Kazi Nazrul Islam

Kazi Nazrul Islam was born on May 24, 1899, in Churulia, Bengal. After serving in the 49th Bengal Regiment in Karachi during World War I, Nazrul burst onto the Bengali literary scene in 1921 with his electrifying poem Bidrohi ('The Rebel'), proclaiming defiance against British imperial tyranny and feudal injustice.

Imprisoned repeatedly by British colonial authorities for his seditious writings and hunger strikes, Nazrul composed over 4,000 songs (Nazrul Geeti), fusing classical ragas, folk tunes, and Persian ghazals. A passionate advocate for Hindu-Muslim unity and human equality, he was brought to Dhaka in 1972 following Bangladesh's liberation, officially designated the National Poet. He is buried beside the Dhaka University Central Mosque.