Rabindranath Tagore’s 163rd birth anniversary today

The 163rd birth anniversary of great poet Rabindranath Tagore, who reshaped Bengali literature and music as well as arts of Indian subcontinent with contextual modernism, is being celebrated Wednesday in a befitting manner.

The government has taken up elaborate programmes to celebrate the 163rd birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore at national level Wednesday.

On the 25th of Baishakh in 1268 Bengali calendar, Rabindranath, the fountainhead of Bengali wisdom, was born at Jorasanko in Kolkata.

Nobody had influenced the minds of so many Bengali-speaking people before or after him. His influence has been compared, by many, to William Shakespeare in the English-speaking world.

Marking the birth anniversary, as part of the national programme, local administration will arrange different programme at Patisar under Atrai upazila in Naogaon district, at Shilaidaha Kuthibari under Kumarkhali upazila in Kushtia, Shahjadpur in Sirajganj and Dakkhindihi and Pithavog in Khulna, the places where Rabindranath had memories.

Rabindra fair, discussions and cultural events will be organized to mark the birth anniversary of the great poet.

Besides, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy has taken a three-day programme including cultural functions.

Chhayanaut, a leading cultural organization of the country, will organize a two-day Rabindra Utsab at its auditorium on May 8-9. The programmes include performance of solo and chorus songs, dance and poem recitations. Apart from artistes of Chhayanaut, invited artistes and groups will take part in the festival. The programme will begin at 7pm every day. The organisation will air the programme live on its Facebook page.

Bangla Academy will also arrange programme marking the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore.

Rabindranath’s novels, short stories, songs, dance-dramas and essays always speak about political and personal life of people.

Gitanjali (Song Offerings), Gora (Fair-Faced) and Ghare-Baire (The Home and the World) are his best-known works and his verse, short stories and novels were acclaimed for their lyricism, colloquialism, naturalism and unnatural contemplation.

Author of Gitanjali, profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse, Rabindranath became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913.

Sometimes referred to as “the Bard of Bengal”, Tagore’s poetic songs were viewed as spiritual and mercurial.

His compositions were chosen by two nations as national anthems: Bangladesh’s Amar Sonar Bangla and India’s Jana Gana Mana. The Sri Lankan national anthem was inspired by his work.

The legendary poet breathed his last at his paternal residence in Kolkata on 22nd of Sraban of Bangla year 1348 (August 7, 1941).