Celebrating Kazi Nazrul Islam: An evening of culture, literature, Bangladesh–Russia connections
Mir Afroz Zaman
The Russian House in Dhaka, in cooperation with Chhayanat (Kolkata), India, organised a special evening of culture and remembrance celebrating the life, poetry, music and enduring legacy of Kazi Nazrul Islam, the National Poet of Bangladesh.
In her welcome address, Alexandra A. Khlevnoy, Director of the Russian House in Dhakav on September 14 highlighted Kazi Nazrul Islam as a timeless poet whose words transcended boundaries of religion, class, language, geography and time, expressing universal values of freedom, equality, love, humanity and hope. She also highlighted the meaningful connection between Nazrul’s literary world and Russian and Soviet cultural traditions, particularly their shared themes of freedom, justice, courage, compassion and human dignity.
A key part of the programme focused on the influence of Russian and Soviet literature on Kazi Nazrul Islam. Students of the Russian Language Course at the Russian House presented selected Nazrul poems in Russian, bringing the works of Bangladesh’s National Poet into a different linguistic and cultural context.
The programme also highlighted the continuing cultural and educational links between Bangladesh and Russia through video performances by Russian graduates of Saint Petersburg State University and MGIMO University who studied Bengali, as well as Bangladeshi students currently studying at universities in Russia.
The cultural evening featured Nazrul Sangeet, poetry and dance, including performances of “Meghero Domru Ghono Baje” and “Ei Ranga Matir Pothe”. A group dance performed by students of the Serov Academy of Fine Arts was another attraction of the programme.
A cultural video presentation by Chhayanat (Kolkata) featured selected poems of Kazi Nazrul Islam in Bengali and English. The programme also included a special discussion on “The Relevance of Kazi Nazrul Islam in the Contemporary World”, highlighting the continuing significance of his literary and humanistic vision.
The evening served as a meaningful cultural platform connecting the literary heritage of Bangladesh with Russian and Indian cultural traditions, while further highlighting the enduring people-to-people and cultural ties between Bangladesh and Russia.
