MEETING NAZRUL

Imagine meeting Kazi Nuzral Islam – the giant of Bengali literature and arts heralded as Bangladesh’s poet laureate, who from 1949 to his death in 1976 never spoke a word. What would you say to him? What would you like him to say… now?

The renowned British based vocalist, Lucy Rahman collaborates with the acclaimed kathak artist Amina Khayyam to imagine such a meeting. Her haunting vocals set the expectation for the emotionally laden kathak movment of Amina Khayyam to bring to life the topicality of Nazrul Islam’s songs and writings to the contemporary period.

Nazrul (1899-1976), as he was popularly known, was a poet, writer, musician and revolutionary and is known to have written and composed music for around 4000 songs, (now called Nazrul Sangeet) and pioneered a new form of ghazals, exploring love, freedom, equality, social justice, opposing fascism and religious bigotry.

Some of his famous poems are Bidrohi (Rebel), Nari (Woman), Mukti (Freedom) and Barangana (Prostitute).