Mamata pays rich tributes to rebel poet Kazi Nazrul Islam on his 126th birth anniversary
The Statesman | 27 May 2025
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress Party chief Mamata Banerjee on Monday paid rich tributes to rebel poet Kazi Nazrul Islam on his 126th birth anniversary.
“We are two buds on the same stem, Hindu and Muslim.” I offer heartfelt tribute to the rebellious poet Kazi Nazrul Islam on his birth anniversary,” Ms Banerjee said in a post shared on her WhatsApp channel.
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Kazi Nazrul Islam, a poet, writer, musician, and social revolutionary of India-Bangladesh origin, known for his themes and poems on freedom, humanity, love, religious devotion, and rebellion against human atrocities had through his poetry raised his voice against caste, gender, religiosity, feudalism, and colonial rule.
Kazi Nazrul Islam’s most revolutionary poem is widely considered to be Bidrohi (The Rebel). This poem, written in December 1921, became a cornerstone of his legacy and the Bengali language, expressing a defiant spirit against oppression and injustice.
Due to his revolutionary activities, the British government banned many of his books and also imprisoned him.
“In memory of the poet, we have established Kazi Nazrul University in Asansol near his birthplace. We have also named our Greenfield Airport in Andal as Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport,” said Ms Banerjee in her post.
“As a tribute to him, we have created ‘Nazrul Tirtha’ and ‘West Bengal Kazi Nazrul Islam Academy’. We have published various research books on the poet. The poet is eternally memorable to us, a guiding force in times of crisis!”