Kazu Nazrul Islam's Birth Anniversary

Kazi Nazrul Islam, born on 24 May, 1899, in Churulia, Bengal [now in West Bengal, India], was an influential and prolific Bengali poet and anti-imperial activist. He was known as Bidrohi Kobi (“Rebel Poet”) because of his revolutionary activities and participation in the Indian Independence Movement. His literary output includes poems, songs, short stories, novels, essays, and plays. Nazrul Islam significantly contributed to Bengali music with between 2,000 and 4,000 musical compositions collectively known as Nazrul Geeti (“Songs of Nazrul”). His writings are admired for their themes of freedom, social justice, gender equality, and communal harmony. He migrated to Bangladesh in 1972 and was later named the country’s national poet.