World view

Bangladesh, Nazrul Islam and “Kemal Pasha”

Prof. Dr. Türkkaya ATAÖV

I recently returned from attending the “First International Nazrul Conference”, held in Dhaka, the capital of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, on June 12-13, 2005. My participation was not accidental. I was barely twenty years old, in the early 1950s, when I first came to know of the Bengali people and heard the name of their great son Nazrul Islam (1899-1976), the rebel-poet, lyric song-writer, novelist, story-teller, playwright, and political activist against slavery, communalism, feudalism, colonialism, and imperialism. Any one of these attributes would have made him a national figure in the eyes of his people and attracted the attention of a reader like me.

What specifically fascinated me, more than half a century ago, was his long epic poem, of some 258 lines, entitled “Kemal Pasha”. He had written the poem in 1921, within a matter of a fortnight, and immediately had it published in his native tongue in a Calcutta periodical, as soon as he received the news of the Turkish victory over the invading foreign army near the River Sakarya. The newly-formed Turkish Grand National Assembly in Ankara had duly authorised Mustafa Kemal and placed him in full command of all arrangements to meet the enemy assault. After a field battle that lasted for more than three weeks, a Turkish counter-attack put the enemy to flight. This decisive victory was followed by the final Grand Offensive that would end at the Aegean port of Izmir, from where the remnants of the invading army would soon be shipped back.

Early diagnosis

The success of the Turkish struggle was a source of hope for the other peoples of the continents of Asia and Africa, then chained to colonial oppression. As the Turkish example proved, powerful enemies, and imperialism in general, could be rebuffed and defeated by the fighting force of an Oriental society. Mustafa Kemal believed that Turkey defended not only its own rights, but also those of the entire East. Sakarya had been a field battle that influenced history. Nazrul Islam - from geographically far away Bengal - was the poet who first diagnosed it as such. Nazrul’s poem was a monument in the history of anti-imperialistic world literature no less than a sincere tribute to the accomplishments of our nation and its just struggle. The poem combined the ingenuity of Nazrul’s powerful lines with the music of Bangla. Moreover, it was the first poetical acknowledgement of an anti-imperialistic victory even before any Turkish poet produced a similar masterpiece. This creation of the “rebel-poet”, was a pioneering work, not only in the local tongue, but also in world literature, by virtue of its heroic call to defy occupiers and oppressors.

When I first read about Nazrul and his poem, about six years after the Bengalis had helped to bring British colonialism to an end, I immediately wrote an article, translating some of his lines (from English), and introducing him to the Turkish reader. My article was to be reprinted in several other papers and periodicals, especially on national holidays. There were other occasions, principally one in 1968 (thanks to the initiative of Asadul Haque, then working at the RCD headquarters), during which the poet was remembered in Ankara with his songs and poems. I also introduced the subject to Özcan Davaz, my former student, who took up his first ambassadorial post in Dhaka, and who upon retirement published a book on the Bengali muse.

Freedom and sorrow

Nazrul, born in a West Bengal village but later a pioneer of post-Tagore modernity in the poetry of his native land, was a very colourful personality of undivided Bengal between 1920 and 1930. While his lyrics freed Bengali music from its medieval mould, his patriotic writings expanded in scope to articulate the aspirations of the downtrodden people. He played an active role in the formation of a workers and peasants party. During his early years, his nickname had been “Dukhu” (sorrow) Mia.  The poverty-stricken poet wrote, against all odds and obstacles, for social re-awakening, national consciousness and the emancipation of the poor, until he was attacked by serious illness in 1942. Gradually he lost his power of speech and spent 34 years in silence. His condition was diagnosed as incurable. The great poet was buried near the Dhaka University mosque, where his mausoleum now stands.

On account of my early association with the Bengali people I have visited Bangladesh no less than three times - on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of our Republic; accompanying the Turkish President (S. Demirel); and now to deliver a talk at the first Nazrul conference. While inaugurating the international meeting, Prime Minister Khaleda Zia said that “the Bengali people hear Nazrul’s songs, concentrate on his poems, and are inspired by his literature in sorrows, pain, happiness, struggle, peace, construction, love and contemplation.” Addressing the concluding ceremony, President Dr. Iajuddin Ahmed said that the poet “had made a strong contribution to the development of the nation’s own identity and culture.”

Turkish presence

The function was also addressed, among others, by two ministers and the Turkish Ambassador Ferit Ergin, who also sang a Nazrul song to the accompaniment of his guitar. The souvenir book included my article entitled “My Early Introduction to the Poet and His People.” The Turkish Ambassador’s reception on the occasion gave me another chance to suggest proposals for the future, such as the preparation of a book abroad, and the designation of new roads and avenues in other countries honouring the poet’s name and deeds.

Nazrul Islam’s glorious as well as tragic life and the vast literature that he left remain as sources of inspiration for the Bengalis. With his creative talent and powerful pen, he was one of the leading architects of the independence movement of the Indian sub-continent.  

(DIPLOMAT  -  July 2005  -  Ankara)