SHILLONG, May 19: Centenary of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s sojourn at Jitbhumi bungalow at Rilbong was commemorated on Friday with soulful songs and immaculate dances.
At an impressive function held at the heritage premises, Chief Justice of High Court of Meghalaya, Justice Sanjib Banerjee, paid eloquent tributes to the Bard and narrated the arduous journey Tagore took to reach Shillong in April 1923.
He recounted how Tagore used boat ride, train and motor car to escape from the heat of Bengal.
Banerjee referred to the antipathy towards the Bengali community in certain parts of the Northeast and urged the community to do hand-holding with others rather than being condescending.
The programme’s highlight were rendition of Tagore song in Khasi by Jeneviv Khongjee, song by Sutapa Dutta Chowdhury, Debarghya Dhar, dance recitals by Gitanjali Dance Academy, Nritanjali Dance School and recitation of the famous “Shillong-er chithi” by Madhushree Bhattacharya.
Earlier, former minister Manas Chaudhuri traced the history of Jitbhumi.
On behalf of the owner of Jitbhumi, Dr Debasish Das offered vote of thanks.
