Nazrul as Narad.jpg

, pseudonym = bn, ধূমকেতু, Dhūmketu
, image = Nazrul.jpg
, image_size =
, caption = Nazrul in Chittagong, 1926
, birth_date = 11 ''Joiṣṭhyô'', 1306 '' Bônggabdô''

, birth_place = Churulia, Asansol, Bengal Presidency, British India
, death_date =
, death_place = Dhaka, Bangladesh
, resting_place = Mausoleum of Kazi Nazrul Islam
, occupation =
, language =
, citizenship = British Indian
Indian
Bangladeshi
, education =
, alma_mater =
, period = 1922–1942
, genre =
, subject =
, movement = Bengali Renaissance
, notableworks =
, spouse =
, children =
, awards =
, signature = Signature of Kazi Nazrul.jpg
, signature_alt =
, module =
, party = Workers and Peasants Party

Kazi Nazrul Islam ( bn, কাজী নজরুল ইসলাম, ; 24 May 1899 – 29 August 1976) was a Bengali poet, writer, musician, and is the national poet of Bangladesh. Nazrul is regarded as one of the greatest poets in Bengali literature. Popularly known as Nazrul, he produced a large body of poetry, music, messages, novels, stories, etc. with themes that included equality, justice, anti-imperialism, humanity, rebellion against oppression and religious devotion. Nazrul's activism for political and social justice as well as writing a poem titled as "Bidrohī", meaning "the rebel" in Bengali, earned him the title of "Bidrohī Kôbi" (''Rebel Poet''). His compositions form the avant-garde music genre of Nazrul Gīti (''Music of Nazrul'').

Born into a Bengali Muslim Kazi family hailing from Burdwan district in Bengal Presidency (now in West Bengal, India), Nazrul Islam received religious education and as a young man worked as a muezzin at a local mosque. He learned about poetry, drama, and literature while working with the rural theatrical group ''Leṭor Dôl'', ''Leṭo'' being a folk song genre of West Bengal usually performed by the people from Muslim community of the region. He joined the British Indian Army in 1917 and was posted in Karachi. Nazrul established himself as a journalist in Calcutta after the war ended. He criticised the British Raj and called for revolution through his famous poetic works, such as "Bidrohī" ("বিদ্রোহী", 'The Rebel') and "Bhangar Gan" ("ভাঙ্গার গান", 'The Song of Destruction'), as well as in his publication '' Dhūmketu'' ('The Comet'). His nationalist activism in Indian independence movement led to his frequent imprisonment by the colonial British authorities. While in prison, Nazrul wrote the "Rajbôndīr Jôbanbôndī" ("রাজবন্দীর জবানবন্দী", 'Deposition of a Political Prisoner'). His writings greatly inspired Bengalis of East Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War.

Nazrul's writings explored themes such as freedom, humanity, love, and revolution. He opposed all forms of bigotry and fundamentalism, including religious, caste-based and gender-based. Nazrul wrote short stories, novels, and essays but is best known for his songs and poems. He introduced the ghazal songs in Bengali language and is also known for his extensive use of Arabic, Persian and Urdu words in his works.

Nazrul wrote and composed music for nearly 4,000 songs (many recorded on HMV and gramophone records), collectively known as ''Nazrul Gīti.'' In 1942 at the age of 43, he began to suffer from an unknown disease, losing his voice and memory. A medical team in Vienna diagnosed the disease as Pick's disease, a rare incurable neurodegenerative disease. It caused Nazrul's health to decline steadily and forced him to live in isolation. He was also admitted in Ranchi ( Jharkhand) psychiatric hospital for many years. At the invitation of the Government of Bangladesh, Nazrul's family took him to Bangladesh and moved to Dhaka in 1972. He died four years later on 29 August 1976.

Early life

Nazrul was born on Wednesday 24 May 1899 in the village of Churulia, Asansol Sadar, Paschim Bardhaman district of the Bengal Presidency (now in West Bengal, India). He was born into a Bengali Muslim Kazi family and was the second of three sons and a daughter. Nazrul's father Kazi Faqeer Ahmed was the imam and caretaker of the local Pirpukur mosque and mausoleum of Haji Pahlawan. Nazrul's mother was Zahida Khatun. Nazrul had two brothers, Kazi Saahibjaan and Kazi Ali Hussain, and a sister, Umme Kulsum. He was nicknamed ''Dukhu Miañ'' (দুখু মিঞা literally, 'the one with grief', or 'Mr. Sad Man'). Nazrul studied at a maktab and madrasa, run by a mosque and a dargah respectively, where he studied the Quran, Hadith, Islamic philosophy, and theology. His father died in 1908 and at the age of ten, Nazrul took his father's place as a caretaker of the mosque to support his family. He also assisted teachers in the school. He later worked as the muezzin at the mosque.Alt URL
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Attracted to folk theatre, Nazrul joined a ''leto'' (travelling theatrical group) run by his uncle Fazle Karim. He worked and travelled with them, learning to act, as well as writing songs and poems for the plays and musicals. Through his work and experiences, Nazrul began studying Bengali and Sanskrit literature, as well as Hindu scriptures such as the Puranas. Nazrul composed folk plays for the group, which included ''Chāshār Shōng'' ('the drama of a peasant'), and plays about characters from the Mahabharata including ''Shokunībōdh'' ('the Killing of ''Shakun