Daulat Uzir Bahram Khan was a medieval Bengali poet. His real name was Asauddin. He was born around the 16th century in Fatehabad or Jafrabad in Chittagong. His father, Mubarak Khan, was a Uzir (minister) of the Chittagong ruler, and his ancestor, Hamid Khan, was the chief minister of Husain Shah, the Sultan of Gaur. After his father’s death at a young age, the Chittagong ruler Nizam Shur appointed him as a minister like his father. He was probably born in Fatehabad or Jafarabad in Chittagong district in the 16th century. Later, he became the finance minister and court poet of Nizam Shah Sur, the ruler of Chittagong. The state capital was Jafrabad, near the present-day Feni River. With Nizam Shah’s patronage, Bahram Khan’s talent flourished, and he composed the poems Layli Majnu and Imam Bijoy. He is considered a pioneer among Muslim scholars in writing poetry in the Bengali language. His poetic manuscripts have been found in the Chittagong, Noakhali, Comilla, and Barisal regions.
Career
Bahram Khan received the title ‘Daulat Uzir’ around 1560. Scholars estimate that Layli Majnu was composed between 1560 and 1575, or around 1669. The poet mentioned that he wrote it while working as a landlord’s employee after Gaur’s subordination ended and Nizam Shah became the ruler. Besides his administrative duties, he left a strong mark in literature. Though he did not study at any educational institution, he was self-taught and proficient in Arabic, Persian, and Sanskrit, as evident from his poetic works.
In medieval Bengali literature The most notable contribution of the Muslim poets is the introduction of romantic love stories, which act as allegories. In the medieval Bengali literature, which was
predominated by religious tales and sermons, these translated classics from Arab and Persian tales bring a new joy to the literary landscape of Bengal. Instead of gods and goddesses, this literature deals with the love, passion, courage, and sufferings of human beings so that those who study it can feel close to that character. Thus, these roaming tales became popular at that time.
Bengali literature before that mostly dealt with Hindu religious practice, but then Muslim poets showed innovation in writing humanistic poetry. This genre of poetry has created a deviation in traditional literature by portraying the love story of man and woman. These Muslim romantic poets expertly painted a picture of a wealthy, loving, beauty-worshiping, life-thirsty man in their poetry.
In the case of the Muslim writer, they do not have room for the imagination of gods and goddesses in the religious ideals of Islam. Therefore, these poets have initiated an independent genre of poetry from outside the religious environment of Bengali literature. These poems, unrelated to religious subjects, have added new thoughts, subjects, and flavors to the literature of Bangladesh, beyond its traditional literary tradition.
Literary Contribution
Shah Muhammad Sagir was one of the earliest Muslim poets in Bengal. He composed the poem Yusuf Zulekha in the late 14th or early 15th century, starting the tradition of love poetry. Daulat Uzir Bahram Khan followed the path laid by him. His famous literary works are Layli-Majnu and Imam Bijoy. Both poems are based on Arabic literature. He translated the Arabic folk tale of Layli-Majnu into Bengali under the patronage of Nizam Shah. Until the 18th century, poetry in this region was dominated by religious themes. Though there were some reflections of everyday life, human emotions were not clearly expressed. Love poems focus more on human emotions. While Hindu poets were writing Mangalkavyas (religious poems), Muslim poets focused on love poetry, often translating stories from Persian and Hindi books into Bengali.Many poets continued this tradition, writing numerous love poems until the 18th century. These poems narrated love and separation between men and women. They were written in poetic metres like payar and tripadi.
Literary Style
The story of Layli-Majnu, based on an Arabic folktale, was previously written in Persian by Amir Khusrau in 1298, Abdur Rahman Jami in 1484, and Abdullah Hatifi in 1531. Daulat Uzir Bahram Khan translated Jami’s version into Bengali. It narrates how Prince Qays fell in love with the merchant’s daughter Layli in his childhood and became known as Majnun (the madman). Layli also felt a deep attraction towards Majnun, but they faced obstacles in their union. Majnun roamed the forests like a madman, while Layli was married off to someone else, though she could not forget Majnun. Their long period of separation ended with their tragic deaths. While Layli-Majnu is essentially a spiritual poem, Bahram Khan’s Bengali translation turned it into a humanistic love poem. His other work, Imam Bijoy, is based on the tragic battle of Karbala in Arabic history. He also wrote Jongnama.
Legacy
Until the 16th century, Bengali literature lacked sophistication. If Layli Majnu had not been written, this deficiency would not have been overcome. Unlike other contemporary works like Chandimangal and Dharmamangal, Layli Majnu exhibits refinement in its language, descriptions, metaphors, and thought process. In grandeur, taste, and poetic beauty, no other work of that era in Bengali literature matches Layli Majnu.