The legacy of a poet - Kazi Nazrul Islam, the prophet of tolerance

Kazi Nazrul Islam's works have been acclaimed as well as criticized for egoism, but his admirers who supported him throughout his life, considered this as self-confidence more than ego. They said that he had the ability to defy God and yet be devoted.


Was a Bengali poet, writer, musician, revolutionary and philosopher who is best known for pioneering works in Bengali expressing fierce rebellion against society, tradition, politics, injustice, intolerance and oppression. Popularly known as the Bidrohi Kobi – Rebel Poet – he is widely popular and revered in India and commemorated as the "national poet" of Bangladesh.




Nazrul lacked any formal training as a journalist or artist, and appears to have built 
his artistic experience through his participation in folk musical troupes in his youth. 
After two years of high school, Nazrul joined the army of the British colonial government. Stationed in Karachi during World War One, as part of the Bengal regiment, 
he rose to the position of a sergeant, a havildar. It is striking that his career as a 
rebellious writer-poet began as a serving British soldier. From Karachi, Nazrul started 
submitting poems and short stories to literary and other magazines, published in 
Bengal. In doing so, he attracted the attention of the editor Muzaff ar Ahmed, a key 
architect of the Leftist movement in Bengal. Ahmed and others published Nazrul’s 
essays because of their moving patriotic and internationalist content. 
When Nazrul Islam returned to Kolkota in 1920, he was largely unknown in the 
city’s literary circles. This changed dramatically within the space of a year. Indeed, 
Nazrul’s rise to literary prominence was extraordinarily rapid in comparison with 
other poets who have gathered fame in the history of Bengal. Undoubtedly his talent 
explains a large part of his success. In 1920, Nazrul became a performer of Tagore 
songs, and surprised many people with his capacity to memorise the master’s lyrics. 
He also became a journalist, writing essays on contemporary world events aff ecting 
India’s fate. Most signifi cantly, he wrote poetry that stood out for its aesthetic, and 
unmistakably high, quality. So much so, that Tagore was moved to welcome him as a 
new star in Bengali literature. In the benediction written for the bi-weekly publication 
launched by Nazrul Islam


In November 1922, British colonial authorities issued an arrest warrant for the 
poet Nazrul Islam, a rising star of Bengali literature, charging him with sedition for his 
poem ‘The Coming of  Anandamoyee’. Published two months earlier in the newspaper 
Dhumketu, of which Nazrul himself was editor, the poem vividly depicts the subjugation 
of India’s population. He called the British colony a ‘butchery’ where ‘God’s children’ 
were whipped and hanged. The authorities reacted with vindictiveness and in January 
1923 he was sentenced to one year of rigorous imprisonment.


As against Tagore's sophisticated style, he was rugged and unique. He used Persian in his works but compensated this with his use of rich and imaginative language for children's works.


He is still regarded for his secularism and was the first person to include the rise of Christians in Bengal in his books. He was regarded for the cultural renaissance that he brought out through his literature. 


Several learning centers were opened in his memory including the Nazrul Endowment. Here, large collections of his works are preserved till date. The Bangladesh Nazrul Sena is an organization that works on children education throughout Bangladesh. 

Rabindranath Tagore

      

who hailed Nazrul 

Islam with the words: 

‘Come, O Comet, 

build a bridge of fire 

across darkness’.

An extract from 'Bidrohi'

"Proclaim Hero-
Proclaim: My head is held towering
Bows down the Himalayan peak, that at looking.
Say Hero-
Say: Tearing the firmament of the universe
Outstripping the Moon, the Sun and the Stars
Piercing the Earth and the celestial spheres
Penetrating through the Almighty's sacred throne
Risen have I, the wonder eternal of the God's universe.
With the mark of majestic might
The angry God on my forehead blazing bright!
Say Hero-
Say: My head is held ever towering!                                  


I am irrepressible, imperious and brutal
I am the dancing lord of the great upheaval.
I am the cyclone, the devastation tremendous
I am terrible fear and the curse of the universe
I am turbulent, I crash everything
Wild I am, I trample under my feet all rules and binding.          

I obey no law, but mine
I cause the loaded boats to capsize
I am torpedo, I am the dreadful floating mine.
I am the God Dhurjati-
The ill timed hair disheveled typhoon of disaster,
I am The Rebel the rebellious son of the global mother.
Say Hero-
Ever towering is my head!"

Published in the Bijli magazine, the poem caused a popular sensation. Nazrul stormed into Tagore's residence, jokingly declaring "Gurudev, I have come to kill you off."

Nazrul’s writings reveal how deeply aware he was of the 

dangers posed by the heightened tensions, and also show 

the ways in which he tried to fi ght the trend. In his essay 

‘Mandir O Masjid’, (‘Temples and Mosques’), published in 

the magazine Gana Bani, of which Nazrul was chief editor, 

he directly addressed the theme of communal frenzy:

“…Once again the murky Hindu-Muslim issue has raised its 

head. First, there are brawls, then they hit each others’ head. 

Yet once those who have got drunk over the ‘prestige’ of 

Allah or Ma Kali get bashed, then, as I can see, they do not cry 

for Allah or Ma Kali. No, Hindus and Muslims together cry and 

lament in the same language: ‘Baba Go, Ma Go’ – just as children who have been abandoned by their mother, cry for their 

mother in one choir. Hearing the weeping of the wounded, 

the mosque does not waver, nor does the Goddess-in-stone 

of the temple respond”.

This poet-writer fervently supported ideals of social and 
economic justice, ideas just starting to be propagated by socialist activists in Bengal at the time when he rose to prominence. 
Nazrul consciously combined his advocacy of religious equality, 
with an advocacy of economic equality. In fact, it is evident 
from Nazrul’s writings and practice, that he strongly believed 
in the need to oppose the escalation in communal violence 
by simultaneously advocating two imperatives – communal 
harmony and united class struggle – waged jointly by labouring Hindus and Muslims. In this respect there is a signifi cant 
diff erence between Nazrul Islam’s position and that of 
Mahatma Gandhi, the Congress leader with whom he shared a 
deep commitment to Hindu-Muslim amity. Contrary to Gandhi, 
Nazrul did not hesitate to champion class struggle, fi ghting 
landlordism or factory exploitation. In fact, the poet is known 
to have pioneered eff orts towards the politicisation of Bengal’s 
peasants and workers, in particular from 1925-1926 onwards.


Kazi Nazrul Islam has been acknowledged by his contemporaries and modern scholars as one of the greatest Bengali poets and literary figures ever. He pioneered new horizons in Bengali literature and poetry, expressing radical ideas and emotions in a large collection of works. Admired for his brilliance and productivity, Nazrul also enjoyed commercial success and a vast audience across India, and a large following of adoring fans. Scholars credit him for almost single-handedly spear-heading a cultural renaissance in the Muslim community of Bengal, encouraging education and newer forms of spiritual, intellectual and religious expression. He is credited for modernizing and even "liberating" poetry and literature in Bengali from its medieval mould.

However, Nazrul received intense criticism from religious Muslims for his assimilation of Hindu philosophy and culture with Islam into his religious and philosophical works and for openly denouncing some Islamic traditions regarding other religions and the role of women. His expression of rebellion have also earned him the addage of the "anarchist poet," as he criticised the main political parties and ideologies of the day. Contemporary scholars and feminists criticise Nazrul for not exceeding traditional stereotypes of women when denouncing their subjugation and oppression. While hailed for his sincere conviction in the liberation of women, Nazrul's poems and vision did not explore the independence of a woman's soul and mind, and the ability to perform diverse roles in society. Nazrul has also received criticism over his intellectual disagreements with the thinking and philosophy of Tagore and Mahatma Gandhi.

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." 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.

Nazrul's health started deteriorating as a result of Pramila Devi's paralysis and he underwent several mental treatments after 1941. He even stayed at a mental asylum for four months in 1942 and was re-admitted in Ranchi in 1952. A group of admirers called "Nazrul Treatment Society" along with his prominent supporters, sent Nazrul and Pramila to London and Vienna where Nazrul was diagnosed of Pick's disease. His condition was incurable and he returned to India in 1953. Later, his wife's demise in 1962 followed by his youngest son's in 1974 took a toll on Nazrul and he succumbed to his illness on the 29th of August 1976. In accordance to his last wishes, he was buried on the campus of University of Dhaka near the mosque. 


{The post has been written to remember our beloved poet on his birth anniversary}