My favourite poet and author is Kazi Nazrul Islam. His poetry and songs have been tested by time and trusted by generations. His birth centenary was observed in 1999.
British rule in India faced many challenges from various walks of life, and Nazrul was the one who raised his voice through poetry. He is much like the poet Shelley in English literature. He distanced himself from the philosophical poetry of Tagore and focused on revolutionary writing in Bengali. He took up the fiery lyre and tuned its strings to the drumbeats of the country's youth.
Kazi Nazrul Islam was born in May 1899. He was the son of Kazi Fakir Ahmed and Zahida Khatun. He had very little formal education and faced hardships in his adolescence. His father passed away at an early age, forcing him to live a very humble life. While in Class X, he joined the army as a Havildar in 1917 and served until 1919. His genius began to manifest during this time.
After returning from the army, Nazrul took to writing regularly and continued to produce volumes of poetry and songs until 1941. In 1921, Moslem Bharat published his poem Bidrohi (The Rebel), which received widespread acclaim. His noteworthy poetry collections include Agnibina, Dolonchampa, Bisher Banshi, Sarbahara, and Phanimansa.
He was once arrested by the British police and imprisoned for writing anti-government literature. In jail, he protested against the inhuman treatment of prisoners and began a hunger strike. Rabindranath then sent him a telegraph: "Give up your hunger strike. Our literature needs you."
As a composer, he possessed outstanding musical genius. He experimented with Bengali music in various ways and wrote about three thousand songs.
However, in 1942, Nazrul was afflicted with a neurological disorder. He lost his ability to speak and, to a great extent, his cognitive functions. He was taken to Dhaka, where he passed away on August 29, 1976.
If we evaluate his poems today, we can see that emotional outbursts, exuberant expression, and an undaunted spirit are essential features of his work. However, what keeps his legacy alive even more brightly is his liberal outlook on communal harmony and his zeal for Hindu-Muslim unity in Indian society.
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