Gandhiji in the eyes of noted Bengali rebel poet Kazi Nazrul Islam     

Bengal’s beloved ‘Bidrohi Kobi’ (rebel poet) Kazi Nazrul Islam and Mahatma Gandhi, had one thing in common: their love for the countrymen and their steadfast secularism. The two characters had highly contrasting personalities. If one was calm, the other was a storm. Yet, the early writings of Nazrul show his deep admiration for Gandhi. His position changed partially only after Gandhi called off the Non-Cooperation Movement. This article makes an attempt to throw light on the lesser known writings of Nazrul on Gandhi. A mix of some admiration and some criticism, Nazrul had tried to capture his thoughts on Gandhi mainly through his poetry.

The political atmosphere between 1920-1930 — a period when Nazrul engaged himself in political writings and political activism — encompassed a wide range of movements in Bengal involving not only the urban middle classes but also the workers and peasants.

The Indian National Congress, led by Gandhi, was the chief organiser of the anti-imperialist agitations, the Non-Cooperation Movement, Khilafat Movement and Simon Boycott Movement. The abrupt end of the Non-Cooperation Movement, however, had left many disillusioned. In 1922, a faction led by C.R. Das desired to make an entry into the government`s legislative councils. And in 1923, they formed their own party, at first known as the Congress-Khilafat Swaraj Party and, later, only the Swarajya or Swaraj Party. The Workers’ and Peasants’ Party marked the strong presence of Leftist ideology in Bengal. A significant number of mass movements and labour uprisings rocked Calcutta between 1920 and 1930. The revolutionary groups too made their presence felt at a regular interval with a few sporadic attacks. And amongst all this, C.R. Das and, later, Subhas Chandra Bose kept alive a trajectory which often deviated from the mainstream Congress approach and had a powerful impact over the youth of Bengal.

Nazrul was a by-product of this period. Nazrul imbibed within himself the on-going political thinking of the period. He initially followed the Gandhian path but soon deviated from it. He joined hands with C.R. Das and followed his foot-steps. But after Das’ death, Nazrul got attracted towards the leftist ideology and was close to Muzaffar Ahmad.

During 1919-1920, when Nazrul made his first debut as a poet, Indian people were undergoing a period of intense subjugation (the Rowlatt Act and the Jallianwala Bagh massacres) and unprecedented struggle. While Nazrul had been propagating armed rebellion as a solution to imperialism, at the same time, he was now not averse to the Gandhian idea of non-violent resistance. The Non-Cooperation and Khilafat Movement was launched by Gandhi and accepted as the official programme of the Indian National Congress at a special session on September 4, 1920. Nazrul was overwhelmed by Gandhi’s pan-Indian acceptance and his appeal amongst the masses. In a 1920 editorial in Nabojug, Nazrul wrote glowingly of the magnificent impact of the recently launched Non-Cooperation Movement. Nazrul admired Gandhi for certain other reasons as well. Among them, Gandhi’s crusade against untouchability and his hard work to bring together Hindus and Muslims in the anti-imperialist struggle were foremost.

Nazrul Islam spoke of Gandhi in a song titled Pagol pothik (Crazy Wayfarer) in June 1921. This song was composed when Non-Cooperation Movement was at its peak. Nazrul composed this at Comilla, East Bengal, and he himself sang it on the streets. This song shows how Nazrul welcomed Gandhian ideology and portrayed Gandhi as the flag bearer of the Indian freedom struggle. He saw in Gandhi a personification of truth, a person who brought together the dominant communities of India and a person who convinced a vast country in non-violent approach. Gandhi’s strategy, Nazrul wrote, showed an alternative to the fearsome trail of the revolutionaries.

Nazrul’s support to Gandhi and non-violence took a U-turn when violence broke out at Chauri Chaura (February 22, 1922) and Gandhi called off the Non-Cooperation Movement (February 25, 1922). Several patriots, including Jawaharlal Nehru, were deeply disappointed by the withdrawal of the movement. They were unable, at that time, to see the need for such an action for the long-term strategic interest of the national movement.

Nazrul, too, disappointed by Gandhi’s decision, now stopped praising Gandhian ideology openly in his writings. The very first issue of Dhumketu (August 11, 1922) carried the editorial Sarothir Pather Khabor (News on the Charioteer’s Path), promoting uncompromising individualism, self-confidence and discovering of one’s own self-image. Nazrul took Gandhi’s example here and alleged that most people failed to grasp the true meaning of Gandhi. Rather than concentrating on the individual self and the power that each individual has within himself, the people concentrated on the charisma of Gandhi; people rallied after him chanting Gandhi’s name. Nazrul challenged the cult of Gandhi and accused him of controlling the fate of the nation. He criticised the age-old Indian practice of ‘hero’ worship and following the path of the ‘hero’ that overpowers the individual’s own power to stand up and choose an independent path.

A similar theme was again taken up by Nazrul in the editorials of Dhumketu, three issues later. In Mora sabai swadhin sabai raja (We are all free, we are all kings)’, Nazrul gave his own interpretation of the term ‘Swaraj’, suggesting that only complete independence should be demanded, that all were free and sovereign and thus, one should not be subordinated by any other power. In this piece, Nazrul did not directly mention Gandhi but an interpretation can be teased out of it particularly when Nazrul says that all authorities should be challenged. Nazrul urged the reader to refuse to comply with all authorities, be it one’s own countryman or be it a foreigner. As we can note, there was a sudden change in Nazrul’s perception on Gandhi. Disappointed by Gandhi, he now tried to ‘free’ people from following Gandhi’s path and search for alternatives. However, this does not mean he became anti-Gandhi as the songs he wrote in 1924 show.

In April- May 1924, Gandhi visited Hoogly in Bengal. The poet warmly welcomed Gandhi with his composition titled Banglay Mahatma (The Mahatma in Bengal); this poem highlighted the incredible response Gandhi’s stay received throughout Bengal. Here again Nazrul made it a point to acknowledge Gandhi’s attempt towards the removal of untouchability. He also wrote a long song on Charkhar Gaan (Song of the spinning wheel) that symbolised Gandhi’s principles of peace and autonomy. The song acknowledged the charkha as a tool against imperialist power, a magnificent way to stir the people and again, a practical bind between the two communities of the Hindus and Muslims. In praise of the charkha, Nazrul wrote these few lines:

“Ghurcho, Ghurcho tumi Charkha,

Tor ghorar shabdo bhai, sadai shunte

jeno pai,

Oi khullo Swaraj-shinghoduar,

Ar bilamba nai, ar bilamba nai,

Shurjo udoy holo Bharot er dike,

Bhagya elo ebar amader dike,

ar bilamba nai”.

(“Revolve, oh revolve, my dear spinning wheel! There I hear in the sound of your wheels, may I hear them always, It seems all of us do hear in your whirling sound, the Lion gate of Swaraj opening, That there won’t be any more delay. The sun that is India’s Destiny has rolled back, the sorrowful night is over”).

Like many in the country during the National Movement, Nazrul, while disagreeing with Gandhi’s decision to withdraw the Non-Cooperation Movement, was simultaneously able to appreciate Gandhi’s enormous contribution to the creation of a united anti-imperialist movement and the alleviation of the condition of the poor and downtrodden.