Staff Correspondent: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Friday laid emphasis on translating works of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam into all popular languages to spread his writings across the globe.

“The government would extend all possible support in this regard,” she said while inaugurating the two-day Nazrul International Confer-ence at the Osmani Memorial auditorium in the city.

The conference was organized to mark the 90th anniversary of the poem ‘Bidrohi’, one of the masterpieces of Nazurl’s works.

Scholars and delegations from the USA, the Netherlands, China and India are taking part in the conference jointly organised by the Nazrul Institute and the Cultural Affairs Ministry.

Information Minister Abul Kalam Azad and State Minister for Cultural Affairs Promod Mankin spoke as special guests at the function, with Nazrul Institute Trustee Board Chairman Prof Rafiqul Islam in the chair. Winston F Langley from the USA delivered the Nazrul Memorial speech.

Sheikh Hasina handed over Nazrul Award to national professor Kabir Chowdhury for his translation of Nazrul’s works into English and to eminent singer Nilima Das for her contribution to ‘Nazrul Sangeet’.

The prime minister urged poets, litterateurs, intellectuals and teachers to come forward in presenting Nazrul’s writings to people from all walks of life, including little children, in an easy way.

Hasina also put emphasis on presenting Nazrul’s writings to the working-class people.

She said her government will provide all-out support to this end although some of Nazrul’s works were translated into English, French, German, Latin, Chinese and Hindi languages so far under the auspices of the Nazrul Institute.

Reciting from the poem ‘Bidrohi’ (The Rebel), she urged all to take a fresh vow to fight against all sorts of injustice and oppression in the society being inspired by the ideology Kazi Nazrul Islam.

Sheikh Hasina said the poem ‘Bidrohi’ inspires all to protest against all social injustices and oppression. “The call of Bidrohi is a call for freedom and self-awakening and also the call for breaking the shackles of subjugation.”

She said poet Nazrul during his entire life fought like a warrior against subjugation, superstition and male chauvinism through his writings.

The prime minister said the popular ‘Joy Bangla’ slogan that inspired the Bengali nation during the country’s Liberation War was taken from a poem of poet Nazrul Islam.