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=Mysticism=
[https://epaper.timesgroup.com/article-share?article=24_05_2023_022_005_cap_TOI   Sumit Paul, May 24, 2023: ''The Times of India'']


While writing on Kazi Nazrul Islam or for that matter on any poet of repute, a natural query that pops up is: Are all poets basically and habitually mystic in their physical and mental make-up? It’s not easy to answer this, but one thing seems common to all creators of imaginative texts – they look deep into the metaphysical essence underlying the physical world they usually encounter. 

 Be it Rabindranath Tagore, Walt Whitman or Robert Frost; Greek poetess Sappho or Pindar; Latin poets Virgil or Ovid; Hindi poets Pant or Nirala; or Urdu poets Muhammad Iqbal or Altaf Hussain ‘Hali’ Panipati, the elements of mysticism or a touch of cosmic consciousness, awareness – with respect to mankind – in their poetry cannot be denied. 

 And what’s mysticism? Mysticism is a gossamer refinement of spirituality. In other words, it’s the poetic or metaphorical manifestation of an ethereal world. Mysticism is an attempt to transcend the mundane and go beyond what’s obvious. It’s not conventional spirituality. Nor does it always dwell on god and esoteric phenomena. It’s a sublimation of humanity and epitome of all human concerns, creations, and cries. 

 A mystic empathises with the world. Nazrul was a rebel poet, ‘Bidrohi kobi’ in Bangla. A rebel poet or writer has the essence of truth. He comprehends it. Just like the rebel existentialist Albert Camus, who could empathise with humanity and establish a universal Idiom of Truth. This truth blossoms into a universal axiom and becomes a mystical reality. Nazrul’s poem ‘Daridrya’, Poverty, exemplifies this: ‘Hey daridrya, tumi more korechomohan/tumi more daniyacho Christer somman – O poverty, you have made me great, you have given me the honour of Christ. Here, Nazrul is not glorifying poverty but universalising its spirit. It’s not the poverty of possessions but the poverty of passion and the spirit Nazrul is concerned about. 

 In another poem, Nazrul says: ‘Let’s forget today who is friend or foe and hold each other in caring embrace. Let your love be the magnet to bring humanity to Allah’s grace. ’ Nazarul’s Allah is not conventional Islam’s Allah. It’s Rabbul-Aalameen – God of the Universe, not Rabb Ul-Muslimeen, Only the God of Muslims. ‘Ishwar aamar jonno ek nicchak bhabdhara, jaar roop, protiroop, gun, nirgun kichhu nei’ – God is just an idea to me sans any form, image or even attributes. This is the god of mystics. Tagore, an unadulterated mystic, said the same when he wrote to the Argentina writer Victoria Ocampo, “The mystery of the Universe is my god. ”

 The universality of emotions and the large-heartedness of Nazrul’s horizon is visible when he says, ‘O heart, with the very stones or bricks that some people hurled at you all along, build a wonderful mosque of love with foundation, solid and strong. ’ 

 A mystic binds the world with universal love. Whether it’s Nazrul’s ‘Chhatrodoler Gaan’, ‘Eid Mubarak’, ‘Foriyad’ or ‘Hindu-Muslim Juddho’, readers can discern a broader canvas of concerns, a universal knitting of togetherness. The Pragmatic Mysticism of Nazrul’s oeuvre sees the world as one family and articulates the eastern concept of Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam, the whole world is a family. 

 May 24 is Nazrul Islam’s birth anniversary

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