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Kazi Nazrul Islam with Setar-by Unknown author-

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Kazi Nazrul Islam

Kazi Nazrul Islam popularly known as Nazrul was born on 26 May 1899 in Churulia, Asansol, Bengal Presidency, British India.

He was was an Indian and later Bangladeshi poet, writer, and musician, and is the national poet of Bangladesh.

Commonly referred to as Nazrul, he created a sizable corpus of poetry, music, messages, novels, stories, etc, with themes like equality, justice, anti-imperialism, humanism, struggle against injustice, and religious piety.

He learned about poetry, drama, and literature while working with the rural theatrical group Le峁璷r D么l, Le峁璷.

In 1917, he enlisted in the British Indian Army, where he was assigned to Karachi. 

He made the Bengali-language ghazal songs popular and was also known for his extensive use of Arabic, Persian and Urdu words in his works. 

He wrote and composed music for nearly 4,000 songs released on HMV and phonograph records collectively known as Nazrul G墨ti.

In 1942 at the age of 43, he began to suffer from an unknown disease, losing his voice and memory, which led him to a psychiatric hospital for many years. He died on 29 August 1976.

Here are10 amazing facts about Kazi Nazrul Islam.

1. During his youth Kazi Nazrul Islam served as a muezzin

Kazi Nazrul Islam with the Kendriya Muslim Sahitya Sangsad-by Unknown-

He was born into a Bengali Muslim Kazi family and his father Kazi Faqeer Ahmed was the imam and caretaker of the local Pirpukur mosque and mausoleum of Haji Pahlawan.

He studied the Quran, Hadith, Islamic philosophy, and theology at maktab and madrasa, which are run by mosques and dargahs, respectively.

At 10, he assumed his father’s position as mosque caretaker to help support his family after his father passed away in 1908 and later he was employed by the mosque as the muezzin.

2. He developed an interest in poetry, drama, and literature while working with the rural theatrical group Leto

Attracted to the folk theatre, Nazrul joined a leto (traveling theatrical group) run by his uncle Fazle Karim.

Along with working and traveling with them, he also learned acting while penning lyrics and poetry for the plays and musicals.

He started learning Bengali and Sanskrit literature through his work and experiences, as well as Hindu texts like the Puranas.

He composed folk plays for the group and plays about characters from the Mahabharata.

3. He joined the British Indian Army in 1917

Nazrul in British Army-by Unknown author-

When he was eighteen years old, he enlisted in the British Indian Army.

His decision to enlist in the British Indian Army was primarily driven by two interests; his interest in history politics and his teenage desire for adventure.

He was assigned to the Karachi Cantonment while a member of the 49th Bengal Regiment.

He advanced from corporal to havildar (sergeant), served as his battalion’s quartermaster, and never participated in actual combat.

4.  He faced criticism from followers of Rabindranath

During his time in the army, Nazrul read extensively the works of Rabindranath Tagore and pursued his literary interests.

His poems did not adhere to the literary conventions set forth by Rabindranath because he did not receive the same academic education as Rabindranath.

He received criticism from Rabindranath devotees as a result of this. Despite their differences, Nazrul looked to Rabindranath Tagore as a mentor.

5. Nazrul called for revolution through his poetic works

Nazrul as Narad-by Unknown author-

In 1920, he released Bandhan-Hara (Freedom from Bondage), the first book he had been working on for the previous seven years.

Nazrul catapulted to fame with the publication of “Bidrohi” in 1922, which remains his most famous work. Set in a heroic meter, this long poem gathers images from Hindu, Muslim, and Greek mythology.

He won the admiration of India’s literary classes by his description of the rebel whose impact is fierce and ruthless even as his spirit is deep.

He was also very critical of the British Raj in his publication Dhumketu or 鈥淭he Comet,鈥� suffering frequent imprisonment for his participation in the Indian independence movement.

6. His marriage faced criticism

Nazrul met Pramila Devi, a young Bengali Hindu woman while visiting Comilla in 1921. They fell in love, and on April 25, 1924, they were married.

Brahmo Samaj criticized Pramila, a Brahmo Samaj member, for getting married to a Muslim.

He as well received criticism from Muslim religious authorities for his marriage to a Hindu woman.

7. Nazrul enriched Bengali language ghazals 

Nazrul significantly contributed to richly enhancing ghazals in Bengali, altering a type of poetry primarily composed in Persian and Urdu, in what his contemporaries regarded as one of his greatest creative flashes.

His work in Bengal had a tremendous impact in that it helped Bengali Muslims feel more at ease with the Bengali arts, which were formerly dominated by Bengali Hindus.

He is also known to have used Arabic, Persian, and Sanskrit words in his works for rhythmic effects.

8. He was an advocate of women’s rights

In his poem Naari, Nazrul argued for the equality of women, a position that his contemporaries saw as revolutionary.

The intertwined roles and equal importance of the sexes to life were strongly emphasized in Nazrul’s poetry. In his poem “Barangana” (Prostitute),  he refers to the prostitutes as “mother,”.

In the poem, he challenges society’s negative perceptions of prostitutes by first accepting her as a human being and arguing that she was breastfed by a noblewoman and belonged to the race of “mothers and sisters.”

9. He is best known for his songs and poems

Nazrul-by Unknown-

Even though Nazrul created novels, short stories, and essays, it was his songs and poems that left a lasting impression on people.

After the death of his mother and two sons, Nazrul remained grief-stricken and his works changed significantly from the rebellious exploration of society to Islamic devotional songs into the mainstream of Bengali folk music.

His contemporaries saw this as a major accomplishment because Bengali Muslims had a severe aversion to devotional music.

10. Nazrul suffered from a mysterious illness

At 43, he started losing his voice and memory as a result of a strange ailment that was eventually diagnosed as Pick’s disease by medical professionals in Vienna.

His health deteriorated due to the condition, which forced him to live in isolation in India, including at a mental hospital in Ranchi.

Kazi Nazrul Islam’s works explored themes such as freedom, humanity, love, and revolution and opposed all forms of bigotry and fundamentalism.