A national cultural competition on the life and works of Kazi Nazrul Islam has been launched in Char Fasson, Bhola, as part of the “Nazrul Year” celebrations.

The opening ceremony of the education institution-based competition was held at 11:00am on Sunday (August 31) at the Upazila Parishad conference room. The event was organized by the Char Fasson Upazila Administration.

The programme was chaired by Upazila Nirbahi Officer Rumana Afroze. Speakers included former general secretary of the Upazila BNP Motahar Hossain Alomgir Maltia, former vice-president Helal Uddin Tipu, Kaysar Ahmed Kamal, former president of the Upazila Jubo Dal Ashraful Rahman Dipu Farazi, Senior Upazila Fisheries Officer Jayanta Kumar Apu, Upazila Primary Education Officer Mizanur Rahman, Upazila Jubo Dal member secretary Kamruzzaman Shahin, Women Affairs Officer Mohammad Nur Nabi and Char Fasson Press Club Vice-President Kamal Miaji.

The speakers said Kazi Nazrul Islam was a poet of rebellion, equality, humanity and secularism. His literature and music have had a profound influence on the cultural and social consciousness of the Bengali people. They said such cultural competitions can play an important role in introducing Nazrul’s life, literature, philosophy and creative works to the younger generation.

The programme also featured discussions on student participation in various cultural competitions based on Nazrul’s works. Speakers emphasized the importance of increasing students’ knowledge of and interest in Nazrul’s literature and creative contributions.

Later, marking International Youth Day, prizes were distributed among educational institutions that participated in the debate competition under the “Space to Lead” project and among the winners of a quiz competition.