Opinion Didi’s show

Kazi Nazrul is regarded as Bengal’s second most powerful and celebrated literary figure,after Rabindranath Tagore. Nazrul’s poems,writings,essays and songs,known as Nazrul Geeti,continue to enthral thousands and are as popular as those of Tagore’s. Nazrul’s poems and especially songs,despite a total lack of government patronage,have survived and remain at par with Tagore’s in excellence and popular appeal. What’s more,Nazrul’s writings had a common thread — projecting a unified identity of Bengali Hindus and Bengali Muslims on both sides of the border and bonding them. Nazrul was an epitome of communal harmony.

One of the first things Mamata Banerjee did on assuming power was the setting up of a humble podium in the protected zone outside the chief minister’s office where she would regularly hold the ritual of paying homage to well-known personalities — from Kishore Kumar to Uttam Kumar,from Swami Vivekananda to Ma Sarada,from Shahid Khudiram to other revolutionaries like Benoy,Badal and Dinesh. It was in keeping with this tradition of iconic symbolism that she went on to name railway stations after the Kolkata Metro had been extended from Tollygunge to Garia. The new stations were called Netaji Subhas,Surya Sen,Geetanjali,Nazrul,Shahid Khudiram and Kabi Subhash. Such steps have been lauded by many as these were in sharp contrast to the Left regime when Bengal’s greats were largely relegated to the background and ignored — even Tagore. It came as a late realisation for the communists in Bengal that they should reassess Tagore and his songs,literature and philosophy.

But in her bid to reclaim Bengal’s cultural symbols to gain political mileage,the Indira-Nazrul controversy has landed Mamata in an uneasy situation on two counts. First,coming as it does close on the heels of the Lokpal fiasco,her move to transform Indira Bhavan into Nazrul academy is being seen by her ally Congress as an attempt to cut it to size and as one that would cause insult to one of its biggest icons — Indira Gandhi. The announcement hurt Congress sentiments,including those of its high command. It is unlikely Mamata was too naïve to understand the political import of such a move. On the other hand,she must have been aware of the constituency she was addressing. Earlier in the state assembly she had announced that,on completion of 100 days in office,she would set up a Nazrul academy for “minority Muslims” — an attribute that Bengali Muslims did not like as many felt Nazrul belonged to both Hindu and Muslim Bengalis. As expected,the Congress’s response to Mamata’s announcement was measured and cautious. It sent a charter of demands to the CM,urging her to retain the name Indira Bhavan. It also demanded the setting up of Nazrul Bhavans in each district and naming the state government’s new secretariat building after Nazrul.

The second blow to Mamata has come from the Bengali Muslim community,including a section of Muslim intellectuals who consider Nazrul’s name is being used to serve political ends. They strongly feel that the politics of symbolism here is devoid of substance. A member of the existing Nazrul Academy has spoken out — that the Nazrul academy to be set up by the new government does not have a single paisa to promote his works,and that this shows the neglect of Nazrul,particularly so when crores of rupees have been spent on the film festival in Kolkata. Removing one iconic figure to make room for another is a distorted,sad attempt,causing insult to both. Other Bengali Muslim organisations have come forward offering Wakf property and funds to be used for a Nazrul academy,instead of infringing on others’. One of the pitfalls of the politics of symbolism is that it tends to get linked with and locked in image politics. One wonders if this time it means much in real terms.

subrata.nagchoudhury@expressindia.com