The New Nation - Internet Edition

Entertainment Report

Today is Bhadra 12, 1415. The 32nd death anniversary of our national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam is today. He died on August 29, 1976.

To mark the day Nazrul Institute has organised a four-day long programmes. Children art, music and recitation competition on Nazrul was held at the Institute premises yesterday. Today the Nazrul Memorial Centre at Darirampur and Kazir Simla in Trishal in Mymensingh to be inaugurated by the Cultural Affairs Adviser Rasheda K Choudhury. Prof Rafiqul Islam, Chairman of Nazrul Instutute Trustee Board, Prof M Shamsur Rahman, Vice Chancellor of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam University, among others, will be present on the occasion.

Besides, BTV, Bangladesh Betar and different television channels and radio channels will broadcast and air various programmes to mark the day.

Kazi Nazrul Islam was a Bengali poet, musician, revolutionary and philosopher who pioneered poetic works espousing intense spiritual rebellion against orthodoxy and oppression. His poetry and nationalist activism earned him the popular title of 'Bidrohi Kobi' (Rebel Poet). Accomplishing a large body of acclaimed works through his life, Nazrul is officially recognised as the national poet of Bangladesh and commemorated in India.

Born into a poor Muslim family in May 25, 1899, Nazrul received religious education and worked as a 'muezzin' at a local mosque. He learned of poetry, drama, and literature while working with theatrical groups. After serving in the British Indian Army, Nazrul established himself as a journalist in Kolkata (then Calcutta). He assailed the British Raj in India and preached revolution through his poetic works, such as 'Bidrohi' (The Rebel) and 'Bhangar Gaan' (The Song of Destruction), as well as his publication 'Dhumketu' (The Comet). His impassioned activism in the Indian independence movement often led to his imprisonment by British authorities. While in prison, Nazrul wrote the 'Rajbandir Jabanbandi' (Deposition of a Political Prisoner). Nazrul's writings explore themes such as love, freedom, and revolution; he opposed all bigotry, including religious and gender. Throughout his career, Nazrul wrote short stories, novels, and essays but is best-known for his poems, in which he pioneered new forms such as Bengali ghazals. Nazrul wrote and composed music for his nearly 4,000 songs (including gramophone records), collectively known as Nazrul geeti (Nazrul songs), which are widely popular today. At the age of 43 (in 1942) he began suffering from an unknown disease, losing his voice and memory. What was later diagnosed as Pick's Disease, caused Nazrul's health to decline steadily and forced him to live in isolation for many years. Invited by the Government of Bangladesh, Nazrul and his family moved to Dhaka in 1972, where he died four years later.

Nazrul pioneered new styles and expressed radical ideas and emotions in a large body of work. Scholars credit him for spearheading a cultural renaissance in Muslim-majority Bengal, "liberating" poetry and literature in Bengali from its medieval mould. Nazrul was awarded the Jagattarini Gold Medal in 1945 - the highest honour for work in Bengali literature by the University of Calcutta - and awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honours in 1960. The Government of Bangladesh conferred upon him the status of being the 'National Poet.' He was awarded the Ekushey Padak by the Government of Bangladesh. He was awarded Honorary D.Litt by Dhaka University. Many centres of learning and culture in India and Bangladesh have been founded and dedicated to his memory. The Nazrul Endowment is one of several scholarly institutions established to preserve and expound upon his thoughts and philosophy, as well as the preservation and analysis of the large and diverse collection of his works. The Bangladesh Nazrul Sena is a large public organisation working for the education of children throughout the country.