"He is a vital ardent figure in Bangladeshi nationalism… our national poet. As a nation we are deeply indedted to Kazi Nazrul Islam," she said.

She said: "In our sorrows, pain, happiness, fight and struggle, peace and construction, love and contemplation -- in all spheres of life, we hear Nazrul's songs, concentrate in his poems and get inspiration from his literature."

Khaleda was inaugurating the First International Nazrul Conference at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in the city yesterday.

The two-day conference commemorating the 106th birth anniversary of poet Kazi Nazrul Islam includes musical soiree, dance drama and discussion meeting.

A large number of artists and eminent scholars and researchers from home and abroad including Turkey, Iran, India and Pakistan are taking part in the conference, organised by Greater Mymensingh Cultural Forum in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Cultural Affairs.

Education Minister Dr Osman Farruk, State Minister for Cultural Affairs Begum Selima Rahman, Turkish Ambassador Ferit Ergin, Establishment Secretary ASM Abdul Halim, Nazrul Institute Chairman Dr Ashraf Siddiqui, poet's granddaughter Khilkhil Kazi and Greater Mymensingh Cultural Forum General Secretary Rashedul Hasan Shelly also spoke at the inaugural function.

Khaleda in her speech urged the people to uphold the flag of peace, amity and harmony, and raise voice against deprivation, discrimination, repression and exploitation for establishing equity and social justice.

She called Kazi Nazrul Islam a poet of humanity and said the dream of the national poet was to achieve independence and freedom of people, dignity and equity.

She said Nazrul will remain an inspiration to end repression, oppression, exploitation and deprivation forever.

Mentioning the poet's illness at his later age, she lamented that Nazrul Islam did not enjoy a normal mental and physical life for long.

Nazrul wanted to free the people by breaking the cycle of superstition, communalism, class difference, narrowness and hypocrisy, she said.

The Prime Minister said that her government was working with a commitment to materialise the dreams of the national poet.

She said the best way to pay respect to Nazrul is to make the people's struggle for establishing a prosperous society of peace and harmony a success. "And by making independence meaningful, establishing social justice, freeing all from poverty and deprivation, and establishing the rights of women, peasants and workers."

Education Minister Dr Osman Farruk presented the Prime Minister with the works of poet Kazi Nazrul Islam.

Renowned Nazrul song exponents Feroza Begum, Khalid Hossain and Turkish Ambassador in Dhaka Ferit Ergin rendered songs at the function.