Nazrul remains ever relevant in fight against oppression
Rebel poet Kazi Nazrul Islam displayed extraordinary courage in awakening the oppressed and persecuted people of Bengal during British colonial rule. His role in this regard was entirely distinctive.
On questions of rebellion, secularism and humanity, Nazrul was uncompromising to the core.
From the anti-British movement to the Liberation War, the anti-autocracy movement and the July Mass Uprising of 2024, his poems and songs have repeatedly returned with renewed significance in the struggle of the people of Bengal for freedom and rights.
Throughout this long struggle for liberation, Nazrul has repeatedly emerged as a beacon of inspiration.
Nazrul's pen was a powerful weapon of protest against British rule. His poems, songs, essays and the newspapers he edited inspired people to challenge the foundations of colonial rule.
Through his newspaper Dhumketu, he demanded complete independence at a time when openly calling for freedom from colonial rule was a daring political stance.
He was imprisoned for writings published in the newspaper he edited. Even behind bars, he refused to let his voice of protest be silenced.
Nazrul's rebellious spirit was not something imposed upon him; it sprang from the experiences, deprivation and aspirations for freedom of the oppressed. His rebellion was not limited to the demand for political independence. It was also a protest against social inequality, communal division, economic exploitation and the domination of one person over another.
Nazrul's Rebellion in the Anti-British Movement
As movements against British colonial rule took different forms across the Indian subcontinent, Nazrul transformed his literature into a call to break the chains of subjugation. The defiant declaration of individual freedom and self-respect in his poem Bidrohi (The Rebel) instilled fresh courage in the hearts of the subjugated.
Works such as Bhangar Gaan (The Song of Breaking), Pralayollas (The Joy of Destruction) and Anandamoyeer Agomone (The Advent of Anandamoyee) powerfully express rebellion against injustice, the breaking of chains and the yearning for freedom. His song Karar Oi Louho-Kopat (Those Iron Gates of Prison) became a symbol of resistance to captivity and subjugation. The British government considered his writings dangerous and confiscated his works. He was imprisoned, but repression could not silence his voice.
Nazrul's Inspiration in the Spirit of the Liberation War
Bangladesh's Liberation War in 1971 was one of the most significant chapters in the nation's history. After a prolonged struggle against political deprivation, economic inequality and the denial of cultural rights, the aspiration for independence culminated in an armed liberation war.
Freedom-loving people took up arms at the risk of their lives against the genocide and repression perpetrated by the Pakistani occupation forces.
In this struggle, Nazrul's commitment to freedom, rebellious voice and message of equality and humanity acquired renewed significance.
His songs and poems became an integral part of Bengali nationalist consciousness and cultural identity. His works' call for sacrifice in the cause of freedom, resistance to injustice and breaking the chains of subjugation resonated deeply with the spirit of the Liberation War.
Nazrul's Spirit in the Anti-Autocracy Movement
Even after independence, the struggle to establish democracy, voting rights and freedom of expression continued to resurface in Bangladesh.
In the 1980s, protests against the rule of military ruler Hussain Muhammad Ershad gradually spread among students, political parties, working people and members of various professions and social groups. Protest poetry, songs and cultural activities played an important role in the struggle to restore democracy.
Nazrul's rebellious spirit naturally became part of this anti-autocracy cultural movement. The courage to refuse to bow before injustice, break chains and establish people's rights, expressed throughout his works, was in tune with the aspirations of the movement against autocratic rule.
The Ershad government fell following the mass uprising of 1990. This historic outcome once again demonstrated how collective public protest could become a formidable force against autocratic rule. Nazrul's literary legacy remains an important cultural foundation for understanding that spirit of resistance.
Nazrul's Songs, Poems and Slogans on the Streets during July
There were essentially two sides to the July uprising: the oppressors and the oppressed. The July uprising of 2024 was a struggle by Bangladesh against discrimination. Initially, the demand was confined to equality in access to jobs, but it later expanded to encompass wider social and political grievances. It became a movement to 'sing the song of breaking'.
After 17 years of enforced disappearances, killings and repression, students, workers and ordinary people took to the streets. Nazrul's poems and songs were repeatedly recited and sung amid the sparks of that uprising, echoing as slogans. His call to break 'those iron gates of prison' inspired the protesters.
When victims of the fallen regime took to the streets with a sense of the 'glory of self-sacrifice', Nazrul's words set their blood ablaze. Inspired by his immortal declaration, 'My head is held ever high', heroes of July, including Abu Sayeed, stood fearlessly before gunfire. Unafraid of destruction, they took to the streets to cut down what was ugly and unjust. Their accumulated anger surged like a violent storm.
In unison, the victims sang:
'We are wild as the storm, restless as the waterfall.
We are fearless as the Creator, free-flowing as nature.
Unfettered as the sky,
We are Bedouins traversing the desert,
We are born free, unbound,
Our minds are lotuses in full bloom.'
Singing these timeless songs by Nazrul, protesters defied curfews and confronted armed forces and the armed cadres of the ruling party to build resistance.
Nazrul in July's Graffiti
In July, as the government of the day deployed every available means and tactic to suppress the movement, protesters organised programmes of wall writing and graffiti. Lines from Nazrul's poem Bidrohi became one of the principal weapons of protest and resistance against the rulers' political manoeuvres.
Nazrul's words were rewritten on walls across the country:
'I am indomitable;
I smash everything to pieces!
I am disorder, I am unruly;
I trample every bond, every rule and regulation, every chain!
I acknowledge no law;
I sink the laden boat, I am the torpedo, I am the giant floating mine!
I am Dhurjati, with dishevelled hair, the untimely storm of the Kalbaishakhi!'
Dhaka University Professor Tariq Manjur regards Kazi Nazrul Islam as the greatest poet of anti-colonial resistance.
He said, "The nature of colonialism has changed, but the degree of exploitation has not diminished. That is why Nazrul's writings keep returning. Social justice and equality also occupy a central place in his works."
Tariq Manjur added, "In European philosophy, a person becomes a 'human being' only when they acquire the qualities associated with civilisation. Nazrul's thinking is different. According to him, a person is human from the moment of birth; this has no connection with anything else."
He said, "A person's caste, religion, customs, culture, country, wealth or behaviour cannot prevent them from being human. But when society and the state divide people into different classes, Nazrul rises as the voice of humanity and finds expression in their words."
In the struggle for justice, Nazrul has always stood alongside the oppressed and remains relevant to their cause. As long as the struggle for human liberation continues, and until complete freedom is achieved in every sphere-politics, economics and culture-Nazrul's appeal will not fade.
For generations, Kazi Nazrul Islam has been one of the Bengali people's foremost spiritual shields against autocracy, injustice and oppression of every kind. As the ongoing struggle to build a Bangladesh free of discrimination continues, our rebellious Nazrul will remain an undying beacon of light-a cherished and kindred spirit of the Bengali people.
Source: BSS