The birth centenary of Poet Nazrul has recently been observed. This centenary of birth of the rebel poet has been observed in both Bangladesh and West Bengal during the past one year. Nazrul has earned recognition as one of the greatest Bengalees of the twentieth century. Poet Kazi Nazrul islam was revelation for us. His sudden and luminous appearance on the sky of Bangla literature, at a time when Rabindranath Tagore was the brightest star, gave rise to storms. In truth, as a young rebel poet his rise was meteoric. Not mild utterances, nut he shouted like a Lion, "Say Hero/my head is forever held high" . Not only rebellion, he also sang of equality"I sing of equality/ there is nothing greater of nobler than man" . He was also an exponent of women's liberation: "I sing of equality/ in my eyes there is no difference between man and woman" . His utterances were crystal clear, there were no smokes, and that was at a time when the Indian subcontinent was gradually moving towards independence.

Nazrul sought independence, equality, communal harmony and an end to superstitions, injustice and repression. Overnight, he was acclaimed as a people's poet. Alongside that came insults and tortures by the rulers. But the people of the country embraced this daring son of mothe r bengal, one who did miracles for them. In no time that stormy bird occupied a permanent place in the hearts of the Bengalees. His credential as a 'People' s Poet' and a 'Stormy Poet' has not been erased even today and possibly will never be. He got the rare honor of becoming the national poet of both the Bengals. Even in the age of Raindranath, he received accolade as second only to Tagore in the literary arena.

Nazrul' s views about rebellion, independence, equality, freedom, women's emancipation and commu nal harmony are relevant even today. He has conquered the ages in the process. It was very sad that Bangla literature was deprived of his writhing after he lost his speech in the middle of his life. That sad event occurred in the early forties. Our litera ture was the loser in the process. The amity between Hindus and Muslims also suffered. Nazrul's writings and speech could have helped a lot in reducing the acrimony between these two communities during the days of partition.

Apart from the above, Nazrul is also remembered by the Bengalees for another outstanding achievement- music. Here also, there was a big surprise. Even though belonging to the age of Rabindranath, he was distinct and luminous through his own individuality. He composed innumerable songs o f unlimited varities, surpassing even Rabindranath. His greatest contribution was the composition of Bangla Ghazzls. Transforming Farsi Ghazals into Bangla, popularizing them and giving them a permanent place in Bangla music was definitely and extraordinary and unique achievement. The future generation of Bengalees will remain grateful to him for this, just as they are for his poetry for rebellion and love. During this birth century of Nazrul, we find solace from the fact that although we grown-ups have divided wvery thing that came our way, we were ultimately defeated by this alone individual. He could not be divided, and hopefully, he never will be.