Hason Raja : The Mystic Bard of Bangladesh

A bard is the person who writes poems and songs. A mystic bard is one who tries to search the truth and become united with God through prayers and meditation. Hason Raja is one of the mystic bards of Bangladesh. He was born in 1854 in a wealthy landlord family in Sylhet. He had not much formal education. He led a luxurious life in his youth. But at a stage, he found all this comfort and joy meaningless. He gave away his landed property, his money and wealth. He began to think deeply about the Creator, about life and death and mankind. He wrote a lot of songs. Some people say that his songs will be about a thousand in number. In 1906 a book of his songs named 'Hason Udash' was published. The book contains 206 songs in it. Hason Raja called himself 'Crazy Hason Raja' or the 'Pagla Hason Raja' in his songs. His songs become popular all over Bangladesh and beyond.