Kazi Nazrul Islam (24 May 1899 – 29 August 1976) was a Bengali poet, writer, musician, and revolutionary from the Indian subcontinent. He is the national poet of Bangladesh.
Popularly known as Nazrul, his writings are characterized by a fierce rebellion against British colonial rule, religious bigotry, and social inequality, earning him the honorific title “Bidrohi Kobi” (Rebel Poet).
He composed an astounding collection of approximately 4,000 songs, collectively known as Nazrul Geeti (Nazrul Songs), which are highly celebrated for their diverse blending of Hindustani classical ragas, folk tunes, and middle-eastern gazals.
Early Life and Struggles
Nazrul was born in Churulia village near Asansol, in undivided Bengal. His father, Kazi Faqeer Ahmed, was the imam of a local mosque. Following his father’s early death, Nazrul took up his father’s job as a mosque caretaker at the age of ten to support his family.
Nazrul had a highly adventurous and restless childhood. He ran away to join a traveling folk theater group (Leto), where he learned to write plays and compose songs. He later worked at a bakery in Asansol and studied at Darirampur School. In 1917, at the age of eighteen, he joined the British Indian Army, serving in the 49th Bengal Regiment in Karachi during World War I, where he read extensively and wrote his early poems.
Literary and Revolutionary Career
Upon returning to Calcutta in 1920, Nazrul threw himself into the nationalist movement. He co-founded the literary magazine “Dhumketu” (The Comet), which openly demanded absolute independence from British rule.
The “Bidrohi” Poem (1921)
In December 1921, Nazrul wrote his masterpiece poem “Bidrohi” (The Rebel). The poem was an explosive, passionate call for individual liberty, defiance against tyranny, and spiritual strength. It begins with the famous, stirring lines:
Say, Peerless One —
Say, “My head is held high!”
Looking at my head,
The Himalayan peak bends low in awe!
The poem catapulted Nazrul to instant fame across Bengal, establishing him as the voice of the youth and revolutionary factions.
Due to his anti-colonial writings, Nazrul was arrested by the British government in 1923. He launched a historic 39-day hunger strike in prison to protest mistreatment, during which Rabindranath Tagore sent him a famous telegram: “Give up hunger strike, our literature claims you.”
Musical Legacy (Nazrul Geeti)
Nazrul revolutionized Bengali music by introducing new themes and musical forms. His 4,000 compositions include:
- Ghazals: Bringing Urdu-style romantic and spiritual ghazal forms to the Bengali language.
- Patriotic & Shyama Sangeet: Composing fierce patriotic march songs (like Karar Ei Louho Kopat) alongside highly sensitive, devotional songs dedicated to the Goddess Kali (Shyama Sangeet) and Islamic devotional songs (Hamd and Naat).
Later Life and National Honors
In 1942, at the age of 43, Nazrul was struck by an undiagnosed neurological illness (later suspected to be Pick’s disease) that permanently robbed him of his speech and mental faculties, silencing his creative voice for the remaining 34 years of his life.
In 1972, following the independence of Bangladesh, the government of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman brought Nazrul and his family to Dhaka, declaring him the National Poet of Bangladesh and granting him citizenship. He died in Dhaka on 29 August 1976 and was buried with full state honors next to the Dhaka University Mosque.