At the heart of Nazrul's melodies

Secularism and equality in Nazrul's work:

Khairul Anam Shakil: Since the time of the anti-British movement, Nazrul realised the crying need for communal harmony. He believed the foundation for a peaceful and prosperous society lay on the society's ability to treat people fairly, irrespective of religion and race. He has also lamented the lack of mutual respect between religion and other communities, two forces that he contributed as vital to the development of the subcontinent. He felt it was his responsibility to urge for such an idealistic harmony, and he continued doing that for as long as he wrote.

Nasima Shahin: Even now, Nazrul's vision can sometimes be ahead of its time. Many people still misinterpret his messages of equality and coexistence. It startles me how he could have written and composed such songs and poems at that time. It surprises me more how people can listen to Nazrul's words and not be moved by them towards building a more tolerant and accepting society.

Khairul Anam Shakil: Nazrul always used his work to fight against all forms oppression be it social or political; defending any class of people he saw as being oppressed, whether they be the exploited labourer or repressed women.

The influence of religious subjects in Nazrul's writings:

Khairul Anam Shakil: Nazrul lived a life of struggle. To shoulder responsibility for his family's upkeep at a very early age, he became a muazzen at a mosque where he gathered knowledge about Islam. Then he joined the leto singing group, where he picked up the skill of writing songs instantly on any given subject. That is what I think prompted his massive volume of work over a relatively short time-span.

Nasima Shahin: He had a lot of respect for all religions; he learnt about them, and wrote both Hamd-Naat and Shyama Sangeet -- songs of praise for both Muslims and Hindus respectively.

Khairul Anam Shakil: And it was not just about religion. Nazrul always looked to gain knowledge; He learnt about the Bengali literature and music in great depths.

Nazrul sangeet's popularity today:

Nasima Shahin: There is actually a lot of work going on with Nazrul's compositions. Artistes are now travelling to far corners in the country spreading the music. Their work has not been highlighted much in popular media. The reason probably is that Nazrul's music is a little more intricate, and often not easy to master. One needs some musical training and knowledge to sing and appreciate the music.

Khairul Anam Shakil: I agree. The thing about a lot of Nazrul songs is that they are not very easy to sing-along. Even as a listener, to appreciate the whole volume of Nazrul's works, you need to be musically educated or have appreciation for classical based music. He wrote Bangla ghazals, various sub-genres of folk songs, including bhawaiyya, bhatiali and jhumur. You'll see the songs that have comparatively “easier” tunes are more popular. But Nazrul consciously prioritised the composition and musical aspects of his songs over the lyrics, and that is how I believe he has enriched Bengali music so much.