Tagore’s 158th birth anniversary today

Desk Report: The 158th birth anniversary of Bishwakabi Rabindranath Tagore, who reshaped Bengali literature and music as well as arts of Indian subcontinent with contextual modernism, is being celebrated across the country in a befitting manner today (Wednesday).

On the 25th of Baishakh in 1268 Bengali calendar, Rabindranath, the fountainhead of Bengali wisdom, was born at Jorasanko in Kolkata.

Nobody had influenced the minds of so many Bengali-speaking people before or after him. His influence has been compared, by many, to William Shakespeare in the English-speaking world.

The government has taken an extensive programme to celebrate the birth
anniversary of the great poet at national level with the theme ‘Rabindranath in Building a Humanitarian World’.

This year the main programme has been arranged on the premises of
Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

Education Minister Dr Dipu Moni will join the inaugural ceremony in Jatiya Natyashala auditorium of Shilpakala Academy at 3 pm on Wednesday.

Professor Emeritus of Dhaka University Bangla Department Anisuzzaman and Rabindra Sangeet singer, writer and researcher Prof Sanjida Khatun will attend the ceremony as special discussants.

Besides, a three-day exhibition on artworks of Rabindranath and cultural
functions will be held.

Apart from capital Dhaka, local administrations have arranged different
programmes at Shelaidah Kuthibarri in Kushtia, Shahjadpur in Sirajganj and Patisar in Naogaon and Dakkhindihi and Pithavog in Khulna, the places where Rabindranath had memoires, to celebrate the birth anniversary of the great poet.

Marking the day, Rabindramela, discussions and cultural functions will also be arranged.

Cultural Affairs Ministry and Bangla Academy will publish souvenirs and posters on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Kabiguru.

All divisions, departments and institutions under the Culutral Affairs Ministry and Bangla Academy have arranged special discussions and cultural functions to mark the day.

District administrations and Bangladesh missions abroad will also arranged different programmes.

Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar and private channels are broadcasting special programmes while newspapers have published special supplements to mark the day.

Security measures have been beeped up at the areas of national level programmes and other programmes to avert any untoward incident.

The youngest of 13 surviving children, Tagore, nicknamed ‘Rabi’, was born to a Brahmin family of Debendranath Tagore and Sarada Devi at Jorasanko in Kolkata.

His novels, short stories, songs, dance-dramas, and essays spoke to topics of nature, deep philosophical thought, love, politics and personal.

Gitanjali (Song Offerings), Gora (Fair-Faced) and Ghare-Baire (The Home and the World) are his best-known works and his verse, short stories and novels were acclaimed-or panned-for their lyricism, colloquialism, naturalism and unnatural contemplation.

Author of Gitanjali, profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse, Rabindranath became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in
Literature in 1913.

Sometimes referred to as “the Bard of Bengal”, Tagore’s poetic songs were viewed as spiritual and mercurial.

His compositions were chosen by two nations as national anthems:
Bangladesh’s Amar Sonar Bangla and India’s Jana Gana Mana. The Sri Lankan national anthem was inspired by his work.

The legendary poet breathed his last at his paternal residence in Kolkata
on Sraban (Bengali month) 22 of Bangla year 1348 (August 7, 1941).


risingbd/Dhaka/May 8, 2019/Mukul