Nazrul's Contributions in Equality and Egalitarianism: Twenty First Century Perspective

Abstract

Equality is one of the foremost areas where Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam has significant contributions. He is also known as the poet of parity and equality in Indian sub-continent. Nazrul disliked unfairness, injustice and oppression against humanity. He not only reviled inequality but also raised his voice against it. That is why, Nazrul was known as Rebel Poet. This paper aims at identifying Nazrul's contributions against inequality and inegalitarianism in the society of 20 th century which is also an important issue in 21 st century. This is an exploratory research that used secondary data and experience survey methods to collect information on Nazrul's contributions in equality and egalitarianism. The results show that Nazrul's poems strongly emphasized the confluence of the roles of both sexes and their equal importance to human life. He assailed fanaticism in religion and denounced it as evil. Nazrul raised his voice against oppression and he subjugated people to seek freedom and dignity. Nazrul identified two main literary trends-the first, passionate devotion to Earth with the exploration of the home environment of human beings and the second, rise above and out of Earth to explore and reach the heavens. His egalitarianian image emboldens with gender-egalitarianism, communal harmony and tolerance in the religion. His work in literature and music reflected his unprejudiced utilization of cultural and religious traditions of both major faiths of India like Islam and Hinduism. Nazrul's work also represents global-belongingness that saved humanity from its destructive forces. The context of his struggle was the British Colonialism that he personally witnessed in India but his position was explicitly universalist. Nazrul invited all corners to embrace the spirit of universalism that does not deny its root but feels and builds a bond with others. It is a spirit that rises above parochial pettiness and upholds the human dignity in the society.

Keywords: Equality and Egalitarianism, Rebel Poet, Fanaticism, Universalist, Nazrul Sangeet, Globalization