Kobial Ramesh Shil’s poetry kindled fire of rebellion

"You waged Language Movement,

And turned Dhaka red with blood, my brother.

In the British era, they used to shoot below the knee

Now in an independent country,

They shoot in the head...They shoot in the head."

The song by Kobial Ramesh Shil became widely popular in 1952, with the "Kobial" (bard in English) himself eventually attaining legendary status.

At the observance of Martyrs' Day in 1953, journalist Obaidul Haque toured Chattogram city on a horse carriage and sang this song. Ramesh's songs spread quickly in this way and reduced the popularity of the ruling Muslim League in Chattogram, noted an article in the Azadi, a Chattogram-based daily newspaper, in its 35th anniversary issue in 1995.

After the tragedy of 21 February 1952, several songs composed by Ramesh, who took an active part in the Language Movement, imbued the people of the country with patriotism.

When the then chief minister of East Pakistan Nurul Amin visited Chattogram in 1954, he faced severe protests by the people. Ramesh composed a satirical song on that event, which became famous. The Pakistani government arrested Ramesh because of that song.

The central government also banned his book, "Vote Rahashya (Vote Mystery)", and kept him imprisoned for a long time.

Ramesh's allowance as a literary figure was stopped in 1958 for opposing the military regime of Pakistan.

While he was in a Dhaka prison that year, his fellow prisoners accorded him a reception for his role in the movement against the oppressive regime.

Ramesh Shil and Fani Barua's poetry and song sessions titled "Juddha and Shanti (War and Peace)" became very popular at that time.

Language Movement activist Ahmed Rafiq said in one of his interviews, "The poems of Ramesh Shil and Fani Barua evolved into such a modern form! I sat on mats in the courtyard of Ishwar Pathshala and listened to those all night. Those Pala Gaans (a form of folk music) were awesome."

Kobial Ramesh Shil was born in 1877 in the village of Gomdandi under Boalkhali police station in Chattogram. When he was in the fourth grade, Ramesh lost his Father Chandicharan Shil and suffered a lot of hardship in his childhood as he had to undertake all responsibilities of his family. Initially, Ramesh took up his father's profession – hairdressing – to meet his family's needs.

Ramesh wrote about his condition at the time in this way: "I am the boy, the director, and the guardian of my own self; there is no one else. I sell my mother's ornaments to buy food."

At one point in his life, Ramesh went to Rangoon, Burma (now Myanmar), in search of fortune. There he started working as a store employee and later became a shop owner.

But because of his love for his homeland, he returned to his village within five years. He started working as a Kabiraj (a practitioner of traditional medicine) in the village along with his hairdressing work. While doing this, he became very fond of "Kobigaan" or song-poems. 

At first, he started composing song-poems in the traditional way, but later he revolutionised the style of this genre. He also wrote a lot of songs praising the Maizbhandari order of Sufism.

Till the end of his life, people remained central to Ramesh's poetry. He wrote of his dream of improving the human condition, which earned him people's love and respect as well as awards and recognitions.

He was honoured with civic receptions at Bulbul Lalitakala Academy in Dhaka in 1962 and in Chattogram in 1964, but he always was indifferent to such recognition. He worked against oppressive regimes throughout his life and died on 6 April 1967.

A TBS-Nagad initiative.