Digital library on Kazi Nazrul at Nazrul Tirtha
A digital library on Kazi Nazrul Islam at Nazrul Tirtha in New Town was inaugurated on December 20 by the State Urban Development Minister. It will be extremely beneficial to those carrying out research on Nazrul.
The digital library will be the first-of-its-kind in Bengal. Initially, all the 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, booklets and photos of his vinyl records, and interviews of Nazrul scholars.
There will also be scripts of plays where Nazrul’s songs have been used, copies of Betar Jagat, the magazine of All India Radio (AIR) for which he worked and magazines edited by Nazrul.
It may be recalled that after coming to power in 2011, Mamata Banerjee laid the foundation stone of a university named after Nazrul, Kazi Nazrul University in Asansol. Nazrul Tirtha was set up to carry out research on him. Cultural shows, seminars and symposia on his life and works are organised to celebrate the birth anniversary of the poet all over the state.
Though Nazrul did not have any formal education, he became famous as a poet at the age of 20 and was known as the ‘Bidrohi Kobi, or ‘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 colonial rulers.
Nazrul was also a brilliant music teacher, composer and singer. The 78 rpm discs of Nazrul’s songs by Megaphone Records and Hindusthan Records recorded the highest sales between 1935 and 1939. Many revolutionaries sang his songs which criticised the oppression of British rule.
Importantly for today’s times, his criticism of communalism was reflected in his poems, songs and essays. In fact, he composed many Shyama Sangeets (songs dedicated to the goddess Kali) which are immensely popular.
