Thaindian News

By Pinaki Das

Agartala (Tripura), May 9 (ANI): Morning processions and cultural programmes on Sunday marked the beginning of year-long celebrations of the 150th birth centenary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore across Tripura.

The main function was organised at Rabindra Kanan (Tagore’s Park) where young artistes in concert of Tagore’s songs performed dances and recitation from his works.

The functions continued into the day as hundreds of Tagore admirers thronged the venue to pay tribute to the world poet.

A large number of people also gathered at the Rabindra Satabarshi Bhavan (Rabindra Centenary Hall) premises where artistes enthralled them with rendition of Tagore’s songs and recitation of his poems.

Tagore had a close relation with the princely state of Tripura and he visited the state as many as seven times between 1899 and 1926.

Swapan Nandia, a Tagore fan, said, ‘I believe that Rabindranath has visited the state of Tripura seven times not just because the Maharaja had invited but because he loved this state, the communal harmony among the people. Here he wrote “Bisharjan” and “Rajarshi” and the theme of both is communal harmony and through such stories he had spread everywhere the message of harmony among different community of Tripura.”

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.”

Commemorating the occation of Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar laid the foundation stone of an Rs.275-million Rabindra convention complex in Agartala.

“Today’s world is full of terror which is influencing the young generation mostly; we are at the threshold of losing our rich cultural heritage and at such a point of time Rabindranath can show a new path to the youths if we can expose them to Tagore’s work. There is good volume of his work which is yet to be explored”, said Subasish Chanda, a well known writer. (ANI)