July, 1955. After being released from Rajshahi Jail, Kamal Lohani returned to Pabna. But conflict with his guardians began over practicing politics. ‘Practice politics after finishing your studies, we won’t complain, they said. But by that time, Kamal Lohani was fully invested in politics and a follower of Marxism. He dreamed of a glorious revolution. And so, he asked for just 15 taka from his uncle, educationist Tasadduk Lohani, and set out for Dhaka, on a path to the unknown. So started his life struggles.
Upon arriving at Dhaka in August of 1955, with the help of his cousin Fazle Lohani, he joined the ‘Daily Millat’ newspaper as a sub-editor for a salary of 80 taka a month. He started his career in journalism. From then on, every scratch of his pen set off sparks to ignite passion and reflection among his readers.
Though mostly known as Kamal Lohani, his full familial name was Abu Nayeem Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Khan Lohani. His father was Abu Yusuf Mohammad Musa Khan Lohani. His mother was Rokeya Khan Lohani. They lived on the banks of the Jamuna, in Khas Kaulia. After the hungry Jamuna river devoured their home and lands, they settled in the village of Khan Sontola in Ullapara Thana, still in Sirajganj. It was in this Khan Sontola village that on the 26th of June, 1934 – the 11th of Ashar in 1341 in the Bangla calendar – that Kamal Lohani was born.
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When he was about 6-7 years old, his mother passed away. Because they lived in a joint family, instead of keeping him in the village, his father sent him to his childless aunt Salema Khanam in Kolkata. There, he grew up during the time of horrors, during the Second World War, sometimes at home, sometimes in the trenches. The child Kamal Lohani went to school with cotton in his ears, just in case a bomb happened to explode nearby. Out of fear of Japanese bombing runs, the school yard had sandbag bunkers built, with the students instructed to run there at once if the sirens went off.
Time passed, through war, famine, communal riots and the madness of the Partition.
After Partition, in 1948, he came to Pabna. He joined the Pabna Zila School. He stayed with his uncle, writer and educationist Tasadduk Lohani. 1952; it was the year of Matriculation Exams. When the blood spilled in Dhaka on 21st February (Bangla Language Movement) that year reached Pabna, the teenager who had witnessed World War, famine and riots, ran out onto the streets, flush with the vigour of youth, and raised his voice to the sky in protest of the murders, in mass processions. His initiation into politics were during those bloody days of Language Movement on 21st, 22nd and 23rd of February, 1952.
In 1952, he passed his Matriculation Exams. Then he gained admission to Pabna Edward College. Here, he joined the East Pakistan Students’ Union at this college; it was the constant imprisonments due to participating in anti-government movements through the Union that put an end to his institutional education.
After being admitted to Pabna Edward College, when the time came for college elections, at that point, he and a few like-minded people joined together to create the Pioneers’ Front, that is to say, a progressive students’ coalition. They contested the election and achieved a total victory. The members of this Front were engaged in the politics of the progressive anti-communal student organization that was established after the Language Movement, the East Pakistan Students’ Union. Besides political activism, they were also very active in the cultural sphere. And so, Kamal Lohani did not stay away in that regard either. He actively began to get involved in organizing cultural programs. He participated in presenting, compiling writings and performing recitations.
In 1953, the Muslim League Council arranged a program at Pabna’s Jinnah Park (now the Pabna stadium). The Chief Minister of East Bengal at that time, the student killer of 1952 Nurul Amin, Pakistan’s Minister for Security Sardar Abdur Rab Nishtar, central Muslim League leader Khan Abdul Qaiyum, provincial League leader Mohammad Afzal, and many others convened in Pabna to attend. Kamal Lohani participated in the protest against the Muslim League convention, and against student killer Nurul Amin’s arrival in Pabna; and for the first time in his life, he was arrested, alongside teachers and fellow students of Pabna Edward College, and many of Pabna’s political leaders and workers. After spending 7 days at the Pabna Jail, he was released on bail.
In March of 1954, provincial elections were held in East Bengal. Kamal Lohani and all progressive students, participated in electoral outreach on behalf of Jukto Front (Progressive Alliance). On 21st February 1954, for the observation of Martyr’s Day, a cultural program and mass gathering were organized at the Pabna town hall. The spontaneous participation of massive crowds of people sent the League government into a panic, and the arrests started the next day. On the morning of 22nd February, Kamal Lohani was arrested; he was released after the Jukto Front’s massive electoral victory. But the America-supported Pakistan government did not accept this victory. Out of paranoia, on 29th May 1954, under Clause 92-(A) of the Constitution of Pakistan, they enabled ‘gubernatorial rule’ in East Bengal. Major General Iskandar Mirza arrived at East Bengal as its governor and gave the order for mass arrests.
On vacation from college, Kamal Lohani went to his village home. On the 1st of June, he was once again arrested at Khan Sontola village, and after staying at the Ullpara police station jail for the whole day, he was sent to Pabna District Jail at night, under police guard. On Eid day, he started his jail life as a political prisoner at the Pabna Jail. A few days later, he was sent to Rajshahi Central Jail, and in July of 1955, he was released from Rajshahi jail.
In 1955, he joined the East Pakistan Communist Party and became active in national politics. However, when the country was imperilled after the military coup of 1958, Kamal Lohani was forced underground. After some time, when the threat of arrest passed, he again began work at a newspaper. After multiple bans on the Communist Party, at the Party’s instruction, in ‘58, he joined the National Awami Party (NAP) and openly entered politics once more.
At this time, he took an interview of the dance guru G. A. Mannan and published it in a daily newspaper. Here is where dance entered his life. At this time, G. A. Mannan produced ‘Nakshi Kathar Math’, a dance drama at the ‘Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts’, and Kamal Lohani was cast in an important role. In 1959, he toured various provinces of West Pakistan as part of this dance performance. In 1961, he traveled to the Middle East as part of the Pakistan cultural representation team and toured Iran & Iraq.
In 1960, he married his cousin Syeda Dipti Rani, a fellow traveler, who had also been a member of the East Pakistan Student Union at Pabna. At the time, Dipti was doing her Masters in Social Welfare. The pressure of a working life began. Kamal Lohani joined the prestigious newspaper, Daily Azad.
In 1961, when preparations started for the celebration of the hundredth birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, Kamal Lohani became involved in the organization of the celebration along with other progressive cultural activists. As part of the centennial celebrations, he acted as Bajrasen in the dance performance ‘Shyama’ and was lauded for his performance.
While not formally affiliated with Pandit Barin Majumder’s ‘Music College’, established in the ‘60s, he provided full support and assistance to Barin Majumder every step of the way, through to the ‘80s. As part of those efforts, Kamal Lohani involved himself with Pandit Barin Majumder’s singular achievements in organizing the First Pakistan Music Festival at the Engineers’ Institute in 1970, and then the Alauddin Music Festival at Dhaka Stadium in 1972; with program planning, artist selection, presenting on stage and many other responsibilities.
In February of 1962, the students of Dhaka University erupted in protests against the military government. An arrest warrant was issued in Kamal Lohani’s name. In the middle of all this, the Lohanis’ first child, Sagar, was born on the 30th January of 1962. And on that same day, Shaheed Shahrawardy was arrested. The situation became even more critical. On the 13th of February, in the middle of the night, Kamal Lohani was arrested while returning home from the Daily Azad offices. At this time, he was put in Cell no. 26 in Dhaka Central Jail, alongside Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Tajuddin Ahmad, Abul Mansur Ahmed, Ranesh Das Gupta, Tofazzal Hossain Manik Mia, Kafiluddin Chowdhury, Professor Rafiqul Islam, and many more. Student leaders Shah Moazzem, Sheikh Moni, Haider Akhbar Khan Rano and labor leader Nasim Ali were also present there at this time. After three and a half months, Kamal Lohani was released from jail.
In September of 1962, he joined Daily Sangbad as Senior Sub-editor, and was soon promoted to Shift-In-Charge. In 1966, he joined the Pakistan Feature Syndicate, and at the beginning of 1969, he joined Daily Paigam for a short time. Later in 1969, Kamal Lohani joined the Daily Purbodesh of the Observer Group of Publications as the Shift-in-Charge. Later, he was promoted to Chief Sub-Editor. During this time, he was twice elected to be the Joint Secretary of the Journalists’ Union. In 1970, he was elected the General Secretary of the East Pakistan Journalists’ Union.
In 1962, after his brief stint in jail, Kamal Lohani accepted the role of General Secretary at the Chhayanaut, a cultural organization. He performed in this role for four and a half years. In 1967, he left Chhayanaut over ideological differences and established another cultural organization ‘Kranti’, based on Marxist principles. The Kranti was inaugurated at the historic Paltan Maidan (public rally square) on the 22nd and 23rd of February in 1967. He organized the People’s Musical performance ‘Dhaaner Gucche Rokto Jomeche’ (Blood, Gathered among the Rice Stalks). He directed and acted in the play ‘Alo’r Pothojatri’ (Traveller of the Path of Light), and danced as the character of Vivek (Conscience) in the Shilpi Amanul Haq-directed dance performance ‘Jolche Agun Khete O Khamare’ (The fields and farms are burning). He also involved himself with recitals and stage presentations.
In 1967, when Pakistan’s Information Minister Khwaja Shahabuddin gave a speech in Parliament denigrating Bangalee literature and culture, and insulted the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, saying, “He is not anyone related to our literature & culture”, setting off a furious response in East Bengal. The uncompromisingly progressive cultural organizer Kamal Lohani convened an emergency meeting of Kranti to protest; he penned a proposal against this conspiracy. It was based on that proposal, showing extreme courage in the face of military censure, that the News Editor of the Pakistan Observer ABM Musa published the news article ‘Regimentation of Culture?. A concerted movement named ‘Cultural Rights Parishad’ was started against this conspiracy, with Kamal Lohani and Wahidul Haq as co-conveners. The Parishad organized a three-day-long program of Rabindranath’s songs, poems and plays at the Engineers’ Institution auditorium, and despite attacks by non-Bengali thugs on the massive crowds attending, the program ended very successfully.
At the beginning of the ‘60s, as part of the divisions in the international Communist movement, when the East Pakistan Communist Party and the National Awami Party similarly broke apart in 1966 and 1967 respectively, Kamal Lohani left behind party politics and chose the cultural movement and the Journalists’ Trade Union as his battlefields.
In the turbulent times after the elections in 1970, he wrote several fiery editorials in the weekly Swaraj magazine, edited by renowned journalist Faiz Ahmad. His editorial on the mutiny of Bangalee soldiers at the Jaidebpur Cantonment on 19th March of 1971 is notable, having been published in the Swaraj with the headline ‘Righteous Rebellion’. At that time, he was engaged in establishing the ‘Bikkhuddho Shilpi Samaj’ (Outraged Artist Society) by organizing cultural activists and organizations in support of the Liberation War.
After the crackdown of 25th March, killing thousands of innocent lives in a night, the situation deteriorated significantly; at last, at the end of April, he finally decided to join the Liberation War. At the start of May, he reached the Indian border by boat, via Chandina in Comilla. After spending a night in safety in the jail at that place, the next day he arrived at Agartala, the capital of the state of Tripura.
Along with others, Kamal Lohani left Agartala by train, heading to Kolkata. There, he stayed at the Amherst Street house of relatives of fellow passenger, famous footballer Pratap Shankar Hajra. While staying there, Kamal Lohani started to search for ways to actively participate in the Liberation War. At this time, his journalist friend Mohammad Ullah Chowdhury took him to the offices of the ‘Joy Bangla’ newspaper. While working there, he met with Aminul Haque Badshah in front of the Bangladesh Mission.
In a parody of a hijacking, Aminul Haque Badshah forced him into a taxi and took him to Baliganj Circular Road. At the time, preparations were ongoing for the inauguration of the 50-kilowatt medium-wave transmitter for the ‘Shadhin Bangla Betar Kendra’ (Clandestine radio station). The ministers for the government-in-exile of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh had been staying at that house in Baliganj. To allow space for the radio station, they left the building and went elsewhere. Though no conventional equipment and studio facilities existed at this house, this powerful transmitter was still inaugurated here. At the program for this inauguration, Kamal Lohani recited the ‘Bidrohi’ (The Rebel) poem by Kazi Nazrul Islam.
Asfaqur Rahman Khan, T.H. Sikder, Taher Sultan – none of them were engineers, and yet the station was started without any aid from Indians. Those who had begun the ‘Shadhin Bangla Biplobi Betar Kendra’ (Clandestine radio station), none of them had yet arrived at Kolkata. Syed Hasan Imam began reading the news using the pseudonym ‘Saleh Ahmad’. Journalist Kamal Lohani took up the responsibility for running the News Division of the Shadhin Bangla Betar Kendra. But there’s no rest or respite when running a revolutionary radio station. One must do whatever responsibility falls on one’s lap. As such, besides organizing the news division, he lent his voice to newsreading, writing and presenting short write-ups, making announcements, sloganeering, and more. Running a revolutionary radio station meant all were workers, and everyone had to do everything as need arose.
On the 16th of December 1971, in a transcendent moment of victory, the Pakistan army decided to surrender after killing 3 million Bengalee people in a 9-month period. The announcement of that victory was written by Kamal Lohani, and it was in his voice that the victory announcement reached the people of the world.
On the 22nd of December 1971, the government-in-exile of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, popularly known as ‘Mujibnagar government’ was going to return to Dhaka. As such, on the 21st of December, Kamal Lohani returned to Dhaka. Kamal Lohani provided the commentary for the return of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh’ government to Dhaka.
On the 25th of December 1971, he took responsibility for Dhaka Radio. He vowed to rebuild the devastated national radio station. On the 10th of January 1972, Kamal Lohani provided the live commentary for the return home of the great national leader Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Dhaka’s Tejgaon Airport. During Bangabandhu’s Kolkata trip also in February 1972, he also provided the commentary at Domdom Airport.
Even though the country had attained independence, because there had been no changes to the administration, he resigned as the Radio Transcription Director somewhat as a form of silent protest. On the 20th of January 1973, he once again returned to journalism. He joined a new newspaper named ‘Dainik Janapad’. That year, he was elected the President of the Dhaka Journalists’ Union.
In 1974, he left ‘Dainik Janapad’ to join ‘Dainik Bangabarta’. This newspaper, supported by Maulana Bhasani, was led as editor by Fayez Ahmed. About three months later, after the newspaper’s publication ended, Kamal Lohani joined the ‘Dainik Bangla’r Bani’ newspaper as its news editor. That same year, he once again won the Dhaka Journalists’ Union elections and was elected president. In 1974, he directed the drama ‘Jalamukh’, written by journalist Abed Khan, and acted in it as well in the role of a man devastated by oppression. That same year, he also traveled to East Germany, Hungary and Czechoslovakia to sign bilateral agreements.
On the 16th June 1975, the government issued the Newspaper Annulment Ordinance, shutting down the publication of all newspapers except four. Kamal Lohani declined to join BAKSAL (Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League), the sole legal political party in Bangladesh, established by President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
On the 6th of January in 1977, the government appointed him the Managing Editor of ‘Dainik Barta’, published in Rajshahi, compelling him to leave Dhaka. In 1978, he was appointed as the Editor. After becoming Editor, he was appointed as a member in the Presidential Entourage as a Bangladeshi editor for the Commonwealth Conference for Heads of State held at Lusaka, the capital of Zambia. However, despite the then President Ziaur Rahman’s Military Secretary’s suggestion to wear a suit and coat, he refused to give up his forever attire, the panjabi and pajama. As a result, he argued with the Military Secretary and decided not to join the entourage.
In 1981, after a clash of opinions with the then-Minister for Information, he left ‘Dainik Barta’ to join the Bangladesh Press Institute as its Publishing DIrector and and ‘Depthnews Bangladesh’ as its Editor. A few months later, he joined the PIB as an associate editor.
In 1991, during the first caretaker government, he accepted the responsibility of the Director General of the Shilapkala Academy (Academy of Fine Arts). After 16 months in the role, after another clash of ideals with the then-Cultural Minister of State, he returned to the Press Institute of Bangladesh. The Director-General of PIB forcibly sent him into retirement. At this time, alongside his political travels, his cultural struggles began. In 2008, after the victory of the Grand Alliance in the general elections, he once again performed in the role of Director-General of the Shilpakala Academy for two years. He remained attached to several national daily newspapers as the Chief Editor or Advisor.
In the ‘50s, he came to the notice of Badrul Hasan, an organizer and commentator of the time. At his encouragement, Kamal Lohani became increasingly more involved with compilations, recitations and formal readings, which established him in East Bengal’s cultural sphere; he continued to exert a powerful presence in this realm of activity for a very long time.
It was in Dhaka, in the first Bangla (FDC-centered) movie ‘Asiya’, directed by Fateh Lohani, Kamal Lohani participated in a masked dance scene. Afterwards, he participated in the group dance scene in the Ehtesham-directed ‘E Desh Tomar Amar’. Kamal Lohani also acted in ‘Pathor-er Kanna’, directed by Azizur Rahman, but this movie did not find release.
Kamal Lohani was among the key persons behind the establishment of the Rajshahi Art College, founded in 1979, and was its Founding President.
Kamal Lohani served as the Chairman of the National Committee to Re-Establish the Constitution of ‘72.
He served as the General Secretary of the ‘Ekusher Chetona’ Parishad (committee to uphold the spirit of language movement), an Advisor on the Shadhin Bangla Betar Parishad, and as Advisor on both the ‘Ekattor-er Ghatok-Dalal Nirmul Committee’ (an activist committee to bring the war-criminals of 1971 under justice) and the Sommilito Sangskritik Jot.
In 1983, Kamal Lohani became personally involved and created another cultural organization ‘Bangladesh Gonoshilpi Sangstha’, becoming its president. Alongside all of this, he established an arts and culture research & practice circle named ‘Amar Bangla’. He served as the President of the country’s largest progressive cultural organization ‘Bangladesh Udichi Shilpi Goshthi’ for a stretch of four years straight. Finally, he served as president of ‘Brotochari Bangladesh’ and ‘Nobonatto Sangha’.
His published books are ‘Amader Songskriti O Songram’, ‘Amra Harbo Na’, ‘Sotti Kotha Bolte Ki’, ‘Lorai-er Gaan’, ‘Sangskritik Oitijho O Nrittoshilper Bistar’, ‘Muktijuddgo Amar Ohonkar’, E Desh Amar Gorbo’, ‘Muktisongram-e Shadhin Bangla Betar’, ‘Jeno Bhule Na Jai’, ‘Rajniti Muktijuddho Shadhin Bangla Betar’, ‘Drohe Preme Kobitar Moto’ and a poetry collection in ‘Shobder Bidroho’. Yet to be published books include ‘Bhasha Andolon’er Kothokota’, ‘Sangabadikotar Saatkahon’, ‘Keu Vole Na Keu Vole’. Besides all these, the Press Institute of Bangladesh has published ‘Ogrojer Shathe Ekdin’ (One day with the senior journalist) using his own words about his eventful journalistic career in written form. He had finished writing his memoirs.
He has received countless formal honours from numerous organizations at home and from across the world. Notable among these are, the Kolkata Municipality’s Bicentennial Prize, in 1991; the Bangladesh Press Institute’s Freedom Fighter Journalist appellation; Rajshahi Writers’ Forum’s honors; Kranti Sharok – 2003, Rishijo Sommanona. He received the Jahanara Imam Medal and the Bangla Academy Fellowship in 2008. In 2015, Kamal Lohani was awarded one of the highest civilian honors granted in Bangladesh, the Ekushey Medal.
On the 28th of November 2007, the silent inspiration behind his long life of political and cultural struggle, his wife Dipti Lohani passed away, leaving Kamal Lohani alone. The Lohani family had one son and two daughters. All are involved in some manner with Bangladesh’s cultural movement; eldest son Sagar Lohani is a journalist, and involved with film-making; eldest daughter Bannya Lohani directs various social-cultural activities alongside working a full-time job; and youngest daughter Urmi Lohani is also involved in running the online archive Gunijan.com, compiling the life stories and achievements of the country’s most notable peoples, also alongside a full-time job.
Near the end of life, though he had nearly lost his eyesight to glaucoma, he did not lost his energy for work. For 3 years, he continued to write his sharp and incisive articles, with the help of a scribe. Various age-related physical illnesses could not keep him trapped inside the house either. That is why, on the 5th of March 2020, immediately after being released from the hospital, he went straight to Sirajganj (another district), where he was supposed to inaugurate the ‘National Rabindrasangeet Sommelon’ (a tagore song festival) on the 6th of March. After the program’s inauguration, he returned to Dhaka.
Corona ultimately forced him into confinement inside the house. During this time of pandemic, and because of lockdowns, his regular medical treatments were constantly hampered. At one point, on the 17th of May 2020, after his physical condition deteriorated, he was taken to the hospital. In a short time, he overcame the significant decline in the activities of his kidneys and lungs and returned home on the 2nd of June. However, within two weeks, he began to show various symptoms, including difficulty breathing, that led to him being admitted to the hospital on the 17th of June once again. On the morning of 19th June, it was found that he had contracted Covid. He was transferred to the Covid-19 hospital, to its ICU. In the early morning of the 20th, with further decline of his physical health, he was taken on life support.
On 20th June 2020, at 10:20 minutes in the morning, after 85 years 11 months and 24 days of a life spent in political and cultural struggle, and in defying oppression, he breathed his last.
* The Bangla slogan used in the feature photo means, “Echoes of a resplendent life”. – Editor
Bangalianaa: Pioneer
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কামাল লোহানীর জীবনালেখ্য
