Kazi Nazrul Islam (Source: wikipedia) Kazi Nazrul Islam (Source: wikipedia)After reading several news reports around the time of his birth anniversary this year, it would appear that in our increasingly communal and divisive public sphere, the poet Kazi Nazrul Islam has attracted the favour of Hindutva parties that are normally committed to the fabrication of a mythical nation-state, populated by a singular culture and people. The caste, society, country or religion within which I was born was determined by blind luck. Thus, it is completely misguided to think of him as a “Hindu” poet — good or bad — or even a “Muslim” poet, considering his avowed position as a common member of humanity: “I sing the song of togetherness/ nothing is greater than humanity/ nothing more worthy” (‘Manush’/ Humanity). The attempt to appropriate him as a model “Hindu” poet and celebrate his birth anniversary based upon these dangerously misunderstood, narrower terms of engagement is a travesty. The writer, a research scholar at JNU, is the great-grandson of Kazi Nazrul IslamFor all the latest Opinion News, download Indian Express App

Source: Indian Express June 13, 2017 18:30 UTC