Kolkata: Rich Tributes Paid to Poet Nazrul Islam’s Contribution to Bengal’s Progressive Literature

Kolkata: Rich tributes were paid to the enduring legacy of Kazi Nazrul Islam, India’s rebel poet, whose association with progressive periodicals, such as Langal and Dhumketu, shaped the renaissance of Bengal’s literary tradition in the first half of the 20th century at seminar organised last week by the Marxist theoretical magazine, Marxbadi Path.

Delivering the first Kazi Nazrul Islam Memorial Lecture at Rotary Sadan in Kolkata, Abdul Kafi, noted professor from Jadavpur University, said the interconnection in the literary works of Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam and their relevance today were worth revisiting.

Kafi cited Tagore’s notable play Raktakarabi, where he criticises the present “mechanised” urban civilisation. The political connotation of Tagore is very clear and his anti- exploitation stance is worth watching, he said, adding that “If Raktakarabi is historicised then it cannot be disconnected from Dhumketu and Langol, both pioneering progressive works of poet Kazi Nazrul.

Tracing the early 1920s, where both the play Raktakarabi, Poet Laureate Tagore’s seminal work on anti-colonialism and Kazi Nazrul’s publishing of the magazine Dhumketu, Kafi drew parallels of Tagore’s Yakshapuri in Raktakarabi and Kazi Nazrul’s open call to farmers and workers.

While Nazrul, a friend of late communist leader Muzaffar Ahmad, was clearly direct in his call, Tagore was subtle but steadfast in his quest to seek answers from the mechanised urban civilization, he said.  The professor also raised the question of death, as portrayed by Tagore and Nazrul. He also mentioned how the death of Rosa Luxemburg (German Marxist leader) was indirectly mentioned by Nazrul in his magazine.

In the programme, a collection of late CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury's essays on the question of ideology was also released. Yechury was a regular contributor to Marxbadi Path and the collection of his essays in Bengali were ascribed as a “collector’s item” covering his ideas on the question of ideology.

Noted journalist Seema Chishti, Yechury’s wife, was also present in the programme.

Earlier, initiating the seminar, Communist Party of India (Marxist) state secretary Mohd Salim pointed out that fundamentalists in Bangladesh and India were trying to create a “disconnect between Rabindranath and Nazrul. However, poet Annadashankar Roy’s popular poem/limerick, where he disowns this culture. should be kept in mind.”

Salim also highlighted that from next year, this seminar would be replicated at the district-level by the theoretical magazine of CPI(M). He said all the editions of Marxbadi Path magazine had been digitised and its e-version was available on the Internet, where all important works of Marxist studies are being published.

The programme began with Kazi Arindam, grandson of Kazi Nazrul Islam presenting Nazrul songs on the guitar. Noted Singer Shukla Chatterjee sang Nazrul songs.

Well-known writer Anita Agnihotri, who was also present in the programme, expressed hope that Marxbadi Path would delve close attention to serve the working class of the state and their daily struggle.