Rabindra Jayanti celebrated in Tripura

Agartala, May 9: The 157th birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Rabindra Nath Tagore was celebrated on Wednesday in Tripura and south Assam.

Braving rough weather, numerous programmes were organised across Tripura, with ‘Prabhat Pheri’ (morning procession) being held in each locality.

Songs written by the bard were sung and his poetry was recited at different venues in Tripura by local artistes and performers as well as some from West Bengal and Bangladesh.

The Tripura Government, which declared a holiday on Wednesday on the occasion, also organised programmes in the Rabindra Satabarshiki Bhavan and Rabindra Kanan in Agartala.

Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, who also holds the Information and Cultural Affairs Department, and Chief Secretary Sanjeev Ranjan were present at the Rabindra Kanan function.

Chhandaneer, a decades-old renowned cultural organisation of Tripura, has also organised the ‘Kabi Pranam’ programme in Agartala.

“We are organising Rabindra Jayanti for the past 44 years. Artistes from Bangladesh, West Bengal and Kolkata along with those from Tripura took part in the week-long programme,” Chhandaneer chief Samiran Roy said.

In Silchar, a controversy erupted since last year after the Assam Government officially cancelled the celebrations in schools and instead asked the Education department to hold academic activities.

However, non-government cultural organisations observed the day with numerous programmes and functions in three districts of Bengali dominated Barak Valley region in south Assam adjoining Tripura.

Silchar-based Barak Upatyaka Banga Sahitya-O-Sanskriti Sammelan leader Taimur Raja Chowdhury said: “Despite the State Government’s apathetic attitude towards celebrating the Rabindra Jayanti, various NGOs are observing the day with day-long colourful and traditional functions.”

Significantly, Tagore had visited and stayed in Agartala and Shillong several times between 1899 and 1927. IANS