Fourteen national and cultural organisations have called for observing the centenary of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam’s timeless song “Durgam Giri Kantar Maru (Kandari Hushiar).” The organisations’ leaders made the call in a joint statement issued for newspaper publication on 3 June 2026. The statement said Nazrul, angered and disturbed by the backdrop of communal riots, wrote and composed the song in 1926, first performing it at a provincial conference in Krishnanagar on 22 May that year; it was later published in the “Bangabani” newspaper, with its notation printed in “Kalikalam,” and he performed it at a session of the Muslim Literary Society at Dhaka University in June the same year.
The cultural leaders said that, amid rising religious division, hatred and violence today, “Kandari Hushiar” has become even more relevant, and that marking its centenary could newly highlight Nazrul’s humanist message. They recalled a line from Nazrul’s 1926 essay “Mandir O Masjid” (Temple and Mosque): “One who has known the truth of his own religion can never hate another religion.” The joint statement called for centenary observance through nationwide cultural events, discussions and institution-based programmes. The signatory organisations are: Bangladesh Nazrul Sangeet Sangstha, Jatiya Rabindra Sangeet Sammilan Parishad, Bangladesh Gana Sangeet Samonnoy Parishad, Jatiya Rabindra Sangeet Shilpi Sangstha, Bangladesh Sangeet Sangathan Samonnoy Parishad, Bangladesh Abritti Samonnoy Parishad, Jatiya Shiksha O Sanskriti Rakkha Andolan, Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigoshthi, Samageet, Sur Saptak, Narayanganj Sanskritik Jote, Anandadhara (Narayanganj), Basantabahar Sangeet Academy (Narayanganj) and Kendriya Khelaghar Asar.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report