Bidrohi (poem)

For other uses, see Bidrohi (disambiguation).

"Bidrohi" (Bengali: "বিদ্রোহী"; English: "The Rebel") is a popular revolutionary Bengali poem and the most famous poem written by Kazi Nazrul Islam in December 1921.^[1][2][3] Originally published in several periodicals, the poem was first collected in October 1922 in a volume titled Agnibeena: the first anthology of Nazrul's poems. Many have seen, in this poem, elements of romanticism, heroism, and love.^[4][5][6] Syed Ali Ahsan wrote that the poem was inspired by Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself".^[1]

Bidrohi
by Kazi Nazrul Islam
First edition cover of the book Agnibeena (1922), where the poem was first published.
Original title	বিদ্রোহী
Written	December 1921
First published in	6 January 1922
Country	British India
Language	Bengali
Subject(s)	Rebellion, protest
Genre(s)	Rebel Poetry
Publisher	Bijli
Lines	139

Literary style

Young Nazrul, writer of the poem, in-front of the Dalmadal Canon in Bishnupur, Bankura.

This poem, through which Nazrul celebrated human creative powers, asserted his affirmation of the individual human capacity for heroic action and human unity and solemnly called for rebellion against all forms of oppression (including that of the British in India) elevated him to the status of a national figure.^[7] He included literary elements from Hindu, Islamic and Greek mythology in this poem.^[4]

Publication history

Upon returning from the first world war in 1919, Kazi Nazrul Islam started living in Kolkata along with his close friend Muzaffar Ahmed. In December 1921, while they were living at Taltala Lane in Kolkata, Nazrul wrote the poem. According to Muzaffar Ahmed, the poem was first published on 6 January 1922 in weekly Bijli Magazine. Upon its release, the poem gained widespread popularity and some other magazines also published the poem including The Moslem Bharat, Prabashi, Modhumati, and Shadhana magazine.^[8]

The poem was first collected in October 1922 along with other 11 poems in the book Agneebina published from Arya Publishing House.^[9]

100 Years celebration

2021 marked the 100th year of the poem. The poem's centennial was celebrated around the world including Bangladesh and West Bengal.^[2][3]

Few lines from Bidrohi

Last stanza

Weary of struggles, I, the great rebel,
Shall rest in quiet only when I find
The sky and the air free of the piteous groans of the oppressed.
Only when the battle fields are cleared of jingling bloody sabres
Shall I, weary of struggles, rest in quiet,
I am the rebel eternal,
I raise my head beyond this world and ,

High, ever erect and alone! “(Last stanza)”^[10] (English translation by Kabir Choudhary)

Popular culture

This poem is directly referenced by the 1995 song Rebel Warrior by Asian Dub Foundation.