Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday paid tribute to Rabindranath Tagore on his birth anniversary and said that “his thoughts on justice and equality shaped India’s worldview while his timeless works provided the intellectual foundation for the freedom movement”.

Shah took to Twitter to express his views before offering tribute at the statue of Gurudev Tagore in Kolkata’s Thakurbari Jorasanko area this morning. “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 remains a visionary poet and beacon of light for us,” said Shah.

Before leaving for West Bengal on Monday night to attend Tagore’s birth anniversary celebration, Shah had also said that Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s soulful literature remains an ethereal voice that will continue to inspire generations with his benevolence.

Rabindranath Tagore Jayanti is celebrated on May 9 to commemorate the birth of the great Bengali poet, who was known as the Bard of Bengal and Gurudev and he made significant contributions to art, literature, and music. Tagore received the Nobel Prize in 1913 for his poetry collection “Gitanjali.” He also composed the national anthems of India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka.
Shah arrived in Kolkata well past midnight and was received by the senior leadership of BJP Bengal.

Besides offering tribute at the statue of Tagore, Shah will participate in several other events that include the laying of the foundation stone and inauguration of various development projects of the Land Port Authority of India and Border Security Force (BSF) in his day-long visit to West Bengal on Tuesday.

Shah will lay the foundation stone and inaugurate various development projects of the Land Port Authority of India and the BSF at noon at Integrated-Check Post Petrapole in West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas situated at the India-Bangladesh border.

ICP Petrapole, located along the international border between India and Bangladesh, is the largest land port in South Asia. It is situated at a distance of about 80 km from the city of Kolkata, West Bengal.

The Home Minister will also take part in an event linked to the release of the full dome film ‘Luminaries of Bengal’ and the inauguration of various projects at Science City in Kolkata in the evening.

The Home Minister’s day-long visit to West Bengal will conclude with his participation in Rabindranath Tagore’s birth anniversary celebrations by Khola Hawa at Kolkata’s Science City.