When is Kazi Nazrul Islam Jayanti?
Kazi Nazrul Islam Jayanti is a regional public holiday in the Indian state of Tripura on or close to May 25th.
This holiday celebrates the life of a famous poet, musician and revolutionary who was born in 1899.
History of Kazi Nazrul Islam Jayanti
Nazrul Islam was born into a Bengali Muslim family on May 24th 1899. During his youth, Kazi Nazrul Islam served as muezzin ( the person who recites the call to prayer) at a local mosque where his father Kazi Faqeer Ahmed was the imam and caretaker.
He gained an interest in the arts while working with a rural theatrical group. After serving in the British Indian Army in the Middle East (Mesopotamian campaign) during the first world war, he moved to Calcutta (Kolkata) to work as a journalist, where he fermented his social and nationalist views.
Inspired by left-wing ideology, Nazrul gained the nickname, the "Rebel Poet". His writings explore themes such as love, romance, freedom, spiritualism, nature and revolution; he opposed all bigotry, whether religious or gender based. Throughout his career, Nazrul wrote short stories, novels, and essays but is best known for his poems and songs. Nazrul wrote and composed music for nearly 4,000 songs, collectively known as 'Nazrul Geeti' (Nazrul Songs), which still remain popular among Bengali speaking people.
The birth anniversary of the "Rebel Poet" is also celebrated in the neighbouring country of Bangladesh. Nazrul Islam's work was a source of inspiration for the Bangladesh independence movement.
In his 40s, Nazrul began losing his voice and memory due to an, which was later diagnosed as a rare disease called Pick's disease. This incurable neurodegenerative disease caused a decline in Nazrul's health and forced him to live in isolation in India. Nazrul and his family moved to Bangladesh at that government’s invitation in 1972, who also conferred upon him the status of "national poet".
He died four years later on August 29th 1976.
