Bangabandhu derived Joy Bangla from Nazrul
OUR CORRESPONDENT, Chandpur
Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni, MP from Chandpur, has said that national poet Nazrul Islam is a poet of humanity, love, harmony and fraternity, and is non-communal.
To him, man is above all caste, colour, creed, religion and community. He considered man above all these narrow descriptions and dogmatism. It is he whose songs and poems tremendously inspired us during the turbulent days of the Liberation War in 1971. His war song is so inspiring, she said.
His mini verses and poems and novels are a great asset in our literature. His love songs are immortal. His rebel songs and pen against injustice, inequality, and exploitation, and discrimination are the same as the thinkings of our great leader Bangabandhu. So, there are similarities between Nazrul and Bangabandhu, she noted.
She mentioned that Bangabandhu derived Joy Bangla, now a national slogan, from the writings of Nazrul some 76 years ago and 29 years before the Liberation War. She urged students to study Nazrul properly and with interest, as he has immensely enriched Bangla literature by his variegated talents and versatile genius.
She also called upon the students to be a man worth the name and to be a good human being, both in head and heart, as dreamt by Bangabandhu and Nazrul.
Referring to the coming visit of the Indian prime minister to Bangladesh, Dipu Moni said: I have nothing to say in this regard, as I am the education minister. It is a matter for the foreign ministry.
She, however, especially mentioned with a note of gratitude the historical role of India in Bangladeshs Liberation War in 1971.
India, she said, had sheltered crores of homeless people of Bangladesh at that time. Not only that, during the Liberation War, the blood of Indian soldiers and that of Bangladeshi freedom fighters were spilled, she added.
In 1930, Nazrul Islam came to Chandpur and stayed for a night. In honour of that, a mural of Nazrul will be built at Chandpur before his birth anniversary on May 25.
She said all this while delivering her speech as chief guest at a discussion on Jatiyo Kobi O Jatir Pita, organised by the Nazrul Institute, Dhaka, and the cultural affairs ministry, in collaboration with the district administration, at the opening ceremony of the three-day Jatiyo Nazrul Sammelan at the Chandpur Shilpokola Academy on Wednesday.
DC Majedur Rahman Khan presided over the programme, while the main discussant was Abdur Razzak Bhuiyan, additional secretary and executive director of the Nazrul Institute.
Former secretary and eminent writer Faruque Ahmed spoke as an honourable guest. Nazrul institutes secretary, Abdur Rahim, gave the welcome address. Principal Dr ASM Delwar Hossain, Kazi Shahadat, director general of Sahitya Academy, additional police super Mizanur Rahman, and district AL general secretary Abu Nayeem Patwary Dulal took part in the discussion as special guests.
Writer Pijus Kanti Barua and Chandpur Press Club secretary AHM Ahsanullah, among others, spoke on the occasion.
Later, the minister formally inaugurated a sub-centre of the Chandpur Diabetic Samiti and Hospital at Kalibari More as chief guest. Later, she was the chief guest at a prize-giving ceremony at the Bishnudi Mohsinia Madrasa, the closing session of the SME Ponno Mela at the outer stadium and another function.
