The government officially recognised Kazi Nazrul Islam as the National Poet, issuing a gazette notification on December 24.

The Ministry of Cultural Affairs made the announcement formalising a recognition long considered overdue.

This decision follows an earlier proposal approved at the Advisory Council meeting held on December 5 last year, suggesting the National Poet status be retroactively effective from May 4, 1972.

Kazi Nazrul Islam, widely revered as the “Rebel Poet,” was brought to Dhaka from Kolkata with his family on May 24, 1972. The government allocated him residence at 330-B, Road 28 (Old), Dhanmondi, to honour his contributions.

In a further gesture of respect, Nazrul was granted Bangladeshi citizenship on February 18, 1976 and was also awarded the prestigious Ekushey Padak that same year.

The Kazi Nazrul Islam Institute Act of 2018 officially addressed him as the National Poet, though an official gazette notification was pending until now.

The history of recognising Nazrul as a central cultural figure dates back to December 10, 1929, when he was honoured as the "National Poet" and "National Helmsman" at Albert Hall in Kolkata.

The event was attended by luminaries such as Subhas Chandra Bose, Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray, S Wazed Ali, and Dinesh Chandra Das, representing the collective admiration of the Bengali community.

Since Bangladesh’s independence, successive presidents, prime ministers, and chief advisors have referred to Nazrul as the National Poet in official statements during celebrations of his birth anniversary. Despite widespread acceptance of his status, the absence of a formal declaration had long been noted.