The birth anniversary of Kazi Nazrul Islam was observed in the state with due solemnity.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee paid rich tribute to Nazrul on his birth anniversary and said a university has been named after him along with a greenfield airport in Andal. Nazrul Tirtha has come up in New Town and Nazul Academy has come up to carry out research on him. “Nazrul is a part of our lives,” she maintained.
Advertisement
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee paid rich tributes to Nazrul and sang a song composed by him at Rabindra Sadan. Indranil Sen, state information and cultural affairs minister was by her side. Sen is a well-known singer. It may be recalled that she had sung a duet with Sen to pay tribute to Tagore at a function on Cathedral Road.
Firhad Hakim, state urban development and municipal affairs minister, garlanded a portrait of Nazrul at Nabana, the state administrative headquarters. He said Nazrul stands for communal harmony and peace. Through his poems he protested against oppression , social inequality and religious fanaticism.
The birth anniversary of the poet was observed in his native village in Churulia. In Kolkata several programmes were held to pay tribute to Rabindranath Tagore and Nazrul. Songs of the poets were sung and poems written by them were recited. Speakers said study of Nazrul’s writings on communal peace and harmony is the need of the hour.
Nazrul was a composer, music teacher, singer and even acted in Bengali feature film Dhruba. He had joined the British Army during World War-I. He had written several Shyamasangeet and his deep spiritual insight led to his philosophy on communal peace and harmony