Nazrul Institute celebrates Nazrul Jayanti

State Minister for Cultural Affairs, Selima Rahman (3rd-L) along with other guests at the event. PHOTO: STAR

The State Minister for Cultural Affairs, Selima Rahman was present as the chief guest in the programme while the chairman of Nazrul Institute Trusty Board, Ashraf Siddiqui presided over the discussion. Secretary of Cultural Affairs, Ehsan Shamim was present along with Chairman of Bangla Academy, Wakil Ahmed and Director General of Bangla Academy, Abul Kalam Manzur Murshed. Executive Director of Nazrul Institute, Sharif Uddin Ahmed, grand daughter of Nazrul, Khilkhil Kazi, singers Shabnam Mushtari and Rowshan Ara Mustafiz were among other important guests.

Selima Rahman said, "Nazrul was deeply involved with the masses. He wrote timeless literary pieces on love and humanity that made him a universal poet. His songs have been the source of inspiration in every political struggle and national crisis we have faced and that is what makes his the Rebel Poet. Although regrettably Nazrul songs are not promoted properly, I truly hope that the new generation will ultimately look for their roots through Nazrul's creations."

The publication ceremony of Nazrul's poetry collections Shanchita and Nirbachito Nazrul Rachana was held on the occasion. The latter contains selected poems, plays, essays, short stories and novels.

The prize distribution ceremony of the three-day children's competition on painting, recitation and music was held after the discussion. About 300 children from different age groups took part in the competition while 97 among them received prizes. In recitation category Asifa Zaman, Ruhana Urmi and Sharmishtha Thakur won the first prizes in Group A, B and C respectively. In painting, the winners were Anika Tahsin, Afia Mobashwera and Bushra Shahriar. In Nazrul Sangeet Maiysha Mumtaz and Dewan Tanzina Akhtar won the first positions.

Later in the programme both eminent and promising singers performed popular Nazrul songs.