Topic 1 (a) : Kazi Nazrul Islam

What title was he awarded by the Government of India? When?

'Padmabhushan', 1960

When did Nazrul start publishing the weekly Langal?

16 December 1925 He was the chief editor of Langal.

When and where was he born?

24 May 1899 at Churulia village in Burdwan district of West Bengal, India

When did Nazrul die?

29 August 1976

Who was Kazi Nazrul Islam?

A twentieth-century poet and musician who became the National Poet of Bangladesh and who revolutionised the style of Bangla music and literature.

How did Agnibina effect Bangla literature?

Agnibina created a stir in Bangla literature and proved to be a turning point in Bangla poetry, in terms of both content and style. Its first edition was sold out soon after publication, and several editions in quick succession had to be printed.

What was he conferred by the University of Dhaka? When?

An honorary DLitt degree in 1974

What was he a member of?

Bengal Provincial Congress

When did he get back to school and how much did he study?

Between 1910 and 1917, studied until Class X.

What are some of his other poems? Where were they published?

Bhangar Gaan, Proloyollash and Kamal Pasha. Some of these poems were published in his famous book of poems, Agnibina (The Fiery Lute).

What is his famous revolutionary poem and when did he write it?

Bidrohi (The Rebel) - 1921.

Which song of Nazrul was declared as the battle song of Bangladesh? When?

Chal Chal Chal. When Rabindranath's Amar Shonar Bangla was declared as the national anthem of Bangladesh.

What is Chittanama?

Chittanama was a collection of songs and poems that Nazrul had composed on the sudden death on 16 June 1925 of Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, pioneer of the cause of Hindu-Muslim unity.

What is the connection between Nazrul and Rabindranath Tagor?

During his stay in Kolkata as a joint editor, he met some prominent cultural figures including Rabindranath Tagore. They maintained a close contact till Rabindranath died.

Which prestigious literary award was given to him? When?

Ekushe Padak - February 1976

Why couldn't he pursue his education further?

He did not like the rules and regulations and he had financial difficulties.

What did he do after being a muezzin in a village mosque?

He joined a leto group.

What did he play an active role in?

He played an active role in organising the Sramik-Praja-Swaraj Dal.

What happened as Nazrul joined the leto group?

He soon became the main poet of the group and made his place there by composing a number of folk plays.

When and why was Nazrul arrested?

He was arrested in 1922 for his anti-colonial writings. He was sentenced to a year of rigorous imprisonment

Where was he buried?

He was buried at Dhaka University Mosque as he had wished, with one of his ghazals (Moshjideri pashey amar kobor dio bhai).

What else was he concerned about in his work?

He was concerned about the landless farmers and the workers and fought against social injustice through his writings.

For how many days was he there and how did he advance?

He was in the army for two and a half years and rose from an ordinary soldier to a havildar (battalion quartermaster).

Why couldn't he complete his primary education?

He was so poor that he even struggled to exist

What did he do in jail?

He went into a 40-day hunger strike to protest against the mistreatment of political prisoners.

What struggles against the British did Nazrul write about?

He wrote against the injustice, the oppression, the exploitation and the violence that was carried out all over India.

How did the volatile political situation in India influence Nazrul's work?

He wrote many poems and articles in support of the struggle against the British.

What was Nazrul's book Samyabadi O Sarbahara for?

His book Samyabadi O Sarbahara containing songs was for workers and peasants.

What was his first prose work? Where was it published?

His first prose work is Baunduler Atmakahini (Autobiography of a Vagabond). It was published in Saogat, a reputed literary magazine in Kolkata.

What is Nazrul's nickname and why is he given that name?

His nickname is Dukhu Mia. He got this name because of the sadness that he faced throughout his childhood.

What did he become the joint editor of in 1920?

In 1920 he became a joint editor of Nabajug, an evening daily published by A. K. Fazlul Haq, the well-known politician.

When did Nazrul become ill? What happened?

In 1942, Nazrul became ill and this led to the loss of his voice and memory.

What award did Nazrul get form the Kolkata University?

Jagattarini Gold Medal

When was he granted citizenship of Bangladesh?

January 1976

What is a leto group?

Leto was a mobile musical troupe which roamed around singing and acting in the countryside.

How did Pramila influence his work?

Many of his love songs and poems, some of them being collected in his first book of poetry, Dolon Champa, were inspired by his relationship with Pramila.

What was his first poem to be published?

Mukti (Freedom)

Why was Nazrul and his family brought to Dhaka?

Nazrul and his family were brought to Dhaka, by an agreement between the governments of Bangladesh and India.

What did Nazrul do during the First World War, in 1917?

Nazrul joined the Bengal Regiment of the British Indian Army.

What did Nazrul learn during his stay in the army?

Nazrul learnt Persian from the regiment's Punjabi moulvi, practised music with other musical-minded soldiers to the accompaniment of local and foreign instruments. He pursued literary activities in both prose and poetry which were published in different literary magazines.

When and who did he marry?

Nazrul married Pramila, a girl from a Brahmo famil,y in 1924, despite a lot of disapproval from society.

How was his family and when did his father die?

Nazrul's family was poor and his father died when he was only nine.

What did Rabindranath Tagore do during the hunger strike?

Rabindranath Tagore sent his famous telegram to Nazrul that said: 'Give up hunger strike, our literature claims you.' So he stopped and continued to write while he was in jail.

What did he do when the war ended?

Returned to Kolkata to start a career in literature and journalism.

Langal was the mouthpiece of?

Sramik-Praja-Swaraj Dal, which aimed to end class differences in society.

During the war, Nazrul's songs were aired by?

The Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra (Independent Bangla Radio Station), a radio station that was set up in India to inspire the freedom fighters.

When did Nazrul join politics?

Towards the end of 1925

How was the political situation in India?

Very volatile. Everywhere, the Indians were involved in the non-cooperation and khilafat movement against the British Raj led by Mahatma Gandhi.

When did his literary activities begin?

When he was posted in Karachi Cantonment.

What did he during his time of financial difficulty after getting out of school?

Worked as a cook at the house of a railway guard and later at a tea stall at Asansol.

What did he do for a living?

Worked as a teacher of a village maktab, a custodian of the shrine of a saint and as a muezzin in a village mosque.

What did he do besides his journalism job?

Wrote numerous poems in different literary magazines and secured his place in the literary world of Kolkata.

Among Nazrul's other publications about this time were?

an anthology of short stories, Rikter Bedan, and four anthologies of poems and songs: Chittanama, Chhayanat, Samyabadi and Puber Hawa.

For how long was he inactive?

he had remained completely silent and inactive for 34 years since his illness in 1942.

What was he influenced by in this?

socialist revolution in Russia that took place in 1917.

How did Nazrul's songs effect during the War of Liberation?

the Freedom Fighters were inspired by the rebellious and patriotic songs of Nazrul

Kazi Nazrul Islam is known as?

the National Poet of Bangladesh