Hason Raja

Painting depicting Hason Raja

Hason Raja (Bangla: হাসন রাজা), literally meaning "Hason the King", was a mystical poet and songwriter from Bengal, now part of modern Bangladesh. Also known as Dewan Hasan (or Hassan) Raja, he was born in 1854 to a traditional Zamindari (landowning) family near Sunamganj, Sylhet Division, although his ancestral home is in Rampasha, Biswanath, Sylhet. Hason's father, Dewan Ali Raja (Choudhury), was a direct descendant of the Hindu King Raja Birendra Singhdev (who later converted to Islam and became known as Babu Khan). Hason's mother was Ali Raja's second wife, Huramat Jahan Begum.

Hason's elder half-brother, Ubeydur Raja, died when Hason was a teenager. The death of Hason's father, Ali Raja, about 40 days later, meant Hason became responsible for overseeing his father's vast property at an early age. Despite his youth when taking on this responsibility, he proved to be a very successful Zamindar, acquiring acres of land and many properties in Sylhet. Yet, despite his financially privileged upbringing, Hason is credited with setting up a number of local schools and religious organisations, and is said to have frequently provided for the poor and needy of his community.

Throughout his youth, hason indulged in material pursuits. But later on in life he came to renounce his materialism and used his new found spirituality to write songs or poems, many of which have religious or philosophical overtones. Hason Raja's songs are in the folk tradition of Bengal that seeks the "ultimate truth" beyond the material world. They include songs such as "Lokey Bole", published in his book of songs, Hason Udas. In recent times, they have been modernised and are very popular in both Bangladesh and West Bengal. This renewed popularity may, in part, be due to the use of his music in dramas and plays written by Bangladeshi writer and producer Humayun Ahmed. Many books have been published about Hason Raja, and there have been several attempts to dramatise his life story in films. Numerous CDs are available with his songs, including contemporary remixes most recently produced by Bangladeshi musician and composer Habib (Habib Wahid).

Hason Raja had four sons, Khan Bahadur Dewan Eklimur Raja Chowdhury (Kabbo Bisharod), Dewan Aftabur Raja, Khan Bahadur Dewan Ganiur Raja, Hasinur Raja's eldest son Dewan Tusinur Raja his eldest son Dewan Mohsin Raja, a Mukti Bahini ("Freedom fighter") who fought during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 - he followed his ancestral roots by writing poems, songs, and drama scripts; he was also a renowned radio artist in the Sylhet Division of Bangladesh. Dewan Mohsin Raja died on the 12th December 2006 in Sunamganj, just after publishing his best selling book.

Dewan Hason Raja donated one third of his property as Waqf in 1918 for the wellbeing of the people and offspring of his beloved son Khan Bahadur Dewan Eklimur Raja, who also followed in Hason Raja's footsteps, writing poetry and songs while acquiring land and property in Sylhet; Eklimur Raja is credited as being the architect of modern poetry from the Sylhet area.

Hason Raja died in 1922, some years before his contribution to the poetry of Bengal was acknowledged in lectures at Oxford University by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.

A charming museum, namely the Museum of Rajas has been established in Hason Raja's anchestral home at Raja-Kunjo, Sylhet, Bangladesh; there, historical exhibits relating to Dewan Hason Raja, Dewan Eklimur Raja, Dewan Moshin Raja and Dewan Toimur Raja, Dewan Talibur Raja, Dewan Towabur Raja, Dewan Saifur Raja (the latter four his grandsons), Sajeda Khatun (his granddaughter), and other respected Raja family members are displayed. The sponsor of this museum is the 'Educationist Dewan Talibur Raja Trust'.

Songs

These are some of the famous songs written by Hason Raja:

Baula Ke Banailo re (Who made the Baul Singer)
Loke Bole Bole Re (People Say)
Matiro Pinjiri (Cage made of Clay)
Nisha Lagilo (Addiction Started)
Sona Bondhe (Dear Beloved)

Translation of Loke Bole Bole Re

People say, they say, my house is no good.
What house will I build?
There's nothing here.

I’ll build a house,
But how long will I stay for?
I look in the mirror,
I see that I have grey hair.

Thinking of this,
Hason Raja hasn’t built a house.
Where will Allah take and keep him,
For that reason he cries.

If Hason Raja knew,<br How long he would live for,
Then he would have built his house and rooms in many colours.

People say, they say my house is no good.
What house will I build,
There's nothing here

Other translations of some of Raja's songs can be found in "100 Songs of Hasan Raja", published by Pathak Shamabesh press in 1999 and written by Edward Yazijian.