• Latest
  • Trending

Hindutva forces trying to hijack non-communal Bengali poet Kazi Nazrul Islam

May 25, 2017
Maldivian President Solih’s controversial win in party primary ahead of Presidential poll

Maldivian President Solih’s controversial win in party primary ahead of Presidential poll

January 29, 2023
Jaishankar’s visit reset bilateral relations, says Sri Lankan envoy

Jaishankar’s visit reset bilateral relations, says Sri Lankan envoy

January 29, 2023
Excited fans damage theatres showing Pathaan

Excited fans damage theatres showing Pathaan

January 29, 2023
The world is tired Of United States’ wars

The world is tired Of United States’ wars

January 29, 2023
Lanka informed by IMF that Chinese proposal on debt restructuring is not adequate

Lanka informed by IMF that Chinese proposal on debt restructuring is not adequate

January 29, 2023
Electricity

Power cut schedule for today in Sri Lanka: January 28th

January 28, 2023
Lankan envoy meets Indian Chief of Defense Staff, Gen. Anil Chauhan

Lankan envoy meets Indian Chief of Defense Staff, Gen. Anil Chauhan

January 27, 2023
Eggs

India to export 50 million eggs to Malaysia

January 27, 2023
Bangladeshi opposition slams inclusion of Darwin’s theory in school textbook

Bangladeshi opposition slams inclusion of Darwin’s theory in school textbook

January 27, 2023
Exchange Rate

Foreign Currency Official Exchange Rates from Central Bank of Sri Lanka

January 27, 2023
Vaping

Researchers uncover new negative effects of vaping

January 27, 2023
Donald Trump

Meta says it will restore Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts

January 27, 2023
  • About Us
  • Advertisements
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
Sunday, January 29, 2023
No Result
View All Result
NewsIn.Asia
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • All
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
    Maldivian President Solih’s controversial win in party primary ahead of Presidential poll

    Maldivian President Solih’s controversial win in party primary ahead of Presidential poll

    Jaishankar’s visit reset bilateral relations, says Sri Lankan envoy

    Jaishankar’s visit reset bilateral relations, says Sri Lankan envoy

    Excited fans damage theatres showing Pathaan

    Excited fans damage theatres showing Pathaan

    Lanka informed by IMF that Chinese proposal on debt restructuring is not adequate

    Lanka informed by IMF that Chinese proposal on debt restructuring is not adequate

    Electricity

    Power cut schedule for today in Sri Lanka: January 28th

    Lankan envoy meets Indian Chief of Defense Staff, Gen. Anil Chauhan

    Lankan envoy meets Indian Chief of Defense Staff, Gen. Anil Chauhan

    Eggs

    India to export 50 million eggs to Malaysia

    Bangladeshi opposition slams inclusion of Darwin’s theory in school textbook

    Bangladeshi opposition slams inclusion of Darwin’s theory in school textbook

    Exchange Rate

    Foreign Currency Official Exchange Rates from Central Bank of Sri Lanka

  • World
    • All
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    The world is tired Of United States’ wars

    The world is tired Of United States’ wars

    Eggs

    India to export 50 million eggs to Malaysia

    Vaping

    Researchers uncover new negative effects of vaping

    Donald Trump

    Meta says it will restore Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts

    Paris. Image credits - Alexander Kagan allewollenalex / Unsplash

    World’s ‘most powerful’ tourism city revealed

    "Avatar: The Way of Water" has soared into the $2 billion club of top grossing movies worldwide.

    ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ crosses $2 billion mark in worldwide box office

    Pope Francis

    Pope Francis says homosexuality is not a crime

    Chris Hipkins

    New Zealand’s Chris Hipkins sworn in as Prime Minister

    Food

    Rising prices, food insecurity add to ranks of hungry

  • Business
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Books
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Series
    "Avatar: The Way of Water" has soared into the $2 billion club of top grossing movies worldwide.

    ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ crosses $2 billion mark in worldwide box office

    Pathaan

    Posters of Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan torn down and burnt outside cinemas in India

    Oscars 2023

    Oscars 2023: ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ leads nominations

    Much-awaited Sri Lankan 3D animation movie “Gajaman” coming to theatres

    Much-awaited Sri Lankan 3D animation movie “Gajaman” coming to theatres

    Prince William and Prince Harry arrive at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in Vimy, France on April 9, 2017.. Image credits - Jack Taylor/Getty Images/File

    Prince Harry’s ‘Spare’ creates world record, becomes fastest selling non-fiction book

    Cocaine Bear (Credit: Universal Pictures)

    20 of the best films to watch in 2023

    Avatar

    Avatar: The Way Of Water passes USD 1B at the global box office

    (Image credit: Alamy)

    The 20 best films of 2022

    Harry and Meghan

    ‘Harry & Meghan’ is Netflix’s most watched documentary debut in its first week

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Science
    • Travel
    Vaping

    Researchers uncover new negative effects of vaping

    Paris. Image credits - Alexander Kagan allewollenalex / Unsplash

    World’s ‘most powerful’ tourism city revealed

    Image credits - NASA nasa / Unsplash

    Earth’s inner core may have started spinning other way

    Global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners has released its quarterly report on the world's most desirable passports. Click on to find out which passport offers the most access in 2023. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    The world’s most powerful passport for 2023 revealed

    Image credits - Tetiana Bykovets tetiana_bykovets / Unsplash

    New research reveals reason why chocolate tastes so good

    NASA’s Webb telescope

    Extraterrestrial wonders: Webb Telescope detects its 1st exoplanet

    Asafoetida plant. Photo via Adobe Stock.

    The most controversial ingredient in Indian food

    Best diet for 2023 is the science-backed Mediterranean style of eating

    Best diet for 2023 is the science-backed Mediterranean style of eating

    Airport Colombo

    Sri Lanka Airport Departure / Arrival immigration cards now online

    Dear Sri Lankans, why are you so happy this Christmas? I don’t get it

    Dear Sri Lankans, why are you so happy this Christmas? I don’t get it

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Tech
    Donald Trump

    Meta says it will restore Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts

    WhatsApp

    5 great new features coming to WhatsApp in 2023

    Binance

    Binance is now authorised in seven EU Member States and fifteen jurisdictions worldwide

    Elon Musk

    Elon Musk breaks world record for largest loss of personal fortune in history

    Microsoft

    Microsoft in talks to invest $10 bln in ChatGPT owner – Semafor

    Hackers. Image credits - Kevin Ku ikukevk / Unsplash

    Twitter hacked, 200 million email addresses leaked: Researcher

    Trending Tags

    • Sillicon Valley
    • Climate Change
    • Election Results
    • Flat Earth
    • Golden Globes
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Mr. Robot
  • Coronavirus
  • Videos
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • All
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
    Maldivian President Solih’s controversial win in party primary ahead of Presidential poll

    Maldivian President Solih’s controversial win in party primary ahead of Presidential poll

    Jaishankar’s visit reset bilateral relations, says Sri Lankan envoy

    Jaishankar’s visit reset bilateral relations, says Sri Lankan envoy

    Excited fans damage theatres showing Pathaan

    Excited fans damage theatres showing Pathaan

    Lanka informed by IMF that Chinese proposal on debt restructuring is not adequate

    Lanka informed by IMF that Chinese proposal on debt restructuring is not adequate

    Electricity

    Power cut schedule for today in Sri Lanka: January 28th

    Lankan envoy meets Indian Chief of Defense Staff, Gen. Anil Chauhan

    Lankan envoy meets Indian Chief of Defense Staff, Gen. Anil Chauhan

    Eggs

    India to export 50 million eggs to Malaysia

    Bangladeshi opposition slams inclusion of Darwin’s theory in school textbook

    Bangladeshi opposition slams inclusion of Darwin’s theory in school textbook

    Exchange Rate

    Foreign Currency Official Exchange Rates from Central Bank of Sri Lanka

  • World
    • All
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United Kingdom
    • United States
    The world is tired Of United States’ wars

    The world is tired Of United States’ wars

    Eggs

    India to export 50 million eggs to Malaysia

    Vaping

    Researchers uncover new negative effects of vaping

    Donald Trump

    Meta says it will restore Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts

    Paris. Image credits - Alexander Kagan allewollenalex / Unsplash

    World’s ‘most powerful’ tourism city revealed

    "Avatar: The Way of Water" has soared into the $2 billion club of top grossing movies worldwide.

    ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ crosses $2 billion mark in worldwide box office

    Pope Francis

    Pope Francis says homosexuality is not a crime

    Chris Hipkins

    New Zealand’s Chris Hipkins sworn in as Prime Minister

    Food

    Rising prices, food insecurity add to ranks of hungry

  • Business
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Entertainment
    • All
    • Books
    • Gaming
    • Movie
    • Music
    • Series
    "Avatar: The Way of Water" has soared into the $2 billion club of top grossing movies worldwide.

    ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ crosses $2 billion mark in worldwide box office

    Pathaan

    Posters of Shah Rukh Khan’s Pathaan torn down and burnt outside cinemas in India

    Oscars 2023

    Oscars 2023: ‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’ leads nominations

    Much-awaited Sri Lankan 3D animation movie “Gajaman” coming to theatres

    Much-awaited Sri Lankan 3D animation movie “Gajaman” coming to theatres

    Prince William and Prince Harry arrive at the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in Vimy, France on April 9, 2017.. Image credits - Jack Taylor/Getty Images/File

    Prince Harry’s ‘Spare’ creates world record, becomes fastest selling non-fiction book

    Cocaine Bear (Credit: Universal Pictures)

    20 of the best films to watch in 2023

    Avatar

    Avatar: The Way Of Water passes USD 1B at the global box office

    (Image credit: Alamy)

    The 20 best films of 2022

    Harry and Meghan

    ‘Harry & Meghan’ is Netflix’s most watched documentary debut in its first week

  • Lifestyle
    • All
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Health
    • Science
    • Travel
    Vaping

    Researchers uncover new negative effects of vaping

    Paris. Image credits - Alexander Kagan allewollenalex / Unsplash

    World’s ‘most powerful’ tourism city revealed

    Image credits - NASA nasa / Unsplash

    Earth’s inner core may have started spinning other way

    Global citizenship and residence advisory firm Henley & Partners has released its quarterly report on the world's most desirable passports. Click on to find out which passport offers the most access in 2023. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

    The world’s most powerful passport for 2023 revealed

    Image credits - Tetiana Bykovets tetiana_bykovets / Unsplash

    New research reveals reason why chocolate tastes so good

    NASA’s Webb telescope

    Extraterrestrial wonders: Webb Telescope detects its 1st exoplanet

    Asafoetida plant. Photo via Adobe Stock.

    The most controversial ingredient in Indian food

    Best diet for 2023 is the science-backed Mediterranean style of eating

    Best diet for 2023 is the science-backed Mediterranean style of eating

    Airport Colombo

    Sri Lanka Airport Departure / Arrival immigration cards now online

    Dear Sri Lankans, why are you so happy this Christmas? I don’t get it

    Dear Sri Lankans, why are you so happy this Christmas? I don’t get it

    Trending Tags

    • Golden Globes
    • Mr. Robot
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Climate Change
    • Flat Earth
  • Tech
    Donald Trump

    Meta says it will restore Donald Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts

    WhatsApp

    5 great new features coming to WhatsApp in 2023

    Binance

    Binance is now authorised in seven EU Member States and fifteen jurisdictions worldwide

    Elon Musk

    Elon Musk breaks world record for largest loss of personal fortune in history

    Microsoft

    Microsoft in talks to invest $10 bln in ChatGPT owner – Semafor

    Hackers. Image credits - Kevin Ku ikukevk / Unsplash

    Twitter hacked, 200 million email addresses leaked: Researcher

    Trending Tags

    • Sillicon Valley
    • Climate Change
    • Election Results
    • Flat Earth
    • Golden Globes
    • MotoGP 2017
    • Mr. Robot
  • Coronavirus
  • Videos
NewsIn.Asia
No Result
View All Result
Home Around South Asia

Hindutva forces trying to hijack non-communal Bengali poet Kazi Nazrul Islam

Editor by Editor
May 25, 2017
in Around South Asia, Arts, Bangladesh, India, Top Story
Reading Time: 5 mins read
9 0
A A
41
SHARES
Share on WhatsApp

By Azzam Khan/www.southasianmonitor.com

Kazi Nazrul Islam, the national poet of Bangladesh, the pride of the Bengali nation, the revolutionary who stood up against the British colonialists, against religious hypocrisy, against class and caste discrimination, is now being used for all the wrong reasons. He is being embroiled in the exact kind of propaganda that he abhorred.

Nazrul now lies buried beneath the green grass near the Dhaka University mosque in Bangladesh. It had been his wish to lie in eternal rest where the call to prayer, azaan, would come floating to his ears. Surely he did not want to hear the discordant debates of religious fanaticism.

ADVERTISEMENT

However, in India, the hindutva propagandists have now apparently laid claim to Nazrul as one of their own, going as far as to call him a “good Hindu”!

The Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), in a blatant Goebbelsian spin, claims that “Kazi Nazrul Islam practised Islam, yet he lived as a dedicated Hindu.” Nothing could be further from the truth. Nazrul stood steadfast in his faith – his faith in humanism.

Born a Muslim and with reverence for Islam, Nazrul sought goodness in all faiths. Just as he penned hamd and nath, Islamic hymns, he also composed songs about the Hindu deities. To him, mankind was above all. He was not against religion. He was against religious hypocrisy.

Nazrul Islam’s birth anniversary comes up on May 25 and RSS plans to get his works translated into all Indian languages. This seems to be a rather heavy-handed attempt of RSS to draw in Muslim sentiment by displaying the largesse of glorifying a Muslim poet. Or is it an attempt to highlight the fact that while being Muslim, Nazrul had reverence for Hindu beliefs? Whatever the case may be, this is an unmistakably brazen effort to draw Nazrul Islam into their own fold.

Do these Hindu extremists not realize that Nazrul stood vehemently against all for which they stand? In his various poems, prose and songs, he lashes out at both Hindu and Islamic fundamentalism, decrying the beards and tikkis that are an outward manifestation of superficiality over spirituality.

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), RSS and the likes of such overtly Hindu political entities had staked their claims on other national heroes in the past too. There was BR Ambedkar, Vallabhbhai Patel and Bhagat Singh, who were at one time or the other co-opted by the RSS. In the run-up to the general election in 2014, Narendra Modi went out of his way to eulogize Patel and promised to build the tallest statue in the world dedicated to the leader in Gujarat. They have now turned their focus towards Nazrul.

However secular he may have been in lifestyle and in his works, Kazi Nazrul Islam is a Muslim with an unmistakably Islamic name. He even was a muezzin, calling to prayers in a local mosque during his youth. Neglected during his old and ailing days in India, he was brought to Bangladesh where he was given the highest honor and care. He is the revered national poet of Bangladesh.

While the bard Rabindanath Tagore is almost placed on the pedestal of a deity among Indian Bengalis, and by many in Bangladesh too, Bengali Muslims and Bangladeshi Muslims identify themselves more with Nazrul. He speaks their mind. He writes Islamic verse, though not a fanatic. He appreciates the spirituality of all religions, but lashes out against the hypocrisy of religious rhetoric and religious leaders who manipulate men with twisted interpretations of scripture.

In Bangladesh, there are quarters that highlight Nazrul as an Islamic poet, but he has captured their hearts and minds by placing the proverbial ‘Ram’ and ‘Rahim’ on one platform. RSS is attempting to negate all that and make him into a true blue Hindu. That is demeaning and disrespectful to someone who writes about the sacrifices of Muharram, of the eternal appeal of azaan, who lauds the words of the Holy Quran.

He was big enough to sing praise of the Hindu heroes and heroines used the Mahabharata and Ramayana as sources of inspiration for his creativity. But that does not make him a Hindu. To him, ‘manusher cheye nahi kichhu boro, nahi kichhu mahiyan’ – ‘nothing is bigger than mankind, nothing greater.’

India’s magazine Frontline writes: “Much earlier, the RSS had even started seeing in Ambedkar a Hindu icon, and was not averse to drawing parallels between Hedgewar and Ambedkar when the anti-Mandal agitation against reservation rocked India. The refrain then was that ‘Dr Ambedkar wanted reform in the caste system; he was not opposed to the system.’ The latest of these devious tactics is to find a Hindu in Nazrul “who fought for Indian ethos and against the British.”

It goes on to say: ‘The attempt at appropriation is not new. They [the RSS bodies] lack ancestry in the national freedom struggle and have made similar attempts in the past, too,’ said Prof. Aditya Mukherjee, an authority on modern India and the co-author of India’s Struggle for Independence along with Bipan Chandra. ‘What is new is an attempt to adopt a Muslim name,’ he said. Importantly, Mukherjee refrains from calling Nazrul a Muslim, limiting himself to a “Muslim name”, as Nazrul was essentially a humanitarian person who drew happily from the founts of different faiths. He indeed wrote about Kali and Durga, as the RSS claims. He also wrote about Shyam. And he wrote about ‘Allah, Islam, Ramzan and Eid too’, said Soumi Roy, who has done her thesis on the revolutionary poet.”

It is obvious that RSS and BJP are realizing that it is not politically profitable to simply represent a section of fanatic Hindus. They are using Nazrul now in an attempt to present themselves in a more holistic manner, as representing the nation as a whole, not just a slot of Hindus.

But no matter what strategies they undertake, it will not be that easy for the entities to absolve themselves of their anti-Muslim stance. From instigating riots, to killing and castigating those who eat beef, to a multitude of other biased actions that debase Islam and its followers, the hindutva ideologists can hardly hide their venomous disdain, and downright hatred, for Muslims. They must realize that if they use Nazrul as a shield, this very shield will turn on to them as a sharp sword to cut into their farce.

Soumi Roy, who wrote Kazi Nazrul Islam: A biography, writes: “Nazrul was a free spirit and was of footloose nature. He would not have liked to be appropriated by a political party, much less the government. He was seen as a rebel. He was against governmental oppression. It is both shameful and ridiculous to claim that he was a Hindu. He protested against pandits just as he spoke out against maulvis. And yes, he was all for pluralism.”

Soumi Roy adds, “He was a man who wrote about Shyam just as he wrote about Islam. To confine him to an organized religion would be a travesty. Calling somebody who does or has done good work a Hindu is downright hegemonistic.”

In West Bengal too, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has jumped on the Nazrul bandwagon too, to woo the large Muslim electorate in her state. She names an airport and a railway station after him because he is a Muslim.

All his life Nazrul fought against injustice. He fought against the politicians, the religious leaders and anyone who attempted to divide and discriminate the people. As he lies in his grave today, listening to the muezzin call to prayer, surely he winces at these unfounded claims being placed on him. Or perhaps he laughs. He belongs to no one. He belongs to all.

(The featured picture at the top is that of poet Kazi Nazrul Islam)

Related Posts

Maldivian President Solih’s controversial win in party primary ahead of Presidential poll
Maldives

Maldivian President Solih’s controversial win in party primary ahead of Presidential poll

January 29, 2023
Jaishankar’s visit reset bilateral relations, says Sri Lankan envoy
Defense

Jaishankar’s visit reset bilateral relations, says Sri Lankan envoy

January 29, 2023
Excited fans damage theatres showing Pathaan
Cinema

Excited fans damage theatres showing Pathaan

January 29, 2023
Lanka informed by IMF that Chinese proposal on debt restructuring is not adequate
Development news

Lanka informed by IMF that Chinese proposal on debt restructuring is not adequate

January 29, 2023
Electricity
Around South Asia

Power cut schedule for today in Sri Lanka: January 28th

January 28, 2023
Lankan envoy meets Indian Chief of Defense Staff, Gen. Anil Chauhan
Defense

Lankan envoy meets Indian Chief of Defense Staff, Gen. Anil Chauhan

January 27, 2023
  • Electricity

    Power cut schedule for today in Sri Lanka: January 28th

    57884 shares
    Share 23172 Tweet 14464
  • Registration open for National Fuel Pass

    6624 shares
    Share 2687 Tweet 1641
  • Foreign Currency Official Exchange Rates from Central Bank of Sri Lanka

    1663 shares
    Share 672 Tweet 413
  • WATCH : Yohani’s first live performance in India

    788 shares
    Share 328 Tweet 192
  • Power interruption schedule released: Check your area power cut time

    747 shares
    Share 325 Tweet 176
  • About Us
  • Advertisements
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact

© 2022 All rights reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Around South Asia
    • Afghanistan
    • Bangladesh
    • Bhutan
    • China
    • India
    • Maldives
    • Myanmar
    • Nepal
    • Pakistan
    • Sri Lanka
  • Around The World
  • Breaking News
  • Business
    • Exchange
  • Climate Change
  • Governance
    • Crime
    • Diplomacy
    • Defense
    • Human Rights
    • Politics
    • Strategic Affairs
  • Lifestyle
    • Books
    • Entertainment
      • Arts
      • Cinema
      • Gaming
      • Music
      • Movie
      • Series
      • TV
    • Health
    • Fashion
    • Food
    • Travel
  • Culture
    • Ethnicity
    • Gender
  • Development news
  • Economy
  • Education
  • Environment
  • Coronavirus
  • History
  • National
  • Offbeat
    • Media
    • Music and arts across South Asia
  • Recommended
    • Headlines
    • Highlights
    • Top Picture
    • Top Story
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Cricket
      • LPL
      • IPL
    • Tennis
    • Formula 1
    • NBA
  • Tech
    • Instagram
  • United Nations
  • Weather
  • World
    • Japan
    • Russia
    • United States
  • Videos

© 2022 All rights reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password? Sign Up

Create New Account!

Fill the forms below to register

All fields are required. Log In

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

eskisehir escort -

https://www.vudols.com/

- Sağlık Personeli - mersin escort - Antalya korsan taksi