Govt officially declares Kazi Nazrul Islam as National Poet of Bangladesh
This decision follows an earlier proposal approved at the Advisory Council meeting held on 5 December last year
The government officially recognised Kazi Nazrul Islam as the National Poet, issuing a gazette notification on Tuesday (24 December).
The Ministry of Cultural Affairs made the announcement formalising a recognition long considered overdue.
This decision follows an earlier proposal approved at the Advisory Council meeting held on 5 December last year, suggesting the National Poet status be retroactively effective from 4 May 1972.
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Kazi Nazrul Islam, widely revered as the "Rebel Poet," was brought to Dhaka from Kolkata with his family on 24 May 1972. The government allocated him residence at 330-B, Road 28 (Old), Dhanmondi, to honour his contributions.
In a further gesture of respect, Nazrul was granted Bangladeshi citizenship on 18 February 1976 and was also awarded the prestigious Ekushey Padak the same year.
The Kazi Nazrul Islam Institute Act of 2018 officially addressed him as the National Poet, though an official gazette notification was pending for a long time.
The history of recognising Nazrul as a central cultural figure dates back to 10 December 1929, when he was honoured as the "National Poet" and "National Helmsman" at Albert Hall in Kolkata.
The event was attended by luminaries such as Subhas Chandra Bose, Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray, S Wazed Ali, and Dinesh Chandra Das, representing the collective admiration of the Bengali community.
Since Bangladesh's independence, successive presidents, prime ministers, and chief advisors have referred to Nazrul as the National Poet in official statements during celebrations of his birth anniversary. Despite widespread acceptance of his status, the absence of a formal declaration had long been noted.
In June 2022, Supreme Court lawyer Asad Uddin and nine others filed a writ petition seeking the publication of a gazette officially recognising Nazrul as the National Poet.
Responding to the petition, the High Court issued a rule questioning why the directive should not be enforced and instructed the Secretary of Cultural Affairs, the Director-General of Bangla Academy, and the Executive Director of the Nazrul Institute to respond within four weeks.
This gazette notification marks a historic moment, solidifying Kazi Nazrul Islam's role as a beacon of cultural identity and resistance for the nation.
