Poetry is an art and art preserves the world in its particularity. Cleanth Brooks argued, “Poetry is a unique kind of experience, which can never be captured in the kind of discursive description which constitutes a ‘heresy of paraphrase’. Poetry is redemptive, in that it returns to us a more refractory original world, an ontologically distinct experience which offers a simulacrum of experiential fullness in the world outside of the text.”(22)
According to Wordsworth, “poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings, where emotions recollect its tranquility.” These lines are true in the context of Kazi Nazrul Islam, who is a famous Bengali poet and musician. A poet, who is not only known for his poetry but also for an iconoclastic attitude writing that which he has inflicted in his most of the poems. He is a national poet of Bangladesh and loved by both Indian and Bangladeshi people. So he is famous for his poetry and music and also his non conformist deeds. Being a revolutionary, he pioneered poetic works espousing intense spiritual rebellion against fascism and oppression. Because of his revolutionary poetry and national activism, he was given the title of “Rebel Poet” by the people. Being a Bengali, he was called as Bidrohi Kabi (Rebel Poet). He has done a great work in the field of Bengali literature for which he is respected still now. But in India, except in West Bengal, he is almost forgotten.
Kazi Nazrul Islam lived in an adverse condition throughout his life as he had to struggle hard for his survival. Being born in a poor Muslim family, he only received religious education. To earn livelihood for his family, he had to work as a muezzin in a local mosque. Though he was living in an adverse situation but poetic fire was still burning in his heart and he had not completely shaken off his dream of literary achievement.
He had profound love for literature and was keen for learning it and later he was able to establish his name in the field of Literature. He got the opportunity to learn all the genres of literature i.e. poetry, drama when he came in contact with some theoretical groups. While working with them, he learned many things. In his early life he also served in the British Indian Army but being led by the revolutionary thoughts, he left the British Army and joined the Press in Calcutta as a journalist to express his ideas about freedom for his motherland.
Nazrul was a revolutionary, so he hated the establishment of British Raj in India. Through his poetic works like- Bidrohi (The Rebel), Bhangar Gaan (The Song of Destruction) and his publication Dhumketu (The Comet), he tried to attack the British government in India. He was passionate about the freedom of his motherland and for this purpose he often undertook certain measures and deeds which led to his imprisonment many times by the British authorities. His revolutionary activities did not stop in the prison also and there he wrote Rajbandhir Jabanbandi (Deposition of a Political Prisoner). Not only this but being a freedom fighter of his country, Nazrul also worked for the emancipation of the subaltern and the downtrodden people in India.
His association with a folk travelling theatre group, Lelo, which was run by his uncle, had been a great influencing factor for him and was the base of his literary creation. It is because of this association that he learned acting and wrote many songs and poems for his group. Inspired by the theatre he not only learned Bengali and Sanskrit Literature but also Hindu Scriptures such as Puranas. He composed many folk plays for his group like- Chasar San (The Story of a Farmer), Shakunibandh (The Killing of a Vulture), Raja Yudhisthir San (The Story of King Yudhisthir), Data Karna (Philanthropic Karna), Akbar Badshah (Emperor Akbar), Kavi Kalidas (Poet Kalidas), Vidyabhutam (The Learned Owl) and Rajputrer San (The Story of a Prince).
While in the British Indian Army in that period of time Nasrul read extensively. It was a time when Gurudev Rabindranath had his influence on the Bengalis as well as other Indian people. Being a Bengali, Nazrul was very much influenced by Rabindranath Tagore. He was also inspired by the other creative genius of Bengali Literature as Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. Having a great love for Persian poetry, he highly admired Persian poets’ like- Hafez, Rumi and Omar Khayyam. Under their influence he used Persian vocabulary in his works which made his writings controversial but at the same time it also widened the scope of his work.
His literary career began with the publication of his prose work, Baunduler Atmakahini (Life of a Vagabond) in May 1919. In the same year in July, he was also able to publish his poem, Mukti (Freedom) through Bangla Mussalman Sahitya Patrika. But it is with the publication of “Bidrohi”(Rebel) in 1922, that he became well renowned and got name and fame and it is considered as his most famous work. It is through this poem that he was taken seriously by the Indian literary classes and he got recognition as a writer imbibed with a deep spirit.
According to Wordsworth, “poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings, where emotions recollect its tranquility.” These lines are true in the context of Kazi Nazrul Islam, who is a famous Bengali poet and musician. A poet, who is not only known for his poetry but also for an iconoclastic attitude writing that which he has inflicted in his most of the poems. He is a national poet of Bangladesh and loved by both Indian and Bangladeshi people. So he is famous for his poetry and music and also his non conformist deeds. Being a revolutionary, he pioneered poetic works espousing intense spiritual rebellion against fascism and oppression. Because of his revolutionary poetry and national activism, he was given the title of “Rebel Poet” by the people. Being a Bengali, he was called as Bidrohi Kabi (Rebel Poet). He has done a great work in the field of Bengali literature for which he is respected still now. But in India, except in West Bengal, he is almost forgotten.
Kazi Nazrul Islam lived in an adverse condition throughout his life as he had to struggle hard for his survival. Being born in a poor Muslim family, he only received religious education. To earn livelihood for his family, he had to work as a muezzin in a local mosque. Though he was living in an adverse situation but poetic fire was still burning in his heart and he had not completely shaken off his dream of literary achievement.
He had profound love for literature and was keen for learning it and later he was able to establish his name in the field of Literature. He got the opportunity to learn all the genres of literature i.e. poetry, drama when he came in contact with some theoretical groups. While working with them, he learned many things. In his early life he also served in the British Indian Army but being led by the revolutionary thoughts, he left the British Army and joined the Press in Calcutta as a journalist to express his ideas about freedom for his motherland.
Nazrul was a revolutionary, so he hated the establishment of British Raj in India. Through his poetic works like- Bidrohi (The Rebel), Bhangar Gaan (The Song of Destruction) and his publication Dhumketu (The Comet), he tried to attack the British government in India. He was passionate about the freedom of his motherland and for this purpose he often undertook certain measures and deeds which led to his imprisonment many times by the British authorities. His revolutionary activities did not stop in the prison also and there he wrote Rajbandhir Jabanbandi (Deposition of a Political Prisoner). Not only this but being a freedom fighter of his country, Nazrul also worked for the emancipation of the subaltern and the downtrodden people in India.
His association with a folk travelling theatre group, Lelo, which was run by his uncle, had been a great influencing factor for him and was the base of his literary creation. It is because of this association that he learned acting and wrote many songs and poems for his group. Inspired by the theatre he not only learned Bengali and Sanskrit Literature but also Hindu Scriptures such as Puranas. He composed many folk plays for his group like- Chasar San (The Story of a Farmer), Shakunibandh (The Killing of a Vulture), Raja Yudhisthir San (The Story of King Yudhisthir), Data Karna (Philanthropic Karna), Akbar Badshah (Emperor Akbar), Kavi Kalidas (Poet Kalidas), Vidyabhutam (The Learned Owl) and Rajputrer San (The Story of a Prince).
While in the British Indian Army in that period of time Nasrul read extensively. It was a time when Gurudev Rabindranath had his influence on the Bengalis as well as other Indian people. Being a Bengali, Nazrul was very much influenced by Rabindranath Tagore. He was also inspired by the other creative genius of Bengali Literature as Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay. Having a great love for Persian poetry, he highly admired Persian poets’ like- Hafez, Rumi and Omar Khayyam. Under their influence he used Persian vocabulary in his works which made his writings controversial but at the same time it also widened the scope of his work.
His literary career began with the publication of his prose work, Baunduler Atmakahini (Life of a Vagabond) in May 1919. In the same year in July, he was also able to publish his poem, Mukti (Freedom) through Bangla Mussalman Sahitya Patrika. But it is with the publication of “Bidrohi”(Rebel) in 1922, that he became well renowned and got name and fame and it is considered as his most famous work. It is through this poem that he was taken seriously by the Indian literary classes and he got recognition as a writer imbibed with a deep spirit.
