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Newnation Supplement

National Poet of Bangladesh

M. Mizanur Rahman It is our proud privilege that Kazi Nazrul Islam (popularly known as the 'rebel poet' of Bengal in undivided India) became the National Poet of the People's Republic of Bangladesh as per cabinet decision of Bongobondhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1972. In the same cabinet Nazrul's March-Song : Chol-Chol-Chol Urdho Gogone Bajey Madol….was also adopted as the national military song of Bangladesh beside other decisions of the cabinet on national importance. It is a history that on 15th December in 1929, Kazi Nazrul Islam was given a rousing reception led by the noted Bengali scientist Acharya Profulla Chandra Ray, an eminent litterateur S. Wazed Ali and the legendary commander-in-chief of the Indian National Army, Netazi Subhas Chandra Bose at Calcutta (now Kolkata) Albert Hall declaring Nazrul as our National Poet that portrayed heart-felt ovation of the entire Bengali people for the poet of the time. That was the time when the people of India had been struggling very hard for the independence from the alien British colonialist and imperialist ruler while Nazrul was fighting against that ruler vehemently by his mighty pen writing rebellious poems and songs. Nazrul always professed humanism against tyranny and misrule since he was the symbol of humanity in the mental sphere of Bangladesh. In 1971 our patriotic freedom-fighters for the War of Liberation of Bangladesh were inspired and invigorated by Nazrul's revolutionery poems and songs during fighting the enemies. Thus Nazrul is always remembered during the crisis of this nation. Nazrul's inspiring patriotic poems and songs of political sting against all sort of tyrants and exploiters of the people act like non-extinct fire. This is the fire of human mind against injustice and the unjust. After the Independence of Bangladesh most governments came in power with solemn promise to give succour to impoverished and war-torn people of Bangladesh and build the country on war-footing to root out all evils in society to make it a corruption-free and exploitation- free state. But as a matter of fact people's sufferings on many accounts increased to a great extent. Those people in power of the government and the state could hardly check the temptation of receiving kickbacks from different sources to benefit themselves in order to appease their selfish ends whereas the people in general were suffering in all respects. Internationally this country topped the list in the state of corruption as well as being the least developed country miserably with millions of poverty-stricken people living below sub-human standard of life as vagrant, jobless, homeless or low-income group of people as slum-dwellers while most of the powerful and affluent people of this poorest country of the world live very happily in pose urban areas with pomp and grandeur in well decorated luxurious buildings, having costly foreign cars with audacious aristocracy, extra-jealous culture having artificial traditions of their own overlooking the millions of downtrodden and disappointed people of this People's Republic of Bangladesh. Most of these people have made their wealth and properties by trickery, fraudulence or other dishonest ways and means eating out the vitals of the state. How scornful farce it would be! It is really shameful to utter how many so-called educated, exploiters are here to bring about dismay among the majority portion of the vast population of this great Republic ! What would they think of exploitation-free or corruption-free state being themselves exploiters and corrupted ones ? They must be the dishonest politicians or officials of any rank having disproportionate income and expenditure in their day to day life. Let us weed out them. Let us bury their false promises and tall-talks of vague oratory. Kazi Nazrul Islam lashed those imposters long ago in his poem 'Raja-Proja (King and subjects)- "Friends, this is what happens,- The people fought (the enemies) and came out victorious But the victory was declared in the name of the king ! The people used to procure provisions, remunerations and uniforms for government employees but they are not the employees of the people, they are the employees of the king ! Oh what a farce of justice ! We have to salute our paid servants! Oh look here, look here at the face of 'The Public Servants'! Turn the wheel of the time,- One and a half crore (fifteen millions) thieves ride on the shoulders of one and a half crore human beings !" But Nazrul never gave up hopes. He said, "Not to be disappointed yet we are hoping for the day that is not so far away when the voice of the king would let us hear the victory of the subjects!" (Sorbohara Raja-Proja, p. 19, 3rd edition, Calcutta.) Till now in the political procession Nazrul's voice is echoed in chorus which makes the people agitated that every individual citizen of a sovereign independent country must have his/her social political as well as economic rights. The people without human rights are said to be no less than slaves. Nazrul raised his mighty voice against such slavery. He dreamt of free Bangladesh. While appreciating the freedom fighters he said earlier, "Till today the sons of Bengal are sacrificing their lives for freedom with extreme courage and determination that would be written in history in golden letters." And he advised us, "Teach these ideals to the Bengalis and their children. Ours is sacred Bangladesh--this is for the Bengalis. We will beat down and expel all the alien thieves and robbers, we don't fear..."- (Nobojug, 3 Baisakh, 1349BS. Moreover, Nazrul wanted those dedicated patriotic souls who are ready to sacrifice themselves for the best interests of the country selflessly and always ready to serve the country being engaged themselves in the activities towards building the nation with dignity of labour and justice and fair-play above all temptation and allurement, only they should have the right to run the co