Assam to celebrate Tagore’s birth anniversary in all districts from next year

Guwahati: Government of Assam will organize seminar in all districts of the state to mark Rabindra Jayanti celebration from next year. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal announced this while taking part in the Rabindra Jayanti celebration at Rabindra Bhawan in the city on Tuesday.
“Rabindranath Tagore was a great humanist who made invaluable contribution to glorify Indian literature at the world stage. Government of Assam will organize seminar coinciding the Rabindra Jayanti celebration at all districts from next year for greater understanding about Kabiguru’s personality and works”, Sonowal stated.
Paying rich tribute to the Nobel laureate, Sonowal commented that the youth must know about Rabindranath and his invaluable creations and advocated an intellectual exercise to understand the world humanism reflected in his works.
Recollecting Rabindranath’s contribution to Indian literature and his association with Assam, the Chief Minister said that the legend inspired generations of Assamese litterateurs.
The Chief Minister also highlighted the role Rabindranath played to popularize Assamese weaving culture in West Bengal and promotion of Manipuri dance at Shankinekatan.
Further saying that Rabindranath brought an intellectual stimulus to the national freedom movement, Sonowal remarked that his contributions surpassed national boundary and earned acclaim from the world community.
Meanwhile, numerous programmes were organised across Tripura and southern Assam, with “Prabhat Pheri” (morning procession) being held in each locality.
Songs written by the world famous bard were sung and his poetry was recited at different venues in Tripura by local artists and performers as well as some from West Bengal and Bangladesh.
The Tripura government, which declared a holiday on Tuesday on the occasion, also organised programmes in the Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan and Rabindra Kanan in Agartala.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar, a devoted Tagore fan, and Information and Cultural Affairs Minister Bhanulal Saha were present at the functions.
Chhandaneer, a renowned cultural organisation of Tripura, has also organised the “Kabi Pranam” programme in Agartala.
“We are organising Rabindra Jayanti for the past 43 years. Artists from West Bengal and Kolkata along with Tripura took part in the week-long programme,” Chhandaneer chief Samiran Roy told IANS.
Tagore had visited and stayed in Agartala and Shillong between 1899 and 1927.
Researcher on Rabindra Nath Tagore Bikach Chowdhury said: “Tagore’s close relations with the princely state of Tripura and its four successive tribal kings form an important chapter in the state’s history. This relationship prompted him to visit the state as many as seven times between 1899 and 1926.” “Tripura had a special place in many of Tagore’s songs and he wrote a number of novels with the then princely state’s history as the theme. Some of these are ‘Bisharjan’, ‘Rajarshi’ and ‘Mukut’,” he added. (IANS)