Nabajug, The

Nabajug, The single-page evening daily published from Kolkata from 12 July 1920. The Daily Nabajug was a liberal, secular and mass-oriented newspaper. Its price was one paisa. Its owner-cum-director was ak fazlul huq. kazi nazrul islam and (comrade) muzaffar ahmed were its editors. The name of the director was printed on the top of the newspaper, but the names of the two editors remained unmentioned. The name of the paper, Nabajug or new age, was given by Qazi Nazrul Islam. Nazrul Islam's fiery, anti-British editorials animated all classes of people. The price of the paper and Nazrul Islam's editorials and poetry made the paper immensely popular with the masses, though many bhadralok made joke at its price and contents. Soon the Nabajug incurred the wrath of the government. It was warned by the government twice or thrice, but while its fiery tone remained unabated, the paper was banned and security forefeited. Soon it was restarted, but bad days came again when dispute arose between Fazlul Huq and the two editors, who resigned and the' paper closed down again. In 1942 Nabajug was again published under the initiative of Fazlul Huq, then Chief Minister of Bengal. Nazrul Islam took the role of editor. When the poet fell ill, Maulana Ahmed Ali of Khulna took over as its editor. Nabajug continued to be published for two years and then ceased publication for good. Nazrul's book Jugabani (1922) is a compilation of some of his editorials and essays published in the Nabajug. This book too was proscribed for some time. [Ali Nawaz]