Nazrul Geeti or the songs of Nazrul Islam are inextricably intertwined with the life and spirit of Bengal. He was and still is one of the most popular composers of songs in the Bengali language.

Nazrul Islam was born on 24th May, 1899 in Churuliya, a village in Burdwan. His parents were Phakir Ahmed and Zaheda Khatoon. He lost his parents at a tender age. Since then, he had to face lot of hardships and grew up amidst object poverty. His life was so full of miscries that he was called Dukhu Miyan by his kith and kin. The turm Dukhu is derived from 'Dukha,' a Bengali word which means sorrow.

Since his childhood, Nazrul was very religious-minded. Throughout his life, his creative soul was chiefly inspired by this spiritual inclination. He was a humanitarian poet and his cosmopolitan outlook did not allow him to get confined within the limits of one particular religion or community. When he went to the mosque, he worshipped Allah and the pir or the Muslim saint. Again, he had deep respect for Hinduism and other religions as well. For instance, he was also found to worship Radha-Krishna and Goddess Kali with sincere devotion at times. Nazrul was primarily known as a poet par excellence. But he was no less renowned as a lyricist and music composer. His immortal creations have been imprinted in the minds of the connoisseurs of music with an indelible ink.

The patriotic songs of Nazrul were steeped in the spirit of nationalism and chivalry which were instrumental in boosting up the sagging spirits of the Bengalees and inspire them to participate in the freedom struggle. On the other hand, he showed equal dexterity in composing devotional songs as Bhajan, Shyama Sangeet etc. which would enlighten the hearts of the listeners with a deeply religious feeling. The manifold aspects of Nazrul's songs are given below:

Swadeshi Sangeet

Swadeshi Sangeet or patriotic songs was a sphere in which Nazrul had shown unprecedented skill and versatility. He composed umpteen 'Bhairavi' or 'Jagarani' songs which would set the adrenalin flowing and charge up the bubbling youth of the nation to usher a new era by driving out the British from India. He had, as if, taken the solemn oath to sing for the suffering, tortured and suppressed people and to emancipate mother India from the shackles of British rule. His gallant songs served as tonic to inspire the nonchalant Indians to participate in the freedom struggle. Nazrul was deeply shocked to see that Indians fought among themselves on flimsy grounds as religion, caste, community etc. The Hindus and Muslims who were supposed to live as brothers, drawing nourishment from the same soil and water since aeons, were always spewing venom at each other and acted as sworn enemies. This hurt the humanitarian poet Nazrul and his heart bled profusely. Through his patriotic songs he lashed the dormant conscience of the Hindus and Muslims and tried to inspire them to rise above all petty sentiments and religious bigotry. His gallant songs along with those of Rabindranath, kept the patriotic spirit burning. These songs of Nazrul were not merely patriotic laudings mother India but were imbued with the chivalrous spirit and gave a call to the Indians to put up a united resistance to eradicate the British from India. Such was the magical effect of Nazrul's 'Swadeshi' songs on the freedom fighters that they used to sing his songs to remain undaunted even when they were thrown into the gallows by the British rulers.

Ghazals of Nazrul

Nazrul's ghazals are simply unparalleled. Before him, no other lyricist could even dream of composing such exquisite ghazals in Bengali. He made the Bengali songs sound more kin to ghazals by inserting Arabic and Persian words in it. His poetic songs have been kint brilliantly with wonderful phonetic combination of Arabic and Persian languages and are often tinged with sweet and subtle Arabic melody. One ideal example of such an exquisite song is "Rum Jhum Jhum Jhum Rum Jhum Jhum / Khejur Patar Nupur Bajaye Ke Jai." Besides these, some of his songs are also influenced by Egyptian and Cuban music at times.

Folk Music

Nazrul was equally adept in composing Baul songs, Bhatiyali, Ramprasadi, Jhumur, Santhali and several other types of songs. Keeping the folk tune intact, he has made a wonderful medly of lyrics and music. 

Shyama Sangeet

Nazrul also showed his process as a composor of devotional songs. His 'Shyama Sangeet' or songs devoted to Godess Kali are tinged with sincere religious ferover. Nazrul was so impressed with this Hindu Goddess that he even worshipped Goddess Kali with utmost sincerity and devotion. Some of his spectacular songs devoted to the mother goddess are 'Amar Kalo Meyer Payer Talai, Dekhe Ja Alor Nachan,' 'Mahakaler Kole BosheGauri Holo Mahakali' etc. These songs are not only spiritual in essence but are equally refulgent in poetic virtues. Nazrul had also composed some unique Bhajans on Lord Krishna and Radha which are simply unparalleled.

Classical Songs

Nazrul had in-depth knowledge of Indian classical music. He experimented with a wide range of Ragas and Raginis. He reserved many of those Ragas which were not much in vogue and were getting extinct. Accordingly, he composed some beautiful songs in Asha Bhairavi, Roop Manjari, Udaasi Bhairavi, Arun Bhairav, Sandhya-Maloti etc. Besides these, Nazrul composed a few songs for the monsoon season such as 'Elo Ki Shyamal Piya,' 'Kajari Gahiya Esho' etc.

Nazrul's life as a lyricist and music composer lasted for twenty two years. From 1921 - 1926, he wrote those firy patriotic songs. Most of these songs were based on ghazals. After this, he went on composing Shyama Sangeet, Kirtan, Baul songs etc. till 1940. For the next two years, he had dedicated himself in composing songs based on certain exquisite Ragas till he lost his power of speech. He even gave birth to some new Raginis. Notable among them are Sandhya Malati, Debjani, Meenakshi, Dolan Champa, Sankari, Bankuntala, Renuka, Roopmanjari, Rudra Bhairav, Shiva Saraswati, Yogini, Neerjharani, Shivani Bhairavi, Arun Bhairavi etc.

Islamic songs were introduced by Nazrul Islam to Bengali language. Through his Bengali songs, he spread the message of the Quran and the high ideals of Islam.
When it comes to chorus songs, Nazrul had even surpassed the likes of D.L. Roy, Atul Prasad and the versatile Rabindranath. Nazrul's chorus songs were imbued with intense patriotic fevour and spirit of chivalry which inspired the freedom fighters to sacrifice their lives for the freedom of mother India. The phonetic effect, rhythm and music of his chorus songs make them distinctly stand out from the others.

Comic Songs

Nazrul had also composed several comic songs. He was prickly and satirical when social evils, hypocrisy and political bondage under foreign rulers euraged him. He who wrote in fun, "Kaho Priye Kemone Ey Rajani Katai? Kohite Sarame Badhe, Tamaku Je Nai." (How shall I spend the might my love; tell me without tobacco?) could aim satinical shafts at the Simon Commission Report, The Round Table Conference and the Bill for Dominion Stants.

The poison of communalism and blind adherence to caste, customs and conventions prevailing in the country aroused his ire. He was connected with the Gramophone Company. Several of his lighter songs were recorded in discs by HMV.