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.
