Central Idea

A movie-maker has issued an apology for the unintended distress caused by its rendition of the iconic song “Karar Oi Louho Kopat” penned by Bengali poet Kazi Nazrul Islam in 1922.

Who was Kazi Nazrul Islam (1899-1976)?

Kazi Nazrul Islam was born on May 24, 1899, in Churulia, a village in the Burdwan district of West Bengal, India.
He was a famous poet, writer, and musician from Bengal.
He is well-known for his songs, which are called “Nazrulgeeti.”
These songs are very popular and loved by in West Bengal, Bangladesh, almost as much as Rabindrasangeet of Rabindranath Tagore.
Nazrul is often called the “Vidrohi Kavi (Rebel Poet)” because he wrote more than 4,000 songs, and many of them were about protesting and fighting against unfair rules and powerful rulers.
These songs inspired the freedom fighters of Bengal who were fighting against the British colonial rule.
He is celebrated as the national poet of Bangladesh and is also revered in West Bengal, India.

Nazrul was an ardent supporter of India’s struggle for independence from British colonial rule. He used his poetry and writings to inspire and mobilize people against British oppression.
Published in 1922 in “Banglar Katha” and later included in Nazrul’s “Bhangar Gaan,” the song was penned as a call to break down the iron gates of prison, symbolizing resistance against British oppression.
He wrote the song of revolution after the British threw Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das (1870-1925) in prison in 1922.