Firhad Hakim to inaugurate digital library on 'Rebel Poet' at Nazrul Tirtha

Kolkata: Firhad Hakim, state Urban Development minister will inaugurate a digital library on Kazi Nazrul at Nazrul Tirtha in New Town on Wednesday.

The library will be first of its kind in the state.

Initially, all the original books of Nazrul that have become out of print and are lying in different libraries in Kolkata have been digitised.

The library will have the first prints of Nazrul's own books, manuscripts, notations of Nazrul's songs, advertisements and booklets of his records, photos of records, interviews of Nazrul scholars. There will be scripts of dramas where Nazrul songs have been used, copies of Betar Jagat, the magazine of AIR where he had worked. There will be magazines edited by Nazrul as well.

Though Nazrul did not have any formal education, he became famous as a poet at the age of 20 and was known as the "Rebel Poet". He was imprisoned for his criticism of the British rule and many of his poetry books like Agnibina and Bisher Bashi were banned by the British. His criticism of communalism was reflected in his poems and essays.

Nazrul was a brilliant music teacher, composer and singer. The 78 rpm discs of Nazrul's songs by Megaphone Records and Hindusthan Records recorded highest sale between 1935 and 1939. The revolutionaries sang his songs which criticised the oppression of British rule. Some of the Shyama Sangeets composed by him became immensely popular. Nazrul had a cordial relation with Rabindranath Tagore and on the latter's death in 1941, he wrote a poem on him. On the day of Tagore's funeral, the recitation was aired on AIR.

The digital library will be extremely beneficial to those who are carrying out research on Nazrul.

The digital archive will have six computers and one server and will be placed in the same room housing the library.

It may be recalled that after coming to power in 2011, Mamata Banerjee laid the foundation stone of a university named after Nazrul. Nazrul Tirtha was set up to carry out research on him. Cultural shows and seminars and symposia on his life and work are organised to celebrate the birth anniversary of the poet all over the state.