Madhusudan's 192nd birthday today

The 192nd birth anniversary of Michael Madhusudan Dutt, one of the most famous poets and dramatists in Bangla literature, is being celebrated today with President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paying rich tributes in separate messages.

A weeklong Madhu Mela (fair) began from January 22 at his birthplace, Sagardari under Jessore's Keshabpur upazila.

The Jessore district administration arranged programmes including puppet shows, jatra and circus performances, traditional sports, cultural programmes, seminars and discussions on his life and works.

Born to a Hindu Bangalee family, Madhusudan aspired to be like an Englishman and converted to Christianity, to the ire of his family, as a young man and adopted his first name.

Later in life, the father of Bangla sonnets regretted his attraction to England and ardently mentioned of his homeland in his poems and sonnets.

He is specially known for the famous tragic epic Meghnad Bodh Kabya (The Saga of Meghnad's Killing) (1861), which is exceptional in Bangla literature in style and content.

He passed away at Kolkata General Hospital on June 29, 1873 and was buried at Park Street, Kolkata, India.