Observance of the West Bengal Foundation Day has led to a row between Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Governor CV Ananda Bose, nevertheless the day was celebrated with much fanfare at the Telangana Raj Bhavan with the Bengali community in Hyderabad participating in the festivities.
Of late, formation days of various other states are being celebrated in the Raj Bhavan following instructions from the Centre. The state of Telangana boasts of a large Bengali community of more than eight lakh people who have settled here since the days of the Nizam.
State Governor Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, who addressed a gathering on the occasion virtually, spoke about Aghornath Chattopadhyay, the first principal of the Nizam College who had come all the way from Bengal. His children, Sarojini Naidu and Harindranath Chattopadhyay, who were brought up in Hyderabad also attained considerable fame.
The governor also mentioned General JN Chaudhuri, who led the Operation Polo or the police action that paved the way for the merging of the state of Hyderabad with the Union of India. She mentioned Sharada Mukherjee, who was governor of Andhra Pradesh during 1977-78. Several prominent Bengalis from the twin cities were felicitated on the occasion.