State govt pays tribute to the rebel poet

Kolkata: The state government offered a befitting tribute to poet Kazi Nazrul Islam on his 120th birth anniversary, through a programme at Nazrul Tirtha in New Town.

The programme, organised by the state Information and Cultural Affairs department, coincided with the completion of five years of Nazrul Tirtha that was inaugurated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on this day in 2014.

State Urban Development and Municipal Affairs minister Firhad Hakim, minister of state for Information and Cultural Affairs Indranil Sen and poet Joy Goswami attended the programme to commemorate the poet's birth anniversary. Eminent personalities in different fields were handed over prizes during the occasion.

"Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam will always remain in our heart. It is because of them that we boast of our rich culture. We should not forget that it was Nazrul Islam who preached the message of unity among the Hindus and the Muslims through his poem (Mora Eki Brinte Duti Kusum Hindu Musalman)," Hakim said in his address.

Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had tweeted, paying her tribute to the poet.

Nazrul Tirtha (Nazrul Pilgrimage) is a cultural and educational centre dedicated to the rebel poet. The centre is situated at Action Area 1, New Town. The design and architecture of the centre is said to be unique in Kolkata and bears the signature material of controversial Swiss-born French architect Le Corbusier.

The architectural language has been developed to express the personality of Kazi Nazrul Islam, designed by architect Abin Chaudhuri. At present, the cultural centre is functioning partly as a cinema hall and partly as an open air theatre for exhibitions and live performances.