Listen to the rendition of ‘He Nutan’ by Kanak Biswas here.
Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali polymath, who reshaped Bengali literature and music, as well as Indian art with Contextual Modernism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
He was the first non-European to win Nobel Prize in literature for his collection of poems– Gitanjali for “profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse”. Tagore is often referred to as “the Bard of Bengal”.
His compositions were chosen by two nations as national anthems: India’s Jana Gana Mana and Bangladesh’s Amar Shonar Bangla. The Sri Lankan national anthem was inspired by his work.
Tagore contribution to Indian literature is considered unparalleled, however his legacy also endures in the institution he founded, Visva-Bharati University.
While Bengal and Bengalis have always celebrated Rabindra Jayanti on “Pochishe Boishakh”, there has always been a slight confusion every year on the date of his birthday.
Tagore was born on the 25th day of Boishakh in the year 1348, as per the Bengali calendar, and he always celebrated his birthday on this day during his lifetime. Tagore aficionados have stuck to that date.
However, since the corresponding date as per the Georgian calendar is 7 May, many consider that as Tagore’s official birthday. This year too, tributes poured in from all quarters on 7 May as India and the world remembered Tagore on his birthday.
Many cultural functions and official events are planned in Bengal and elsewhere on 9 May.
Following the alert, the Sundarbans district police, under whose jurisdiction Sagar Islands comes, had decided to ensure absolute security at the coastal entry points to the Gangasagar Mela Venue.
Union Minister of Textiles Giriraj Singh has inaugurated the new permanent campus of the Indian Institute of Handloom Technology (IIHT) at Fulia in West Bengal.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is set to welcome 95 Indian fishermen who were handed over by the Bangladesh Coast Guard to the Indian Coast Guard on Sunday.