengali, Sanskrit, Arabic, Persian literature and classical music under teachers who were impressed by his dedication and skill.
Studying up to Class X, Nazrul did not appear for the Matriculation pre-test examination, enlisting instead in the Indian Army in 1917 at the age of eighteen. He joined the British army mainly for two reasons : first, his youthful romantic inclination to respond to the unknown and, secondly, the call of politics. Attached to the 49th Bengal Regiment, he was posted to the cantonment in Karachi, where he wrote his first prose and poetry. Although he never saw active fighting, he rose in rank from corporal to habildar, and served as quartermaster for his battalion. During this period, Nazrul read extensively, and was deeply influenced by Rabindranath Tagore and Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay, as well as the Persian poets Hafez, Rumi and Omar Khayyam. He learnt Persian poetry from the regiment’s Punjabi Moulvi, practiced music and pursued his literary interests. His first prose work, ‘Baunduler Atmakahini’ (‘Life of a Vagabond’) was published in May, 1919. His poem ‘Mukti’ (‘Freedom’) was published by the ‘Bangla Mussalman Sahitya Patrika’ (‘Bengali Muslim Literary Journal’) in July 1919.
Nazrul started a bi-weekly magazine, publishing the first ‘Dhumketu’ (Comet) on August 12, 1922. Earning the moniker of the ‘rebel poet’, Nazrul also aroused the suspicion of British authorities. A political poem published in ‘Dhumketu’ in September 1922 led to a police raid on the magazine’s office. Arrested, Nazrul entered a lengthy plea before the judge in the court.
“I have been accused of sedition. That is why I am now confined in the prison. On the one side is the crown, on the other the flames of the comet. One is the king, sceptre in hand; the other Truth worth the mace of justice. To plead for me, the king of all kings, the judge of all judges, the eternal truth the living God… His laws emerged out of the realisation of a universal truth about mankind. They are for and by a sovereign God. The king is supported by an infinitesimal creature; I by its eternal and indivisible Creator. I am a poet; I have been sent by God to express the unexpressed, to portray the unportrayed. It is God who is heard through the voice of the poet… My voice is but a medium for Truth, the message of God… I am the instrument of that eternal self-evident truth, an instrument that voices forth the message of the ever-true. I am an instrument of God. The instrument is not unbreakable, but who is there to break God?”
On April 14, 1923 he was transferred from the jail in Alipore to Hooghly in Kolkata, he began a 40-day fast to protest mistreatment by the British jail superintendent. Nazrul broke his fast more than a month later and was eventually released from prison in December 1923. Nazrul composed a large number of poems and songs during the period of imprisonment and many of his works were banned in the 1920s by the British authorities.
Kazi Nazrul Islam became a critic of the Khilafat struggle, condemning it as hollow, religious fundamentalism. Nazrul’s rebellious expression extended to criticising rigid orthodoxy in the name of religion and politics. Nazrul also criticised the Indian National Congress for not embracing outright political independence from the British Empire. He became active in encouraging people to agitate against British rule, and joined the Bengal state unit of the Congress party. Nazrul also helped organise the Sramik Praja Swaraj Dal, a political party committed to national independence and the service of the peasant masses. On December 16, 1925 Nazrul started publishing the weekly ‘Langal’, with himself as chief editor. The ‘Langal’ was the mouthpiece of the Sramik Praja Swaraj Dal.
During his visit to Comilla in 1921, Nazrul fell in love with Nargais Ashar Khanom and married her. But soon Nazrul left her. Nazrul met a young Hindu woman, Pramila Devi, with whom he fell in love and they married on April 25, 1924. Pramila belonged to the Brahmo Samaj, which criticised her marriage to a Muslim. Nazrul in turn was condemned by Muslim religious leaders and continued to face criticism for his personal life and professional works, which attacked social and religious dogma and intolerance. Despite controversy, Nazrul’s popularity and reputation as the ‘rebel poet’ rose significantly.
“Weary of struggles, I, the great rebel,
Shall rest in quiet only when I find
The sky and the air free of the piteous groans of the oppressed.
Only when the battle fields are cleared of jingling bloody sabres
Shall I, weary of struggles, rest in quiet,
I the great rebel.”
With his wife and young son Bulbul, Nazrul settled in Krishnanagar in 1926. His work began to transform as he wrote poetry and songs that articulated the aspirations of the downtrodden classes, a sphere of his work known as ‘mass music.’ Nazrul assailed the socio-economic norms and political system that had brought upon misery. From his poem ‘Daridryo’ (Poverty):
“O poverty, thou hast made me great.
Thou hast made me honoured like Christ
With his crown of thorns. Thou hast given me
Courage to reveal all. To thee I owe
My insolent, naked eyes and sharp tongue.
Thy curse has turned my violin to a sword
O proud saint, thy terrible fire
Has rendered my heaven barren.
O my child, my darling one
I could not give thee even a drop of milk
No right have I to rejoice.
Poverty weeps within my doors forever
As my spouse and my child.” [Who will play the flute?]
In what his contemporaries regarded as one of his greatest flairs of creativity, Nazrul began composing the very first ghazals in Bengali, transforming a form of poetry written mainly in Persian and Urdu. Nazrul became the first person to introduce Islam into the larger mainstream tradition of Bengali music. The first record of Islamic songs by Nazrul Islam was a commercial success and many gramophone companies showed interest in producing these. A significant impact of Nazrul was that it attracted Muslims very much and uplifted their mentality to be more comfortable in the Bengali Arts, which used to be dominated by Hindus. Nazrul also composed a number of notable Shyamasangeet, Bhojon and Kirton, combining Hindu devotional music. Arousing controversy and passions in his readers, Nazrul’s ideas attained great popularity across India. In 1928, Nazrul began working as a lyricist, composer and music director for His Master’s Voice Gramophone Company. The songs written and music composed by him were broadcast on Radio stations across the country. He was also enlisted/attached with the Indian Broadcasting Company.
Nazrul professed faith in the belief in the equality of women – a view his contemporaries considered revolutionary. From his Nari (Woman) :
“I don’t see any difference
Between a man and woman
Whatever great or benevolent achievements
That are in this world
Half of that was by woman,
The other half by man.” (Translated by Sajed Kamal)
His poetry retains long-standing notions of men and women in binary opposition to one another and does not affirm gender similarities and flexibility in the social structure:
“Man has brought the burning, scorching heat of the sunny day;
Woman has brought peaceful night, soothing breeze and cloud.
Man comes with desert-thirst; woman provides the drink of honey.
Man ploughs the fertile land; woman sows crops in it turning it green.
Man ploughs, woman waters; that earth and water mixed together,
brings about a harvest of golden paddy.”
However, Nazrul’s poems strongly emphasise the confluence of the roles of both sexes and their equal importance to life. He stunned society with his poem ‘Barangana’ (‘Prostitute’), in which he addresses a prostitute as ‘mother’. Nazrul accepts the prostitute as a human being, reasoning that this person was breast-fed by a noble woman and belonging to the race of “mothers and sisters”; he assails society’s negative notions of prostitutes.
Who calls you a prostitute, mother?
Who spits at you?
Perhaps you were suckled by someone
as chaste as Seeta.
And if the son of an unchaste mother is ‘illegitimate’,
so is the son of an unchaste father.
 ‘Barangona’ (Prostitute) Translated by Sajed Kamal)
Nazrul was an advocate of the emancipation of women ; both traditional and non-traditional women were portrayed by him with utmost sincerity. Nazrul’s songs are collectively called as Nazrul Sangeet.
Nazrul’s mother died in 1928, and his second son Bulbul died of smallpox the following year. His first son, Krishna Mohammad had died prematurely. His wife gave birth to two more sons – Savyasachi in 1928 and Aniruddha in 1931 – and Nazrul remained shaken and aggrieved for a long time.
“Come back my birdie! Come back again to my empty bosom!
Shunyo e booke paakhi mor ay ! Phire ay phire ay!”
His works changed significantly from rebellious expositions of society to deeper examination of religious themes. His works in these years led Islamic devotional songs into the mainstream of Bengali folk music, exploring the Islamic practices of Namaz (prayer), Roza (fasting), Hajj (pilgrimage) and Zakat (charity). This was regarded by his contemporaries as a significant achievement as Bengali Muslims had been strongly averse to devotional music.
Nazrul’s creativity diversified as he explored Hindu devotional music by composing Shyama Sangeet, Khajans and Kirtans, often merging Islamic and Hindu values. Nazrul’s poetry and songs explored the philosophy of Islam and Hinduism.
Let people of all countries and all times come together at one great union of humanity. Let them listen to the flute music of one great unity.
Should a single person be hurt, all hearts should feel it equally.
If one person is insulted; it is a shame to all mankind, an insult to all!
Today is the grand uprising of the agony of universal man.
The badnaa, a water jug typical in usage by Bengali Muslims for ablutions (wazu) and bath (ghusl) and the gaaru, a water pot typical in usage by Bengali Hindus, meet and embrace each other under the peace of the new pact (between the rioting Hindus and Muslims in Bengal during the British Raj on certain politico-religious differences and disputes that had preceded the said pact).
There is no knife in the hand of the Muslim
and also the Hindu does not wield the bamboo any more!
Bodna gaarute kolakuli kore
Nobo pacter aashnaai! Musalmaner hate nai chhuri! Hindur haate baansh naai!
Nazrul’s poetry imbibed the passion and creativity of Shakti, which is identified as the Brahma, the personification of primordial energy. He wrote and composed many bhajans, shyamasangeet, agamanis and kirtans. He also composed large number of songs on invocation to Lord Shiva, goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswati and on the theme of love of Radha and Sri Krishna.
Nazrul assailed fanaticism in religion, denouncing it as evil and inherently irreligious. He devoted many works to expound upon the principle of human equality, exploring the Qur’an and the life of Islam’s last Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SM). Nazrul has been compared to William Butler Yeats for being the first Muslim poet to create imagery and symbolism of Muslim historical figures Muhammad and such as Ali, Umar, Qasim, Kamal Pasha, Anwar Pasha. His vigorous assault on extremism and mistreatment of women provoked condemnation from fundamentalists.
In 1920, Nazrul expressed his vision of religious harmony in an editorial in Joog Bani,
“Come brother Hindu! Come Musalman! Come Buddhist! Come Christian!
Let us transcend all barriers,
let us foresake forever all smallness, all lies, all selfishness
and let us call brothers as brothers.
We shall quarrel no more”.
In another article entitled Hindu Mussalman published in Ganabani he wrote –
”I can tolerate Hinduism and Muslims but I cannot tolerate the Tikism (Tiki is a tuft of never cut hair kept on the head by certain Hindus to maintain personal Holiness) and beardism. Tiki is not Hinduism. It may be the sign of the pundit. Similarly beard is not Islam, it may be the sign of the mollah. All the hair-pulling have originated from those two tufts of hair. Todays fighting is also between the Pundit and the Mollah: It is not between the Hindus and the Muslims. No Prophet has said, ”I have come for Hindus, I have come for Muslims, I have come for Christians.” They have said, “I have come for the humanity for everyone, like light”. But the devotees of Krishna says, “Krishna is for Hindus”. The followers of Muhammad (Sm) says, “Muhammad (Sm) is for the Muslims”. The Disciple of Christ is for Christian”. Krishna-Muhammad-Christ have become national property. This property is the root of all trouble. Men do not quarrel for light but they quarrel over cattle.”
Nazrul was an exponent of humanism. Although a Muslim, he named his sons with both Hindu and Muslim names : Krishna Mohammad, Arindam Khaled(Bulbul), Kazi Sabyasachi and Kazi Aniruddha.
In 1933, Nazrul published a collection of essays titled ‘Modern World Literature’, in which he analyses different styles and themes of literature. Between 1928 and 1935 he published 10 volumes containing 800 songs of which more than 600 were based on classical ragas. Almost 100 were folk tunes after kirtans and some 30 were patriotic songs. From the time of his return to Kolkata until he fell ill in 1941, Nazrul composed more than 2,600 songs, many of which have been lost. His songs based on baul, jhumur, Santhali folksongs, jhanpan or the folk songs of snake charmers, bhatiali and bhaoaia consist of tunes of folk-songs on the one hand and a refined lyric with poetic beauty on the other. Nazrul also wrote and published poems for children.
Nazrul’s success soon brought him into Indian theatre and the then-nascent film industry. The first picture for which he worked was based on Girish Chandra Ghosh’s story ‘Bhakta Dhruva’ in 1934. Nazrul acted in the role of Narada and directed the film. He also composed songs for it, directed the music and served as a playback singer.
The film ‘Vidyapati’ (‘Master of Knowledge’) was produced based on his recorded play in 1936, and Nazrul served as the music director for the film adaptation of Tagore’s novel Gora. Nazrul wrote songs and directed music for Sachin Sengupta’s bioepic play ‘Siraj-ud-Daula’. In 1939, Nazrul began working for Calcutta Radio, supervising the production and broadcasting of the station’s musical programmes. He produced critical and analytic documentaries on music, such as ‘Haramoni’ and ‘Navaraga-malika’. Nazrul also wrote a large variety of songs inspired by the raga Bhairav. Nazrul sought to preserve his artistic integrity by condemning the adaptation of his songs to music composed by others and insisting on the use of tunes he composed himself.
Nazrul’s wife Pramila Devi fell seriously ill in 1939 and was paralysed from waist down. To provide for his wife’s medical treatment, he resorted to mortgaging the royalties of his gramophone records and literary works for 400 rupees.
He returned to journalism in 1940 by working as Chief Editor for the daily newspaper ‘Nabayug’ (‘New Age’), founded by the eminent Bengali politician Sher-e-Bangla A. K. Fazlul Huq.
Nazrul also was shaken by the death of Rabindranath Tagore on August 8, 1941. He spontaneously composed two poems in Tagore’s memory, one of which, ‘Rabihara’ (loss of Rabi or without Rabi) was broadcast on the All India Radio. Within months, Nazrul himself fell seriously ill and gradually began losing his power of speech. His behaviour became erratic, and spending recklessly, he fell into financial difficulties. In spite of her own illness, his wife constantly cared for her husband. However, Nazrul’s health seriously deteriorated and he grew increasingly depressed. He underwent medical treatment under homeopathy as well as Ayurveda, but little progress was achieved before mental dysfunction intensified and he was admitted to a mental asylum in 1942. Spending four months there without making progress, Nazrul and his family began living a silent life in India. In 1952, he was transferred to a mental hospital in Ranchi. With the efforts of a large group of admirers who called themselves the ‘Nazrul Treatment Society’ as well as prominent supporters such as the Indian politician Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the treatment society sent Nazrul and Promila to London, then to Vienna for treatment.
Examining doctors said he had received poor care, and Dr. Hans Hoff, a leading neurosurgeon in Vienna, diagnosed that Nazrul was suffering from Pick’s disease. His condition judged to be incurable, Nazrul returned to Calcutta on 15 December 1953.
On June 30, 1962 his wife Pramila died and Nazrul remained in intensive medical care. In 1972, the newly independent nation of Bangladesh obtained permission from the Government of India to bring Nazrul to live in Dhaka and accorded him honorary citizenship.
Despite receiving treatment and attention, Nazrul’s physical and mental health did not improve. In 1974, his youngest son, Kazi Aniruddha, an eminent guitarist, died, and Nazrul soon succumbed to his long-standing ailments on August 29, 1976. In accordance with a wish he had expressed in one of his poems, he was buried beside a mosque on the campus of the University of Dhaka. Tens of thousands of people attended his funeral; Bangladesh observed two days of national mourning and the Indian Parliament observed a minute of silence in his honour.
Nazrul’s poetry is characterised by an abundant use of rhetorical devices, which he employed to convey conviction and sensuousness. His works have been criticised for egotism, but his huge member admirers counter that they carry more a sense of self-confidence than ego. They cite his ability to defy the aggressive, oppressive rulers and authorities.
Nazrul’s poetry is regarded as rugged but unique in comparison to Tagore’s sophisticated style. Nazrul’s use of Persian vocabulary was controversial but it widened the scope of his work. Nazrul’s works for children have won acclaim for his use of rich language, imagination, enthusiasm and an ability to fascinate young readers.
Nazrul is regarded for his secularism. He was the first person to cite of Christians of Bengal in his novel Mrityukhudha. He was also the first user of folk terms in Bengali literature. He first printed the sickle and hammer in any Indian magazine.
Nazrul pioneered new styles and expressed radical ideas and emotions in a large body of work. Scholars credit him for spearheading a cultural renaissance in Muslim-majority Bengal, ‘liberating’ poetry and literature in Bengali from its medieval mould. Nazrul was awarded the Jagattarini Gold Medal in 1945 – the highest honour for work in Bengali literature by the University of Calcutta – and awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of India’s highest civilian honours in 1960.
The Government of Bangladesh conferred upon him the status of being the ‘National Poet’. He was awarded the Ekushey Padak by the Government of Bangladesh. He was awarded Honorary D.Litt. by the University of Dhaka . Many centres of learning and culture in India and Bangladesh have been founded and dedicated to his memory. The Nazrul Endowment is one of several scholarly institutions established to preserve and expound upon his thoughts and philosophy, as well as the preservation and analysis of the large and diverse collection of his works. The Bangladesh Nazrul Sena is a large public organisation working for the education of children throughout the country. Kazi Nazrul Islam’s Works : Sanchita (Collected poems) ,1925, Phanimanasa (The Cactus) , poems,1927, Chakrabak (The Flamingo) , poems,1929, Satbhai Champa (The Seven Brothers of Champa) , juvenile poems,1933, Nirjhar (Fountain) , poems,1939, Natun Chand (The New Moon) , poems,1939, Marubhaskar (The Sun in the Desert) , poems,1951, Sanchayan (Collected Poems) ,1955, Nazrul Islam: Islami Kobita (A Collection of Islamic Poems; Dhaka, Bangladesh: Islamic Foundation,1982). Agni Bina (The Fiery Flute) , poems,1992
Poems and songs : Dolan Champa (name of a faintly fragrant monsoon flower) , poems and songs,1923, Bisher Banshi (The Poison Flute) , poems and songs,1924, Bhangar Gan (The Song of Destruction) , songs and poems,1924 proscribe in 1924, Chhayanat (The Raga of Chhayanat) , poems and songs,1925, Chittanama (On Chittaranjan) , poems and songs,1925, Samyabadi (The Proclaimer of Equality) , poems and songs,1926, Puber Hawa (The Eastern Wind) , poems and songs,1926, Sarbahara (The Proletariat) , poems and songs,1926, Sindhu Hindol (The Undulation of the Sea) , poems and songs,1927, Jinjir (Chain) , poems and songs,1928, Pralaya Shikha (Doomsday Flame) , poems and songs,1930 proscribed in 1930, Shesh Saogat (The Last Offerings) , poems and songs,1958.
Short stories : Rikter Bedan (The Sorrows of Destitute) , short stories,1925
Shiulimala (Garland of Shiuli) , stories,1931, Byathar Dan (Offering of Pain) , Aladin
Novels : Bandhan Hara (Free from Bonds) , novel,1927, Mrityukshuda (Hunger for Death) , novel,1930, Kuhelika (Mystery) , novel,1931.
Plays and drama : Jhilimili (Window Shutters) , plays,1930, Aleya (Mirage) , song drama,1931, Putuler Biye (Doll’s Marriage) , children’s play,1933, Madhumala (Garland of Honeysuckle) a musical play,1960, Jhar (Storm) , juvenile poems and play,1960, Pile Patka, Putuler Biye (Doll’s Marriage) , juvenile poems and play,1964
Essays : Joog Bani (The Message of the Age) , essays,1926, Jhinge Phul (The Cucurbitaccus Flower) , essays,1926, Durdiner Jatri (The Traveller through Rough Times) , essays,1926, Rudra Mangal (The Violent Good) , essays,1927, Dhumketu (The Comet) , essays,1961.
—Wikipedia Kazi Nazrul Islam