In a major move, the interim government has finally declared Kazi Nazrul Islam as Bangladesh`s National Poet and released an official gazette confirming the decision.
The announcement was made public by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs last Sunday, December 15.
According to the gazette, Kazi Nazrul Islam was brought to Dhaka from Kolkata with his family on May 24, 1972.
The government provided him with a residence at 330-B, Road No. 28 (Old), Dhanmondi. On February 18, 1976, Nazrul was granted Bangladeshi citizenship and honored with the prestigious Ekushey Padak that same year.
After his passing, he was buried with full state honors. In 2018, the "Kabi Nazrul Institute Act" was passed, which acknowledged him as the National Poet of Bangladesh.
The notification also mentions that on December 10, 1929, at the Albert Hall in Kolkata, the poet was honored as the "National Leader" and "National Poet" of the Bengali people.
This recognition came during an event attended by prominent figures like Subhas Chandra Bose, Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray, S. Wazed Ali, and Dinesh Chandra Das.
In the following years, both Presidents and Prime Ministers of Bangladesh have referred to Kazi Nazrul Islam as the "National Poet" in their official statements during celebrations of his birth anniversaries.
Despite his widespread recognition, no formal gazette was issued by the government until now.
The recent gazette explains that since Kazi Nazrul Islam has long been acknowledged as the National Poet at both the public and state levels, and given the public’s anticipation of an official announcement, the proposal to issue the gazette retroactively from May 4, 1972—when he first arrived in Dhaka—was approved in a meeting of the Advisory Council on December 5.
The government has now formally declared Kazi Nazrul Islam as the National Poet of Bangladesh, and this announcement is officially published in a gazette for everyone’s knowledge.
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