A mystic bard of Bangladesh
A bard is one who tries to search the Truth and become united
with God through prayer and meditation and a bard writes poems and songs. Hason
Raja known as Dewan Hason Raja, was a Bengali poet, a mystic bard and folksongs
writer and composer. He was born in 1854 in a wealthy landlord’s family in
Sylhet. He did not receive much formal education. In his youth, he led a life
of luxury. He had everything- money, comfort and pleasure. At one time he
understood that all these things are meaningless. Dewan Hason Raja donated the
vast of land properties for the well-being of the people. He started to think
deeply about the Creator, about life, death and mankind. He wrote a lot of
songs, perhaps about a thousand in number. His book called ‘Hason Udash’ was
published in 1906. The book had 206 songs in it. In his songs Hason called himself
‘Crazy Hason’ or the ‘Pagla Hason Raja’. A volume called ‘Hason Raja Samagra’,
a complete Works of Hason Raja, was also published. The
book contained 500 poems and songs. Some of the songs were written by the poet
in Hindi. Hason Raja’s songs were always popular in Sylhet. But very soon they
spread all over Bangladesh and beyond. In India’s West Bengal, some eminent
folk singers made Hason’s songs popular. He gained international recognition
few years after his death. This great mystic bard died in 1922. ‘Kunjo’, the Museum
of Hason Raja, is in Sylhet in Bangladesh. Many historical exhibits of Hason
Raja are displayed in the Museum. The sponsor of this spectacular Museum of
Hasan Raja is ‘Educationist Dewan Talibur Raja Trust’. We are proud of this
mystic bard of Bangladesh.
