The 94th death anniversary of Hason Raja, a Bengali poet, mystic philosopher and songwriter from Sylhet, will be observed today. To commemorate the death anniversary, different cultural organisations are arranging various programmes countrywide to recall the life and works of Hason Raja.
The mystic poet and folk singer Dewan Hason Raja Chowdhury (Hason Raja) was born on 7 Paush 1261 Bangla (22 December 1854) in a rich family in the village of Lakshmansree in the present Sunamganj district of Bangladesh. Despite having no formal education, Hason Raja founded Hason Middle English (ME) School and set up a number of religious organisations. Hason Raja composed about 1,000 mystic songs in regional dialects and simple but engaging tunes. Hason Raja died on December 6, 1922.
Till date a number of books have been published from both Bangladesh and India on his life and work. A feature film titled ‘Hason Raja’ was also released in Bangladesh, UK and USA in 2002.