The 124th death anniversary of mystic bard Pagla Kanai was observed in a befitting manner in the Paglakanai Complex at village Berbari in Jhenaidah Sadar on July 12. Pagla Kanai Smriti Sangrakkhan Sangshad organised the programme.
At the ceremony, the speakers present said, many of the poems of Kanai were not been preserved. But his works are very rich and speaks of humanity, kindness and spirituality.
The mystic bard had composed over 3,000 devotional songs. History says, Kanai left his village to evade the oppression of the British rule which forced farmers to cultivate indigo. Later he became a cowherd but his spiritual inclination put him in touch with the bauls and fakirs of the area.
Poet Paglakanai was born to Messer Ali and Momena Khatun at village Lebutala-Madhabpur under Jhenidah sadar upazila on the Bengali month Falgun 25 in 1226, which was recorded as March 18, 1809, the committee members said.
Mohammad Mansur Uddin, Dr Mazharul Islam, Abu Talib, Amin Uddin Shah, Durga Das Lahiri, Upendranath Bhattacharya and some other scholars had collected the songs of Paglakanai.
State Minister for Fisheries and livestock Abdul Hyee MP inaugurated the programme presided over by deputy commissioner Shafiqul Islam.
Prior to discussion, the Sangshad had placed a floral wreath at the shrine of the legendary poet.