Kolkata, May 9 (Representative) West Bengal, along with the rest of the country, on Tuesday celebrated the birth anniversary of legendary Nobel Laureate poet, philosopher and polymath Rabindranath Tagore, whose profound teachings resonate with millions, inspiring hearts and minds across the globe.Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee paid tributes to Tagore on the occasion.Shah garlanded the statue of Gurudev at Jorasanko Thakurbari and paid tributes. Shah then went round the Thakurbari, accompanied by Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar. The Prime Minister said, ” On the occasion of his Jayanti, my tributes to Gurudev Tagore. From artto music and from education to literature, he has left an indelible mark across several areas.” “We reiterate our commitment to fulfilling his vision for a prosperous, progressive and enlightened India, ” he added. Taking to twitter, Shah said, ” My tribute to Gurudev Tagore on his birth anniversary. ” “His thoughts on justice and equality shaped India’s worldview while his timeless works provided the intellectual foundation for the freedom movement, ” he added.
“He remains a visionary poet & beacon of light for us, ” Shah stated. Taking to twitter, Banerjee said,” I pay my humble tribute to Gurudeb Rabindranath Tagore on his birth anniversary.” “His great contribution to literature and art has shaped our rich cultural heritage and inspired many across the globe, ” she added. “May his teachings and philosophy continue to guide us all, ” she added. ‘He Nutan Dekha Dik Aar Baar Jonmer Subhokhon…Chironutoner Dilo Daak Pochise Boisakh’. The passage quoted above roughly translates into looking out for something new and alive which is promising and offers hope to the youth. The beautiful passage is one of the many lyrical melodies created by Tagore, the world famous lyricist poet, author of great novels like Gitanjali and short story collections, endless musical songs. This song is widely recognized with his birth anniversary which falls on the 25th day of Boisakh, (first month of Bengali calendar) either May 8th or 9th (according to Gregorian calendar) that is celebrated across West Bengal . Rabindra Jayanti or Tagore’s birth anniversary is a state declared holiday in Bengal in India and Bangladesh for whom Tagore has written the national anthem of the two countries. His birthday is celebrated in a grandeur manner at his ancestral home Jorasanko Thakur Bari in Kolkata, where several cultural programmes are organised.
The celebrations here start at morning and continue for the rest of the day. Students as well as popular artists are witnessed celebrating the day in Jorasanko Thakur Bari every year by dancing to the tunes of Tagore’s composition, singing his songs and reciting his poems. In almost every locality, cultural events are organised to commemorate his birthday by rejoicing the bard’s songs, poems, plays and dances. A very popular tradition is to hold a procession early in the morning, where women clad in sarees and men in dhoti kurtas, sing Tagore’s songs and perform skits on the road. Tagore was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region’s literature and music. He authored the Gitanjali and its “profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verses”. Tagore became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. He modernised Bengali art by spurning rigid classical forms and resisting linguistic structures. His novels, stories, songs, dance-dramas, and essays dealt in topics ranging from political and personal. Gitanjali (Song Offerings), Gora (Fair-Faced), and Ghare-Baire (The Home and the World) are some of his best-known works, and his verse, short stories, and novels were acclaimed for their lyricism, colloquialism, naturalism, and unnatural contemplation. His compositions were chosen by two nations as national anthems: India’s ‘Jana Gana Mana’ and Bangladesh’s ‘Amar Shonar Bangla’.