I,'()RI) INI)IA I)AI)I':RI~A(;KS .......: J)ISSENT (W NAZIWL 1:-'1 \1\1 MITRA l'o\:lly lind 111~lIlIy I'rili KUIIIlIr Mill'lI e of the IIrst works in I:nglish olllhl'ldl' 111111111111" IlINll/llti cludcs translations or l1Iany olillS VI'I M:S I hi \1111111111 1111 11,1 Ion Nazrul's dissent againsllhe IIl1ilsh UIIIlIliid gll\ll lllllil III --I :r: la, the Gandhian non-violenl IIl1tiollll "sl sll 111',1',11', 1,11111111 rn btalism and Ilindu chauvinism. as wl'lIns Ihl' hl'l',1 """IY III' ~ Tagore in Bcngali literature, SIIIVt'Yllig Ihl' "II lillY. 1'1111111 ,iI o [aI, and intellectual circumstances Ihlll shilJll'd Ihl' HI III I I',,, I C/) actions, Mitra illustrates how these opt'IInlllllll 11,111 \\,1\1 ,t! C/) rn d writing, This volume will be an ahsOlhlllH H'lId 1(11 ',111,11 III Z ~s of South Asian intellectual hislolY. l'OIlIPi"dll\1 11I11,lilll' --I I and cultural studies, as well as gencml H'"dll S o ar Mitra is Professor of II islol Y lind tOIlIl('1 1)111'1 1111 III" illill "'T1 19ladesh Studies (IBS). Rajshahi I)IIiVl'ISlly, 1I1111~""d" 'I11 Z l> ng critical discourse , .. eminenlly 1('111111111(, .1111" jll'ilill III N nd his turbulent age ... one ti.:e1s glllldllll\! 1111 111',111111111 1,,, :::;0 C nveiled the wide range ofconccllIs IIlId ,111\11111', 11111 11111 I r Iii,' II",,~ Nf'I'{ilii C/) iion of the book is imporlant illld Wl'llllllll' 01, IlIdld 1" ~e;I" II r authenticales Ihc I Ii II 10111\11 l> 1-'1 'Ii III 1/11 I, I lilt 1 1' •• /;,,,,.,1 ";'rAh ~ ( valuable ... detailed tlnulysis hllp' II', 11111/1 1,111101 llio Ifl,,:1 I also place his rebcllioll ill tllt' lllllh \IIIIIII~ "1'1 111111,,1.11' Iii, \'i/li'l/lliil/ raph COUI'II'S)I III(' 111/11/11/ I II N III, 'III III. I, "I " )RD ,JJ'I,ljlllll~, J!I~ V PRESS ,m flu 1111:, ~ ~ :5 .C..I..) .....:/ ~ ~ ~ 0 f-< Z p:;J CI) C...I.). 0 :pr:;:J f-< \ THE DISSENT OF NAZRUL ISLAM POETRY AND HISTORY Priti Kumar Mitra OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS ~ OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS YMCA Library Building, Jai Singh Road, New Delhi 110001 Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University's objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in To Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur the beloved memory of Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto my mother With offices in late Shrimati Amiya Bala Mitra Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press· in the UK and in certain other countries Published in India by Oxford University Press, New Delhi © Oxford University Press 2007 The moral rights of the author have been asserted Database right Oxford University Press (maker) First published 2007 Second impression 2008 Oxford India Paperbacks 2009 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press, or as expressly permitted by law, or under terms agreed with the appropriate reprographics rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside the scope of the above should be sent to the Rights Department, Oxford University Press, at the address above You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer ISBN-13: 978-0-19-806324-7 ISBN-I0: 0-19-806324-5 Typeset in Dante MT 11/13 by Eleven Arts, Keshav Puram, Delhi 110 035 Printed in India by De Unique, New Delhi 110 018 published by Oxford University Press YMCA Library Building. Jai Singh Road, New Delhi 110 001 Contents List of Plates x Acknowledgements xi Preface xiii Transliteration Scheme xx Chapter 1 DIALECTICS OF DISSENT 1 Study of Dissent in South Asia' The Dissenting Tradition· Historical Milieu· The 'Rebel Poet' • Dimensions of the. Great Dissent· Exploring a Virgin Territory Chapter 2 RECONSTRUCTING THE 'REBEL POET' 20 Major Phases: Experiences and Influences • The Formative Phase· The World of 'Dukhu Mian' • The Uncertain Teens· In the Army. Back Home· Second Phase: 1920-30 • Making of the 'Rebel Poet' • Dhumketu, Jail, and Marriage • Politics and Leftism • Ghazals, 'National' Reception, Personal Tragedy • Third Phase: 1930-42' In the World of Music and Spirituality. Last Phase: 1942-76 • The Silent Mummy viII Contents Contents ix :har>Lcr ACAINST BRITISH COLONIAL ESTABLISHMENT :hapter 6 THE TRUE PREMISE OF THE REBEL POET 297 AND ITS GANDHIAN REMEDY: DISSENT OF THE Roots in the Past· Permanent Preoccupations. REBEL POET 1 110 The Nazrul Phenomenon: Some Observations Against a Plurality of Orthodoxies· Nazrul Islam • True HistOricity versus the British Administration· British Imperialism. First Encounter: The Nabojug Phase· Appendix 305 Rebellion in the Dhumketu • Post-Dhumketu Phase ;Iossary • British Reaction: Chased, Caught, and Sentenced· 308 Nazrul and the Gandhian Movement Gandhism 1/ i bliography 317 and the Gandhian Politics· Response of the Rebel Poet to Gandhism Chapter 4 ACAINST M USLIM AND HINDU ORTHODOXIES: DISSENT OF THE REBEL POET 2 186 Kazi N azrul Islam and the Islamic Orthodoxy • Islam in Bengal in the Nineteenth Century • Pan-Islamism and the Khilafat • Movement· The Different Path of Nazrul Islam· Response of the Islamic Orthodoxy to the Rebel Poet's Disobedience· Nazrul and Hinduism in Bengal • The Hindu Orthodoxy. Nazrul and the Caste System. Attacks on Idolatry. Corruption: Nazrul and the Tarakeshwar Satyagraha (1924) • Rebellion against the Communal Social System Chapter 5 AGAINST THE HEGEMONY OF RABINDRANATH TAGORE: DISSENT OF THE REBEL POET 3 249 Rise of Rabindranath Tagore and Development of the Literary Orthodoxy Influence: Worshippers and Detractors' Formation of Two Rival Groups. Nazrul Islam versus the Tagore Clan· Preliminaries: Rebellion and Cordiality. Emergence of Shonibiirer Chithi • Conflict Broadens: Shonibiirer Chithi versus the Kallal Group' Tagore Drawn into the Controversy • Marxist Phase of the Controversy. The Final Phase· Aftermath Plates* Acknowledgements between pages 152 and 153 T his study was made possible by supports from the following institutions and organizations: Nazrul the village lad (c. 1915) I. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Dhaka: A twelve-month National Nazrul the soldier (c. 1919-20) Fellowship for Advanced Studies at the Society (1995-6). Nazrul as a young man (c. 1923) Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi: A grant for Pramila Sengupta: Nazrul's lover and wife (1908-62) collection of material in India (1997). Kazi Nazrul Islam: In the world of music (c. 1932) 3. The British Council: A Fellowship at the School of Oriental and The Rebel Poet: Ailing and advanced in years (c. 1960) African Studies (SOAS), University of London (1991). The present study of Nazrul Islam is partly based on the i I1vestigator's doctoral research on dissent in modern South Asia done at the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, USA (1977-81) which was supported by a forty-eight-month grant, a field trip allowance, residence, and some physical facilities provided by the East-West Center, Honolulu, the John F. Kennedy Fellowship of the Department of History, University of Hawaii (1980), and a Graduate Fellowship of the Center for Asian and Pacific Studies, University of Hawaii (1'983). Amongst other authorities whose valuable cooperation significantly aided this investigator in his research at different times, the following deserve special mention: Hamilton Library, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, USA;Joseph Regenstein Library, University of Chicago, USA; India Office Library, London; SOAS Library, University of London; British Museum Library, London; Nehru Memorial Museum and Library, New Delhi; Library of the Indian Council of Historical Research, New Delhi; Tej Bahadur Sapru Library, New Delhi; Bangiya Sahitya Parishad, Kolkata; West Bengal Archives, Writers' Building, Kolkata; Indian Council of Social Science Research, Eastern Regional Centre, Kolkata; Bose Institute, Kolkata; Socio-economic Research * All photographs courtesy the author Institute, 39 College Street Market, Kolkata;Jaikrishna Public Library, xii Acknowledgements Uttarpara, West Bengal; Chandannagar Pustakagar, West Bengal; BangIa Academy Library, Dhaka; Dhaka University Library; Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Dhaka; and Institute of Bangladesh Studies, Preface Rajshahi University, Rajshahi. A number of institutions generously provided this investigator with the opportunity to present his ideas in learned seminars. These include: The East-West Center, Honolulu (OG Seminar, Culture and Communication, Spring 1981); Institute of Bangladesh Studies (IBS), Rajshahi University, Special Seminar, April 1985; University of Oxford, r Centre for Indian Studies, St Antony's College, South Asian History dcas lie behind events and events make history. Intellectual history, Seminar, 15 October 1991; University of London, SOAS, Centre of South which examines the role of ideas in man's march through time, is Asian Studies Seminar, 24 October 1991; BangIa Academy, Dhaka, IlwnJore a crucial discipline to get at the roots of historical processes. Nazrul Birth Anniversary Seminar, 23 May 1995; and Asiatic Society of Intb:d, ideas mean a lot to researchers who seek to understand the Bangladesh Seminar, 25 August 1995. Feedback from these symposia phenomenon of change in human past. All significant changes that gave greatly facilitated interpretation of the Nazrul phenomenon and It 1st ory a guality of drama invariably presuppose dissent from the status preparation of a coherent account of it. (It! in their background. Dissent occurs in the realm of ideas and could (I The author expresses his deep gratitude to all these institutions and Ilfh'n lead to great transformations in the world of concrete events. organizations for their support and cooperation. 'I' he nineteenth century, one of the most extensively studied pt'l'iods in South Asian history, has been attributed with many reform ll10vements and a veritable renaissance. However, the accounts of the 'l'l'llaissance' and 'reforms' found in so many studies by Western and Soulh Asian scholars have rather failed to explain what, of all things, hilppcned in the period which was otherwise marked by brutal colonial Nubjllgation and pervasive economic misery. With only sporadic lit telTlpts at socio-religious reforms and no revolution at all, the nlnelcenth century hardly witnessed any great transformation in ,~( lcidy and material condition of the people. Those studies, however, I( 'Ildcr it clear that the truly significant change the nineteenth century I'l'gislcred in Bengal had taken place in the realm of ideas. The structure ()I the intellectual change involved dissent and the ensuing dialectics (hill look place between dissent and the orthodoxies it challenged. I )issent actually remained the dynamics of the volatile nineteenth l'l'i1lllry in South Asia. All the stalwarts of the 'Bengal Renaissance' ,d,med as rebels in thought, and they diligently sought to undo the tUlus guo in society and epistemology, undermining its theoretical Ii 1LI nda tions altogether. But their success in achieving this goal in the 1,(. . 1i world in their own time was by no means exciting for them. xiv Preface Preface xv This line of thinking led me to undertake a new study of the Jniversity, the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Dhaka, and the BangIa nineteenth century in order to know the meaning of the period in Academy, also at Dhaka. The cumulative result of the long enquiry is the history of Bengal in terms of dissent and ideological dialectics. I presented here in a structured narrative through the pages of this took care to learn about the phenomenon of dissent in the context volume. Even in the midst of writing the draft, a short trip to Delhi of world civilizations, delving into the intellectual history of Europe, i IlU Kolkata in 1997 (with support from the Indian Council of Historical the Islamic world, China, the United States, and, of course, South Asia. It cscarch) helped procure some new and important material that would Then I sought to analyse the great rebellions in modern Indian thought q~llllitatively impress the fmal draft. Now an assessment of the book's in the light of my wider acquaintance with the phenomenon of dissent worth by thoughtful readers and incisive seers is keenly awaited. in world history. The exercise produced a dissertation entitled 'Dissent As is the case invariably with such undertakings, this study has in Modern India (1815-1930): Concentrating on Two Rebel Poets been possible through support and cooperation from numerous Michael Madhusudan Datta and Kazi Nazrul Islam' as part of a PhD Individuals and institutions. I received all kinds of aid from so many programme that I pursued at the University of Hawaii, Honolulu, IIfTcrent quarters and my debts to them are immeasurable. A full USA. In this work I emphaSized ideas over events and individuals over Ill'knowledgement would require so much space as is not at my disposal. movements. Individual dissenters and their numerous dialogues with I would therefore name only those who are more imIl1ediate in my several orthodoxies formed the central theme of the study. Kazi Nazrul 1\ ternory and whose involvement was much crucial in what the research Islam, the famed 'Rebel Poet' of Bengal, fitted well into my scheme, IlllS eventually produced. thanks to the new approach I chose for the research. I a rn deeply indebted to my doctoral advisor, Professor Jagdish P. Nazrul Islam was an entirely new addition to historical studies and ~ha !"rna of the Department of History, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, nearly half of the voluminous dissertation was devoted to him. It was ll~/\. I-{is constant guidance and rare friendship remained a perennial the flrst work done on the poet in the West. I also presented papers in Ntlu!"ce of inspiration and support throughout this research. It was two seminars on N azrul's role as a dissenter at the University of Hawaii 111'( )(Cssor Sharma who flrst drew my attention to the problem of dissent and the East-West Center, Honolulu. A long fleld trip took me to several Ilild iLS relevance for a much needed study of the poet Nazrul Islam. I institutions in the US, the UK, India, and Bangladesh, and exchanges 111\1 highly obliged to the members of my PhD dissertation committee of ideas with various scholars enriched my understanding of the (11'0 lessors James Connors, Truong-Buu Lam, Prithwish Neogy, and phenomenon of dissent and helped me determine the place of N azrul Itlrhard L. Rapson-for their valuable advice and guidance. I am Islam in the history of dissident thought. Later, the study of the 'Rebel 1)111'1 icularly indebted to Professors Connors and Neogy who enlarged Poet' would be further pursued at the post-doctoral level at the School 11 y vision of history through special discourses and provided invaluable of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. Seminars were IIMslslance to my interpretational efforts. I am also thankful to the late organized there as well as at St Antony's College, University of Oxford, I' 1'OIcssor Burton Stein, formerly of the University of Hawaii, who on Nazrul's historic disobedience- the flrst such presentations on the 1111i ;lll y served on my committee and advised me extensively on modern subject in the United Kingdom. All these years of research and exchanges ~(illih Asian history. led to further clarification and Nazrul's historicity as a dissenter was During my field trip for the doctoral research, I was fortunate to established beyond all ambiguities. Finally, the investigation was carried I ('('l'ivc generous guidance from many prominent scholars in the United to a conclusion at the Asiatic Society of Bangladesh, Dhaka, under ~lllIeS, England, India, and Bangladesh. I take this opportunity to express a one-year National Fellowship for Advanced Research in 1995-6. liy sincerest gratitude to all of them. On the US mainland I had the Meanwhile I presented papers in at least three seminars on Nazrul ()( III rortune to work with Professor Edward C. Dimock of the South Islam's dissent at the Institute of Bangladesh Studies, Rajshahi "lUll L.anguage and Area Center, University of Chicago. His erudite Preface xvi Preface xvii ,1111, who provided, apart from their enlightening discourses, copies observations on trends in the history of Bengali literature gave me fresh insights about my subject of study. At Chicago I also received 11/ II !lumber of important articles for use in my research. Pl'ofessor Barun De, then director, Centre for Studies in Social crucial assistance from Professors Naresh Guha (visiting), C.M. Naim, Ralph Nicholas, Wendy O'Flaherty, Fazlur Rahman, A.K Ramanujan, ~I 11'11( ('s, Kolkata, most generously guided me through the most IIIIHII'Ianl part of my research in West Bengal. Apart from his own Susanne H. Rudolph, Clinton B. Seely, and Edward Shils. Professors Vilillllhll' discussions with me, Professor De also put me in touch Thomas Metcalf and Frits Staal of the University of California, Berkeley, willi key scholars and institutions in and around Kolkata. Professor and Professor Charles Drekmeier of Stanford University spent their t\IIIIIi('m.lu De of ]adavpur University, Kolkata, was kind enough to valuable time to enlighten me on various aspects of dissent as a phenomenon of history. I .1f 'lld academic and non-academic assistance to me. I also immensely At London I worked most profitably under the supervision of the III IIl 'llll'd li'o 111 discussions with Professors Nihar Ranjan Ray and Sumit distinguished scholar of the history of Islam in India, Professor Peter 1111'111' liS well as authors Chinmohan Sehanavish and Pratibha Basu III 1'llIk;!la and Azharuddin Khan of Midnapore, West Bengal, India. Hardy of the SOAS, UniverSity of London. Dr Hardy's learned ~ll I\lldll, a distinguished Nazrulspecialist, treated me with uncommon discourses gave me new directions in my study of dissent and his warm hospitality and kind encouragement enhanced my dedication to work. IllIdllIilly and hospitality. I was very lucky to see and interview (1981) WI I 11}ll'd frcedom fighters and Nazrul associates- Narendra Narayan At London, fortunately, I also met my former colleague, Professor Mustafa Nurul Islam of ]ahangirnagar University, Bangladesh. As a IIIIi"'lIh" ['li (b. 1898) of Kolkata and Pranatosh Chattopadhyay (b. 1905) III I "1~1i. West Bengal. These extraordinary men of a bygone era foremost specialist on Kazi Nazrul Islam, Professor Islam provided me with invaluable guidance on some crucial primary sources. On a III 1'1Vt'd l11e most cordially and answered all my queries with enthuSing Ifl I('~I ,111<..1 alertness. second occasion, J worked again at SOAS with Dr William Radice who teaches Bengali there. A poet himself and a prolific translator from IIIII ,~pcciaLly grateful to my two distinguished teachers- Professor Bengali into English, Radice helped me through the wilderness of \ I( M, II Ii rk. (1918-97) of] ahangirnagar University and Professor A.F. IIillllllddl1l Ahmed of Dhaka University, Bangladesh, fortheguidance dissent studies in English in the Western context. He also introduced me to resourceful scholars at SOAS as well as at Oxford and Cambridge. Ii 1111NI,i 1';ltion they provided me with while I was doing field research In India I was fortunate to work with a number of distinguished I 1111111, dill I 981. In fact it was Professor Ahmed who had originally teachers and intellectuals whose guidance and cooperation made my .' I Ill!' Oil the road of research and of pursuing intellectual history efforts a lot easier and far more fruitful than what would have been tlllV YC'lIrs ago when I was still an undergraduate student under without them. Professor R.S. Sharma of the University of Delhi, 11111 III lile University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. At Dhaka I also diligently spent many hours listening to me, and helped me refine It 111'111('.1 li'om conversations with Professor Rafiqul Islam of Dhaka my raw opinions. Professor S.R. Mehrotra of Himachal Pradesh Illllvl'I'N/( y, Ll foremost biographer of and commentator on poet Nazrul University, Shimla; Professor S.c. Malik of the Institute of Advanced .. 111111, Iliid with Shaukat Osman (1917-98), the celebrated author III PIIIWl'ssive thinker. During my work at the Asiatic Society of Study, Shimla; Professors Bipan Chandra, KN. Panikkar, and Shyamali 1lltlllllltle'sil, I was fortunate to receive all kinds of assistance and Ghosh of ]awaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi; Professors Irfan 11 Habib and KA. Nizami of Aligarh Muslim University-all gave their '"11 1.1I Ion from Professors Sirajul Islam and Harun-or-Rashid, precious time for me, offering valuable suggestions on various aspects 111111 (Ivdy the President and the secretary of the Society at the time. of my study. My heart-felt thanks are also due to Professor Rajni Kothari lltil! II iii lind the inspiring personality of ProfessorIslam was a constant and Dr Ashis Nandy of the Centre for Study of Developing Societies, Illy work. at the Society. Long and endless informal discussions