Born in a Bengali
Muslim Kazi family, Nazrul Islam received religious education and as a young man worked as a
muezzin at a local mosque. He learned about poetry, drama, and literature while working with the rural theatrical group
Letor Dal. He joined the
British Indian Army in 1917. After serving in the
British Indian Army in the Middle East (
Mesopotamian campaign) during
World War I, Nazrul established himself as a journalist in
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 nationalist activism in
Indian independence movement led to his frequent imprisonment by the colonial 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 the
Indian subcontinent, Nazrul worked for their emancipation. His writings greatly inspired
Bengalis of
East Pakistan during the
Bangladesh Liberation War. Bangladeshi literary critic
Azfar Hussain characterized Kazi Nazrul Islam as one of the greatest revolutionary poets in the world.
[8]
Nazrul's writings explore themes such as love, freedom, humanity and revolution. He opposed all forms of bigotry and fundamentalism, including religious,
caste-based and gender-based. Throughout his career, Nazrul wrote short stories, novels, and essays but is best known for his songs and poems. He pioneered new music forms such as Bengali
ghazals. Nazrul wrote and composed music for nearly 4,000 songs (many recorded on
HMV,
gramophone records),
[9] collectively known as
Nazrul Geeti, which are widely popular even today in Bangladesh and India. In 1942 at the age of 43 he began to suffer from an unknown disease, losing his voice and memory.A medical team in
Vienna diagnosed the disease as
Morbus Pick,
[10] a rare incurable
neurodegenerative disease. It caused Nazrul's health to decline steadily and forced him to live in isolation in India (he was also admitted in Ranchi (Jharkhand) mental hospital for many years. At the invitation of the
Government of Bangladesh, Nazrul and his family moved to
Dhaka in 1972. He died
[11] four years later, on 29 August 1976. Both Bangladesh and the state of West Bengal (India) observed mourning for his demise.
In 1930 his book
Pralayshikha was banned and he faced charges of sedition. He was sent to jail and released after the 1931,
Gandhi–Irwin Pact was signed.
[31] 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.
[15] 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.
[15]
Nazrul's success soon brought him into Indian theatre and the then-nascent
film industry.
[1] His first film as a director was
Dhruva Bhakta, which made him the first Muslim director of a Bengali film
.[31] 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 biographical epic play based on the life of
Siraj-ud-Daula.
[55]He worked on the plays "Jahangir" and "Annyapurna" by Monilal Gangopadhyay.
[55] In 1939 Nazrul began working for Calcutta Radio, supervising the production and broadcasting of the station's musical programs. 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.
[56]
Nazrul's wife Pramila fell seriously ill in 1939 and was paralysed from the 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.
[57] He returned to journalism in 1940 by working as chief editor for the daily newspaper
Nabayug (New Age), founded by the eminent Bengali politician
A. K. Fazlul Huq.
[57]
Nazrul also was shaken by the death of Rabindranath Tagore on 8 August 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.
[59] 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 quite 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"
[60] as well as individuals such as the Indian politician
Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the treatment society sent Nazrul and Promila to London, then to Vienna for treatment.
[61] The 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.
[61] On 30 June 1962 his wife Pramila died,
[62] and Nazrul remained in intensive medical care.
On 24 May 1972, the newly independent nation of Bangladesh brought Nazrul to live in Dhaka with the consent of the Government of India. In January 1976, he was accorded the citizenship of Bangladesh.
[1] Despite receiving treatment and attention, Nazrul's physical and mental health did not improve. In 1974 his youngest son, Kazi Aniruddha, a guitarist, died,
[63] and Nazrul soon succumbed to his long-standing ailments on 29 August 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
parliament of India observed a minute of silence in his honour.
