DHAKA, Jan 18, 2023 (BSS) - On the occasion of the 200th birth anniversary of the great poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt, the nine-day long 'Madhu Mela' will begin at poet's birth place Sagardari village under Keshabpur upazila in Jashore district tomorrow.

The 'Madhu Mela' will continue till January 27, an official release said here today.

On January 25 in 1824, Madhusudan Dutt was born to landlord Raj Narayan Dutt and Janhabi Devi at Sagardari village.

Marking poet's 200th birth anniversary and the arrangement of 'Madhu Mela', Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today, in a message, paid due respects to the memory of Michael Madhusudan Dutt.

The Premier also thanked all the people who are going to organize the Madhu Mela.

The poet's deep compassion for his motherland and mother tongue while staying in foreign country has been reflected in his works many times, she said.

She said the patriotism of Michael Madhusudan Dutt is a role model for the new generation.

"I think that the programmes organized on the occasion of his birth anniversary will play a significant role in presenting the work of the poet to the young generation," she added.

The Premier wished all the programs taken on the occasion of the fair a success.

Legendary poet Madhusudan, who is called Mahakobi (epic poet) for his tragic epic 'Meghnad Badh Kavya', earned name and fame in the arena of literature for his extraordinary creative works.

Madhusudan Dutt is widely considered to be one of the greatest poets in Bengali literature and the father of the Bengali sonnet.

He pioneered what came to be called 'Amitrakshar Chhanda' (blank verse).

His first attempt at blank verse was 'Sharmistha' in Bengali literature.
Apart from his outstanding talent in authoring poems, Madhusudan Dutt showed prodigious skills as a playwright since he was the first to write Bengali plays in the English style, segregating the play into acts and scenes.

He was also the pioneer of the first satirical plays in Bengali literature. 'Buro Shaliker Ghare Ron' and 'Ekei Ki Boley Sabhyota' are among his famous satirical plays.

His most famous literary work is sonnet "Kapatakkha Nad". Kapatakkha Nad (river) flows through Jashore, the poet's ancestral home.

Madhusudan was a gifted linguist and polyglot as he studied Hebrew, Latin, Greek, Tamil, Telugu, and Sanskrit.

Madhusudan passed away at Kolkata on June 29 in 1873 at the age of 49, only three days after his wife Henrietta breathed her last. The poet was buried in Kolkata.