Kazi Nazrul Islam (1899-1976), the National Poet of Bangladesh, passed away on August 29th 1976, at the age of 77. Kazi was born in 1899, in Churulia village in present-day India. Throughout his lifetime, he wrote and composed numerous poems and songs, and is widely renowned to this day for his contributions to Bengali literature and culture. His activism for the rights of the oppressed and less privileged greatly contributed to the cultural renaissance of Bengal, and his works encompassed themes of freedom, liberation, equality and justice. His political contributions later led to him being deemed a National Poet of Bangladesh in 1971. Kazi wrote and composed over 4000 songs and poems, ultimately helping to shape the music and culture of Bangladesh. He had a great influence on literary figures in East Bengali, and he is remembered as a cultural icon who expressed emotions of longing, friendship, patriotism and sadness on behalf of the Bengali people. Throughout his life, Kazi received a number of awards, including the Sahitya Shree from the President of India in 1972 and the Swadhinata Shree award from the Government of Bangladesh in 1999. The memory of Kazi Nazrul Islam will live on in the literature, poetry and music of Bangladesh, remembered as a National Poet who fought for the rights of the oppressed and offered new perspectives of hope and justice through his works.