Kolkata: State government will observe the 119th birth anniversary of Kazi Nazrul Islam in a befitting manner at Nazrul Tirtha.
Senior officials of Housing Infrastructure Development (HIDCO) will garland the statue of Nazrul.
Later, a function will be held, which will be attended by Bratya Basu, state minister for Information Technology, Purnendu Basu, state minister for Technical Education and Indranil Sen, minister of state for Information and Cultural Affairs will be present.
The ministers will give away prizes to the recipients selected by different Academy. There will be a cultural show that will be attended by Nazrul Geeti exponents.
On June 1, Chayanat Kolkata will organise a three-day Nazrul Mela at Nazrul Tirtha. Artists from Kolkata and Bangladesh will take part in the programme. Two hundred elocutionists will recite "Bidrohi" by Nazrul. This is for the first time when such a venture is taken up. Nazrul was called the Rebel poet. Nazrul Tirtha has a Nazrul archive, museum and library. The library is the first of its kind in the state.
All the original books of Nazrul that have become out of print and those lying in different libraries in Kolkata have been digitised.
The library has 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 are 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 due to 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.