Selina Sheuly  BSS

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy Director General Rezauddin Ahmed (Rezauddin Stalin) has stressed conducting comprehensive research on the life and works of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam.

Although Kazi Nazrul Islam passed away half a century ago, comprehensive research and a reliable biography have not yet been produced on his literature, philosophy, political thoughts, music, journalism, theatre practice and multi-dimensional life, he told BSS in a recent interview on the occasion of 'Nazrul Barsho'.

As a result, Stalin said, future researchers may face difficulties in searching for information and in this situation, a comprehensive research and a complete biography on Nazrul are the demand of time.

He said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman's announcement of 'Nazrul Barsho' has created an opportunity to showcase the national poet before the world.

However, emphasis should be put on ensuring that this initiative is not limited to a one-year programme but takes a permanent and institutional form, he said.

The Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy chief said although many researchers in the country and abroad have done important work on Kazi Nazrul Islam, most of them are fragmented or focused on a specific topic.

As a result, he said, the overall assessment of Nazrul's life, literature, philosophy and works remains incomplete.

He said Professor Rafiqul Islam wrote a biography of Nazrul; however, much important information was not included in it.

Professor Ataur Rahman started writing the biography but died before finishing it, while poet and researcher Abdul Mannan Syed also left his research unfinished in the same way, Stalin said.

He also mentioned that researcher Golam Murshid has written an important biography and journalist and columnist Syed Abul Maksud worked on Nazrul's biography for a long time.

However, he said, a complete and informative biography has not yet been found that captures the entire life and works of the national poet.

He said Nazrul studies have also spread abroad, while British poet, researcher and translator William Radice translated Nazrul's poems and songs into English.

The director general said Professor Winston Langley of the University of Massachusetts, USA, conducted research on Nazrul's literature, the role of Dhumketu and Langal magazines, his experience in the Leto group and political philosophy. Langley's notable work is 'Kazi Nazrul Islam: Moral Courage and Truthfulness'.

Henry Glassie, Professor of Ethnomusicology at Indiana University, USA, has conducted research on Nazrul's literary works, he said.

He said after reading the English translation of the poem 'Bidrohi', Glassie commented that one of the two best poems of the 20th century was T. S. Eliot's 'The Waste Land' and the other was 'Bidrohi' by Kazi Nazrul Islam.

Stalin said ‘Chairs’ have been established in the name of Nazrul at the initiative of expatriates in Toronto, Canada and California, USA.

“There is a school named after Kazi Nazrul Islam in the UK, where students of different ethnic groups study. In addition, research on Nazrul is ongoing in various parts of the world, including Kolkata,” he added.

He said while serving at Kazi Nazrul Institute, he launched the ‘Nazrul Lecture’ and internationally renowned thinker Sibnarayan Roy gave a lecture on ‘Nazrul’s Humanism’ there.

At the same time, Stalin said, he was also involved in the compilation of Nazrul’s 3,317 songs, more than five hundred poems, children’s works, essays, short stories and rhymes.

“The vast literary treasure that Nazrul created in just 23 years of literary life (1919-1942) is a rare occurrence in world literature. Sometimes I feel as if Nazrul had a premonition about his future,” he said.

Stalin also said many chapters of Nazrul’s life, including his non-communal consciousness, humanism, philosophical thoughts, political relationship with Comrade Muzaffar Ahmed, the Russian Revolution and the ideological changes after the First World War, still demand in-depth research.

The director general said every chapter of Nazrul’s songs, poems, articles, editorials, journalism, soldier’s life, radio life, political activities, films, theater practice and prison life is a unique document of struggle, creativity and history.

“If these issues can be evaluated comprehensively, the true talent and depth of thought of the national poet will be revealed anew,” he said.

This is why it is very important to take the initiative to write a comprehensive institutional biography in ‘Nazrul Barsho’, he said, adding otherwise, future researchers will face various problems in collecting reliable data.

Stalin said on the occasion of ‘Nazrul Barsho’, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy will hold various programmes throughout the year, which include a nationwide talent search programme titled ‘Srishti Sukher Ullase’, selection of 100 young artists from upazilas to the national level, Nazrul music, dance and recitation workshops, art camps in different districts, ‘Nazrul Natya Utsob’, Nazrul-based Jatrapala, publication of research books and supplementary materials, and special arrangements on Nazrul’s contribution to classical music.

He said a national drama festival will be organised with seven of the 11 plays written by Nazrul that are currently available.

In addition, he said, Jatrapala based on his life will be staged in different places in the country.

Stalin said Kazi Nazrul Islam is not only the national poet of Bangladesh but also the poet of world humanity.

He compared Nazrul with world poets like Pablo Neruda, Nazim Hikmet, Federico Garcia Lorca and Vladimir Mayakovsky, saying that, in many cases, he even surpassed them.

The Shilpakala Academy director general said researcher Winston Langley rightly called Nazrul the ‘last voice of anti-colonialism’.

So, he said, there is no alternative to long-term research, documentary publications and cultural practices to present Nazrul in a new light to the new generation and the world.