Topic 1a: Influence of major cultural figures

Alaol

An aristocratic background

Syed Alaol is one of the most famous Bengali poets of the Middle Ages. He was born around 1607 AD. There are disagreements over the place of his birth. Some scholars suggest that he was born in Chittagong while others say Faridpur. Alaol's father was a minister of Majlish Kutub, the ruler of Fatwabad (Fatehabad). Since he was born into an aristocratic family, Alaol received a good education in his early years. He learnt Bangla, Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian languages as well as the art of war and music.

Captured by pirates

On one occasion when Alaol was quite young, he was going to Chittagong with his father by boat. On the way, they were attacked by Portuguese pirates. The pirates killed his father and captured him. He was sent to Arakan in Myanmar.

Young Alaol found work as a bodyguard in Arakan. Later he worked as a teacher of music and dance in a well-to-do family. His poetic talent soon became well known and he was able to secure a place at the royal court of Arakan where he received royal patronage. Among his patrons were Syed Musa (Royal Minister), Solaiman (Chief Minister), Mohammad Khan (Minister of Army), Majlis Nabaraj (Minister of Taxation) and Magan Thakur, the Prime Minister and the adopted son of the king's sister.

Translations and original work

Alaol was a prolific writer. His most significant contributions to Bangla literature were made through translations of famous works in different languages into Bangla. His masterpiece, Padmavati, is a translation of a Hindi poem Padmavat by Malik Mohammad Jayasi. Most of his other translations were made from Persian and include Saifulmuluk Badiuzzamal, Satimayana-Lor-Chandrani, Saptapaykar, Sikandarnama and Tohfa. But Alaol also produced his own original works. These include a number of songs, mostly vaishav, and a book on the art of music, Ragtalnama.

Alaol is mostly hailed as one of the great poets who introduced romantic themes in Bangla poetry. Another characteristic of his works was that though they were mostly translated from other languages, his creative touch and unique style made the works essentially the property of the Bangla language. In addition to contributing to Bangla literature, Alaol also paid attention to questions of religion and morality, which were reflected in his Tohfa.

An award in his name

Alaol died around 1673 in Hat Hazari of Chittagong. A prestigious literary award in his name, Alaol Sahitya Purashkar, has been introduced to recognise important works in contemporary Bangla.

Lalon Shah

Sketch of Lalon Shah by Jotinthranath Tagor from Banglapedia, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh

Bauls

Lalon Shah was a legendary baul of Bangladesh. Bauls are bands of people who compose and sing devotional folk songs in the villages. Though they are generally seen all over Bangladesh, they are mostly found in the districts of Kushtia, Meherpur, Chuadanga, Jhenidah, Faridpur, Jessore and Pabna. They do not follow any specific religious belief, neither do they believe in idol worship or differences in caste or creed. They are humanists who believe that all men and women are equal. They believe that nobody is a born baul, but one needs a baul guru to become a baul. Lalon Shah was one such baul guru.

Abandoned and a new community

Very little is known about the family background of Lalon Shah. He is said to have been born in Harishpur village in Jhenidah district in 1772 AD. Some scholars say that he was born into a Hindu Kayastha family in Bhandara village in Kushtia district.

Legend has it that when he was young, he caught smallpox and was abandoned by his community. He was picked up in a critical condition by a Muslim faqir called Siraj Sain who nursed him back to health. When he went back home he was not welcome by his community. So he returned to Siraj Sain and was inducted by him and came to be known as Lalon Shah Faqir. He married a Muslim woman and set up his ashram in the village of Chheuriya to compose and practise his songs. He had a considerable number of followers who included both Hindus and Muslims.

Universal spiritual songs

Lalon did not receive any formal education but he had extensive knowledge of Hindu and Muslim religious traditions. He composed about two thousands spiritual songs The contents of his songs, though composed in simple words, speak of his deeper understanding of the meaning of human life and the philosophy of equality and non-communalism.

Lalon's songs were created in a rural context, but the message these songs conveyed was universal in nature. Therefore he gained popularity not only among ordinary countrymen, but also among the educated urban people. It is this universal message which made Lalon's song spread far and wide but also last through the centuries. This is why Lalon had influence not only on his great contemporary, the poet Rabindranath Tagore, but also on many creative minds of today's Bangladesh.

There are no written copies of Lalons songs, but they were later transmitted orally by his disciples. Lalon died on 17 October 1890 at his ashram in Chheuriya.

Mir Mosharraf Hossain

Picture: You can find a picture of Mir Musharraf Hossain in Banglapedia and Prothom Alo (Dhaka newspaper) in Eid Issue (November 2003) Magazine.

Zamindar family

Mir Mosharraf Hossain is a well-known novelist, playwright, essayist and journalist of the nineteenth century. He was born in a zamindar family in 1847 AD at Lahiripara of Kushtia. All about Mir Mosharraf Hossain's life can be found in his autobiography Amar Jiboni (My Life) and his wife's biography, Bibi Kulsum. Mir Mosharraf Hossain's early education began at home where he was taught Arabic and Persian. He learnt Bangla at a pathshala (village school). His formal education took place at Kushtia School and Krishnanagar Collegiate School. Later on he was admitted into Kolkata Kalighat School but could not complete his studies.

Religious themes

Hossain started writing when he was a boy of thirteen or fourteen and kept writing until his death. His contribution to Bangla literature is significant for a number of reasons. He mostly wrote on popular themes in the history and belief of Islam. His Bishad Shindhu, in which he narrates the tragic tale of the Battle of Karbala, is considered to be a masterpiece. His other works focusing on the life and history of Muslim people include Moulud Sharif, Hajrat Omarer Dharmajiban Labh, Bibi Khodejar Bibaha and Madinar Gaurab.

Peasant uprising

While Hossain focused on religious themes, he was equally interested in the everyday life of his fellow countrymen. For instance, his Zamindar Darpan was written against the background of the peasant uprising against the landlords in Sirajganj 1872-73. He was also critical, in his book Gokul Nirmul Ashonka, of the excessive zeal in the killing of cows as he feared that this could have adverse effect on agriculture.

Satires

Another important contribution of Hossain was made in the successful use of satire in which he exposed the follies and vices prevalent in the contemporary society. His best known satires are Udashin Pathiker Moner Kotha and Gazi Miar Bostani.

Journalism

Hossain also worked for newspapers as a journalist. He was a reporter for Sangbad Prabhakar, a newspaper from Kolkata and Grambarta Prakashika, a paper from Kumarkhali. He later edited two newspapers called Azizannehar and Hitakari. He often wrote under the pseudonym, Mosha. He also wrote textbooks, such as Musalmaner Bangla Shikha.

Mir Mosharraf Hossain died on 19 December 1912. A few years after his death, a statue of him was erected at the Bangiyo Sahitya Parishad building in Kolkata.

Rabindranath Tagore

Picture: You can see a picture of young Tagore in Banglapedia and on http://www.newagebd.com/aug1st03/060803/lit.html

Rabindranath Tagore was the most versatile personality of Bangla literature. He was not only a great poet but also a prose writer, composer, painter, essayist, philosopher, educationist and social reformer. He wrote in Bengali as well as in English.

The Tagore household: a mixed cultural atmosphere

Rabindranath was born on 7 May 1861 at Jorashanko in Kolkata. He went to different prestigious schools including Oriental Seminary, Normal School and St Xavier's School. However, young Rabindranath did not like the monotonous rules and regulations of school life and he left school when he was about fourteen. He learnt his lessons at home. Different tutors taught him physics, maths, history, geography, music, art, wrestling, gymnastics, the sciences, Sanskrit, literature and English.

At the same time, Rabindranth's family, best known as Tagore, organised literary gatherings, Bidvajjan Samagam, to which prominent writers, journalists and thinkers of the time were invited. The Tagore household had a mixed cultural atmosphere where ancient Indian Vedic literature and Sanskrit were studied alongside modern European literature. In general, Rabindranath was brought up in a very liberal and culturally minded family. In addition, this family had made great contributions in the emergence of the 'Bengal Renaissance' which attempted to combine traditional Indian culture with Western ideas.

A nice description of Rabindranth's home atmosphere and upbringing could be found in his autobiographical sketch, Amar Chelebela.

An early start!

Rabindranath wrote his first rhyme when he was seven years old. His first poem, Abhilaash (Desire), was published in 1874 in a magazine called Tattobodhini. Within a short period he published a series of poems in different periodicals. These included Bhanusingher Padavali, which he wrote under the pen name of Bhanusingha. Bhanu is a synonym of Rabi which means the sun and Singha is a synonym of Nath which denotes somebody from an aristocratic family.

Rabindranath's first book of poems was published in 1878 when he was 17 years old. In the same year, he was sent to England to study law but he did not complete his studies there and returned home two years later.' When he returned home he had a knowledge of the new era of intellectual and scientific development in Europe to add to his deep understanding of the cultural heritage of India. He was set to start his great career in Bangla literature.

Between 1884 and 1890, Rabindrath published a series of books of poems: Chhabi O Gan (1884), Prakrtir Pratishodh (1884), Kadi O Komal (1886), Mayar Khela (1888) and Manasi (1890). In the same period, he published essays, critical articles, fiction, etc.' About the same time, he published two novels, Bouthakoranir Hat (1883) and Rajarshi (1887).

Experiencing the real world

The most creative phase of Rabindranth's life began when he returned from a second visit in England in 1890. On his return he was given charge of his father's estates in different parts of Bengal, mostly Silaidah in Bangladesh. During this time, Rabindranath had the opportunity to see the everyday life of ordinary people very closely. This made him concentrate less on producing work from his imagination and instead look more to the real world. At the same time, he began to appreciate the natural beauty of Bangladesh. While travelling by a boat on the Padma, he was able to view the river, its sandbanks, flora and fauna, sunrises and sunsets, the poverty and simplicity of the people who lived by the banks, and the passions that swayed them closely. All of these things found their way into his fiction and verse.

Two of his most important contributions to Bangla literature, Galpaguchchha and Sonar Tori, were written about this time. While Galpaguchchha' was a collection of short stories, the Sonar Tori was a collection of poems. His other publication of the 1890s included Chitra (1896), Kalpana (1900), Ksanika (1900), and Katha O Kahini (1900). In fact, by 1900, Rabindranath had written seven volumes of poems and forty-four short stories.

Picture: You can see a manuscript of a poem in Tagore's own handwriting on http://members.tripod.com/scohel/page31.html

Santiniketan

In 1901 Rabindranath left Silaidah and settled in Santiniketan in Birbhum of West Bengal. There, he established Santiniketan, one of his outstanding achievements in the field of education. His aim was to provide a place for learning where the students would be at one with nature and learn in a practical as well as spiritual manner. The idea was that the student would live a simple life close to the teachers as well as the surrounding natural world. Assisting Rabindranath in running Santiniketan was a Roman Catholic Vedantist priest named Brhamobandhav Upadhyay. The priest first called the poet, Viswa Kavi (world-poet). In 1921, Santiniketan became an international university and came to be known as Viswa Bharati.

Sadness and honour

Rabindranath's wife died in 1902. One of his daughters died a few months later. His father passed away in 1905 and his youngest son died in 1907. These terrible years made the poet very sad and this sadness was reflected in his poetry. Gitanjali (Song Offerings), published in 1910, was a reflection of his mental state. He translated these verses into English for which he won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1913. He was the first Asian to receive such an honour.

He was knighted by King George of Great Britain in 1915, but denounced his knighthood in 1919, when a British general attacked unarmed Indian demonstrators on 13 April 1919 at Jallianwala Bagh at Amritsar.

Productive until the end

Rabindranath kept writing till he breathed his last. In the last decade of his life he wrote the books of verses, poems written in prose format, which included Punashcha, Shes Saptak, Patraput, Shyamali and Prantik. About this time, he also composed some wonderful dance dramas such as Chitrangada (1936), Shyama (1939), and Chandalika (1938). Images of nature are given musical form in Nataraj (1926), Navin (1931) and Shravangatha (1934). During this time, he also wrote three novels such as Dui Bon, Malancha and Char Adhyay.

Rabindrath was also an amateur painter. He started painting in 1929 at the age of 68. Many of his paintings could be found in museums in India and abroad. In 1940, the University of Oxford conferred him with Doctorate of Literature at a special ceremony in Santiniketan. He passed away on 7 August 1941.

Overall influence

Rabindranath has written over a thousand poems and over two thousand songs on various topics, ranging from patriotic to religion, love and nature. He has composed the music of most of his songs. He has written innumerable short stories and more than two dozen plays and playlets, eight novels and many books on philosophy, religion, education and social topics. He is, perhaps, best known for writing Amar shonar Bangla, ami tomay bhalobashi (My Bengal of gold, I love you), the national anthem of Bangladesh:

Translated by Professor Syed Ali Ahsan:

Before Rabindranath, Bengali was written in the ancient form based on classical Sanskrit. He wrote in the common language of the people. He introduced new prose and verse forms and the use of colloquial language into Bengali literature. At that time, this was something hard to accept among his critics and scholars. But in a very short period of time his style was enthusiastically emulated by most of his contemporaries as well the generation of writers that followed.

Rabindranath is considered to be the most influential poet and writer of Bangla literature. But his self-less humanism, love of nature, timeless spirituality and concern for the prospect and predicament of the human civilization have made him the one of the most respected personalities of the world.

Begum Rokeya

Picture: You can find a picture of Begum Rokeya at Banglapedia and at http://www.emory.edu/ENGLISH/Bahri/Hossain.html

Roquiah Khatun, commonly known as Begum Rokeya, was a writer, educationist and social reformer.' At a time when Muslim women were not expected to come out of purdah, she pioneered education amongst the Muslim women of Bengal.

A conservative upbringing

Rokeya was born in 1880 at Pairaband in Rangpur district. She was brought up in a conservative Muslim family which, keeping in conformity to the purdah system, did not consider girls fit for an English education. Rokeya, therefore, remained confined at home along with her sister to study subjects of religious interest such as Arabic. Rokeya's brothers, particularly her eldest brother, Ibrahim Saber, taught her English and Bangla. They also inspired her to write. The only chance Rokeya ever got of studying was with an English lady in Kolkata. But she had to stop her lessons because of family and social disapproval.

In 1897, Rokeya married Syed Sakhawat Hossain, a highly educated gentleman and a government officer. Syed Sakhawat, like his brothers, encouraged Rokeya to study English and Bangla and inspired her to read literary works from home and abroad. He also inspired her to write. She started writing in 1902 and continued to do so as long as she lived.

Speaking out

Rokeya used various forms of literature to express herself. She wrote short stories, poems, essays, novels and satirical writings. Her writings were full of humour and logic. She started writing in different leading literary magazines. She wrote her first story, Sultana's Dream, in 1905 and it was published as a book in 1908. She later translated it into Bangla. Abarodhbasini (The Secluded Women, 1931) is a spirited attack on the extreme forms of purdah that she felt endangered women's lives.

Her other noted works include Matichur (essays lst vol 1904, 2nd Vol. 1922), Padmarag (novel, 1924), Delicia Hatya (translation of the Murder of Delicia, by Mary Corelli), Jnan-phal (The Fruit of Knowledge), Nari-Sristi (Creation of Women), Nurse Nelly, Mukti-phal (The Fruit of Emancipation) etc. Rokeya also wrote fine poetry. Her poem entitled Saogat was published in 1918 on the first page of the first issue of the Saogat, a literary magazine in Kolkata.

Rokeya wrote on a wide range of subjects: social prejudice, adverse effects of the purdah system, women's education, social repression on women, women's rights and her progressive views of women's awakening. She also wrote against the tradition of childhood marriage and polygamy.

An educationist

While Rokeya used her power of writing in encouraging her fellow women towards education and a productive life, she at the same time put her ideas into practice as an educationist. Her commitment to women's' education led her to establish a girl's school in Bhagalpur and afterwards in Kolkata, which was named after her husband.' At first she found it difficult to get Bengali girls as students because of the conservative mood in the society. However, she was so committed to her purpose that she went from house to house to persuade people about the importance of education. He also tried to convince them that purdah and education could go hand in hand. She was eventually successful in getting so many students in her school that she had to move to a different location with larger accommodation.

An activist

Begum Rokeya was not only a creative writer and educationist, but also an activist. In 1916, Begum Rokeya founded an organisation called Anjuman-e-Khawatin-e-Islam (Muslim women's society) to make women aware of their rights. The society was at the forefront of the fight for women's education, employment and their legal and political rights. The society defrayed the cost of education for a large number of girls and arranged marriages for many poor girls. It gave shelter to orphans and the destitute and extended financial help to widows. It also established some businesses for women to earn economic independence.

Begum Rokeya died in 1932 on 9 December, the same day she was born, She is still fondly remembered not only for her creative ideas and writings for the improvement of her society but also for the way she put her thought into practice.

Kazi Nazrul Islam

Picture: You can see a picture of Nazrul in his younger days at Banglapedia and at: http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Louvre/2618/Nazrul.html

Kazi Nazrul Islam is known as the National Poet of Bangladesh. He brought about revolutionary changes in the spirit and style of Bangla literature and music.

Early struggles

Nazrul was born on 24 May 1899 at Churulia village in Burdwan district of West Bengal, India.' Nazrul's family was poor and his father died when he was only nine. Therefore, he had not even completed his primary education before he had to go through a lot of struggle for existence. Later he worked as a teacher of a village maktab, a custodian of the shrine of a saint and as a muezzin in a village mosque before he joined a leto group. Leto was a mobile musical troupe which roamed around singing and acting in the countryside. He soon became the main poet of the group and made his place there by composing a number of folk plays.

Between 1910 and 1917, Nazrul was able to return to school and studied until Class X. However, he could not pursue his education further because he did not like the rules and regulations and he had financial difficulties. During this time, he worked as a cook at the house of a railway guard and later at a tea stall at Asansol. Thus the young Nazrul, aptly nicknamed 'Dukhu Mia', experienced the harsh realities of life in the very early days of his life.

The beginnings of his literary activities

During the First World War, in 1917, Nazrul joined the Bengal Regiment of the British Indian Army. He was in the army for two and a half years and rose from an ordinary soldier to a havildar (battalion quartermaster). His literary activities began when he was posted in Karachi Cantonment.

During his stay in the army, Nazrul learnt Persian from the regiment's Punjabi moulvi, practised music with other musical-minded soldiers to the accompaniment of local and foreign instruments. At the same time he pursued literary activities in both prose and poetry which were published in different literary magazines. Baunduler Atmakahini (Autobiography of a Vagabond), his first prose work, was published in Saogat, a reputed literary magazine in Kolkata.' His first poem to be published was Mukti (Freedom).

With the end of the war, Nazrul returned to Kolkata to start a career in literature and journalism. In 1920 he became a joint editor of Nabajug, an evening daily published by A. K. Fazlul Haq, the well-known politician. While Nazrul worked as a journalist, he wrote numerous poems in different literary magazines and secured his place in the literary world of Kolkata. At the same time, he met with prominent writers, poets and other literary figures of the time, including Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore and Nazrul maintained a close contact till the former died in 1941.

Influences on him

During this time, the political situation was very volatile in India. Everywhere, the Indians were involved in the non-cooperation and khilafat movement against the British Raj led by Mahatma Gandhi. He wrote many poems and articles in support of the struggle against the British. He wrote against the injustice, the oppression, the exploitation and the violence that was carried out all over India. He was concerned about the landless farmers and the workers and fought against social injustice through his writings. In this he was influenced by the socialist revolution in Russia that took place in 1917.

He wrote his famous revolutionary poem, Bidrohi (The Rebel) in 1921. He also wrote Bhangar Gaan, Proloyollash and Kamal Pasha. Some of these poems were published in his famous book of poems, Agnibina (The Fiery Lute). Agnibina created a stir in Bangla literature and proved to be a turning point in Bangla poetry, in terms of both content and style. Its first edition was sold out soon after publication, and several editions in quick succession had to be printed.

Reactions

Nazrul was arrested in 1922 for his anti-colonial writings. He was sentenced to a year of rigorous imprisonment. While in jail, he went into a 40-day hunger strike to protest against the mistreatment of political prisoners. During this time, Rabindranath Tagore sent his famous telegram to Nazrul that said: 'Give up hunger strike, our literature claims you.' So he stopped and continued to write while he was in jail.

Nazrul married Pramila, a girl from a Brahmo famil,y in 1924, despite a lot of disapproval from society.' Many of his love songs and poems, some of them being collected in his first book of poetry, Dolon Champa, were inspired by his relationship with Pramila.

Political involvement

Towards the end of 1925, Nazrul formally joined politics and attended political meetings all over Bengal. Apart from being a member of the Bengal Provincial Congress, he played an active role in organising the Sramik-Praja-Swaraj Dal. On 16 December 1925, Nazrul started publishing the weekly Langal, with himself as chief editor. The Langal was the mouthpiece of the Sramik-Praja-Swaraj Dal, which aimed to end class differences in society. The manifesto of the party, which was published in the paper, demanded full independence for India. At this time Nazrul published his book Samyabadi O Sarbahara containing songs for workers and peasants. Among Nazrul's other publications about this time were an anthology of short stories, Rikter Bedan, and four anthologies of poems and songs: Chittanama, Chhayanat, Samyabadi and Puber Hawa. Chittanama was a collection of songs and poems that Nazrul had composed on the sudden death on 16 June 1925 of Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das, pioneer of the cause of Hindu-Muslim unity.

A flourishing career

Nazrul's career continued to flourish, and he was involved in a variety of activities ranging from a recording artist, a composer, a music director, a singer, a poet and a story writer. He also acted in films, plays and performed on the radio. Nazrul was particularly keen on composing various forms of songs and he is said to have written even more songs than Rabindranath Tagore had.

A long illness and honours

In 1942, Nazrul became ill and this led to the loss of his voice and memory. He was treated at home and abroad, but his condition became worse. Financially, Nazrul's family went through a lot of hardship as he was the only earning member.

Nazrul was awarded the Jagattarini Gold Medal by Kolkata University. He was awarded the 'Padmabhushan' title by the Government of India in 1960. In 1972, when Rabindranath's Amar Shonar Bangla was declared as the National Anthem of Bangladesh, Nazrul's famous and rhythmic song, Chal Chal Chal, was declared as the battle song of Bangladesh. In the same year, Nazrul and his family were brought to Dhaka, by an agreement between the governments of Bangladesh and India. During the War of Liberation, the Freedom Fighters were inspired by the rebellious and patriotic songs of Nazrul which were aired by the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra (Independent Bangla Radio Station), a radio station that was set up in India to inspire the freedom fighters.

Picture: You can see a picture was taken of the ailing poet on his birthday in 1972 on: www.pabna.net.ni.htm At this time Nazrul could neither speak nor hear.

He was conferred an honorary DLitt degree by the University of Dhaka in 1974. He was granted citizenship of Bangladesh in January 1976 and came to be known as the National Poet of Bangladesh. In February the same year, he was awarded the Ekushe Padak, one of the most prestigious literary awards in Bangladesh.

Nazrul died on 29 August 1976, but in reality he had remained completely silent and inactive for 34 years since his illness in 1942. He was buried at Dhaka University Mosque as he had wished, with one of his ghazals (Moshjideri pashey amar kobor dio bhai).

Jasimuddin

Jasimuddin, from Banglapedia, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh

Jasimuddin, a renowned poet and scholar of literature, was born on 1 January 1903 in the village of Tambulkhana in Faridpur district. Jasimuddin started his formal education at Faridpur Welfare School and then he went to Faridpur District School where he completed his matriculation, or secondary level education, in 1921. He passed IA (Intermediate of Arts) from Rajendra College and gained his BA and MA from Kolkata University.

Work in Kolkata and Dhaka

Jasimuddin started his career as a collector of folk literature. He was appointed to this job while he was working as a research assistant at Kolkata University. He joined Dhaka University as a lecturer in 1937 and worked there until 1944 when he joined the government Department of Information and Broadcasting.

Jasimuddin's poetic talent developed in his student life. He wrote the famous poem, Kabar (the Grave) when he was a college student. The poem was included in school textbooks (Bengali syllabus for the matriculation examination while Jasimuddin was still a student at university.

A rural poet

Jasimuddin emerged as a poet among the rural people of Bangladesh. He had spent most of his childhood, adolescent and youthful years among the farmers in the countryside. His writings reflect the freshness and natural beauty of the rural world, as well as the life of the ordinary peasants with their sincerity and simplicity. He is called the Palli Kabi (Poet of the Countryside).

His first book of verse, Rakhali (Shepherd) was published in 1927. Some of his famous books are Nakshi Kanthar Math, Shujon Badiyar Ghat, Matir Kanna and Bagalir Hashir Golpo. Nakshi Kanthar Math and Bangalir Hashir Golpo have been translated into English as Field of the Embroidered Quilt and Folk Tales of Bangladesh respectively. Among these, Nakshi Kanthar Math and Shujon Badiyar Ghat are unique in terms of style of presentation as well as the way they explore the heart of picturesque rural Bangladesh.'

Honours

In 1969 Jasimuddin was awarded the DLitt by Rabindra Bharati University. He also won several other awards, including the President's Award for Pride of Performance (1958), Ekushey Padak (1976) and Swadhinata Dibas Puruskar (posthumous, 1978). In 1974 he was also selected for the Bangla Academy Award but refused it. Jasimuddin died in Dhaka on 13 March 1976 and was buried in his village.

Zainul Abedin

Picture: You can find a picture of Zainul Abedin at Banglapedia and at: http://www.pimediaglobal.com/projects/art/zainul

More interested in drawing than studies!

Zainul Abedin was an artist of exceptional talent and international fame. He was born in Kishoreganj, Mymensingh, on 29 December 1914. He was admitted to the Government School of Art in Kolkata in 1933 and graduated with a first class degree in 1938. After graduation he joined the same institution as a teacher.

As a young boy, Zainul was more interested in drawing than his studies. He would draw pictures in his textbook during lessons. He was greatly inspired by the river Brahmaputra and the surrounding countryside. This is reflected in a series of his watercolour drawings which pay tribute to the river Brahmaputra. He earned the Governor's Gold Medal in 1938 for these paintings in an all-India exhibition.

The Great Famine

In 1943 the Great Bengal Famine of 1943 killed about three million people. Zainul was touched by the devastation of the Famine which was caused by the colonial policies and other reasons during the World War II and drew a series of sketches depicting the misery. Though Zainul had little material help to offer to the starving, helpless people, he paid his greatest tribute to the famine victims through his famous famine sketches.' He drew the sketches on cheap, brown packing paper with Chinese ink and a flat brush used for oil painting. This was Zainul's way of showing the world what the starving and dying Bengal people were going through.

Picture: You can see one of these sketches in a book called Zainul Abediner Shara Jiban, by Hashem Khan (publisher: Farid Ahmed, Somoy Prakashan, 38/2Ka, Banglabazar, Dhaka).

The move to Dhaka and a new institute

After the partition of India in 1947, Zainul left Kolkata, came to East Pakistan and settled in Dhaka. He joined a school as a drawing teacher. At that time there was very little artistic activity in East Pakistan. He, along with some friends, tried to convince the government to start an art institute. He was given the responsibility of establishing the Government Institute of Arts and Crafts in Dhaka. It started on 30 September 1948 in two rooms of the National Medical School. It was the first art school of East Pakistan and he was made the Principal-designate of the Institute. Eventually this institute grew in reputation and size to be known as the Institute of Fine Arts

The Great Master of the Arts

In 1951, Zainul attended the Slade School of Art in London, for a two-year training programme.' In 1959, his contributions were recognised by the highest award for creative artists from the Government of Pakistan, Hilal-i-Imtiaz. He denounced the title in 1971 during the War of Liberation. He was awarded an Honorary D. Litt. degree by the University of Delhi in 1974. He was also a Visiting Professor of Fine Arts at Peshawar University in 1965 and in Dhaka in 1973. He was appointed a National Professor of Bangladesh in 1974.

Zainul retired from the post of Principal of the Government Art College in 1967 and devoted himself to painting. He was given the title, Shilpacharya, the Great Master of the Arts, in the same year for his artistic and visionary qualities.

Scrolls

In 1970, he organised the nabanna festival at the Shilpakala Academy. He drew a 65-feet long and 6 feet wide scroll called nabanna (in Chinese ink, watercolour and wax), in celebration of the mass movement of 1969, in which he depicted the story of rural Bangladesh in phases. He started it with the abundance of golden Bengal when people were happy and in peace and went on to show how the same Bengal became impoverished under the colonial rule and the Pakistan regime and finally reached a pitiable state of poverty.

In the same year, Zainul painted another scroll, the 30 feet long and 6 feet wide Manpura, named after an island in the Bay of Bengal. This black ink drawing over wax outlines depicted the devastation of the terrible cyclone of 1970.

Illustrating the constitution

Soon after the liberation of Bangladesh, Zainul was invited by the Government to illustrate the Constitution of Bangladesh which he did along with three other artists. They used folk art and designs from nakshi kantha, the famous embroidered quilts made by rural women of Bangladesh.

Galleries

In 1975, a year before his death, Zainul Abedin set up the Folk Art Museum at Sonargaon and the Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin Sangrahashala, a gallery of his own works in Mymensingh. The Folk Art Museum was set up to preserve the rich but dying folk art of Bangladesh.

Features

One of the characteristics of Zainul Abedin's paintings is the black line. He has made use of the line in many of his sketches including the Famine Sketches. He has painted in a wide variety of styles. After his return from Slade School of Art, he began to draw in a new 'Bengali' style, where folk forms with their geometric, sometimes semi-abstract representations, the use of primary colours and lack of perspective were prominent features. Some of his well known paintings are Dumka (watercolour 1951), Santals: Return (watercolour 1951), The Rebel Crow (watercolour 1951), Two Women (gouache 1953), Painna's Mother (gouache 1953) and Face (oil painting 1971).

His last days

Zainul Abedin died of cancer on 28 May 1976. He drew his last painting, Two Faces, while he was lying sick at the PG Hospital just before he died. He was buried in the campus of Dhaka University, beside the Dhaka University mosque, with access from the Institute of Fine Arts which he had founded.