Rabindra Jayanti was recently celebrated here with a cultural programme, discussions and re-launch of the web portal, eBangla. Shrabasti Mallik reports
Rabindranath Tagore was very modern for his times. Even after being born in a family of zamindars, he chose not to follow the footsteps of his forefathers and instead set new rules for his land. He divided his land into mondals, or divided pieces of land, with a head in each. Four farmers served under each head, thereby bringing law and order to the land. “He was the first person to start a gramin (village) bank because he realised that India is a nation of farmers. His innovative ways saved farmers from the mahajans,” said Sukhendu Shekhar Roy, member of the Rajya Sabha. Many more interesting facts about the bard came to light during a celebration organised by Sambad Matamat on the occasion of Rabindra Jayanti.
There are a few things that bring the Bengali community of the city together — Durga puja and Rabindra Jayanti being the most influential of all. There is a certain possessiveness towards the bard that they do not deny. So at the event at the Constitution Club of India, distinguished Bengalis from various walks of life turned up to pay their respect to the laureate.
The festivities began with songs and poetry recitals. Soma Ghosh’s rendition of songs like Mor Sondhay Tumi Sundor Beshe Eshecho and Aha Tomar Songe Praner Khela set the tone for the evening. It was followed by a poetry recital by Amit Thakur.
A discussion on the subject of Rabindra bhabna (thoughts) was a part of the evening. Abani Roy, Rajya Sabha MP, elaborated on the degeneration of the language in the present day and said, “Bengali as a language is a treasure chest and Rabindranath showed us how simple words can be used to bring out the most deepest emotions and feelings. Bengali literature is incomplete without him. He took the language to the world and there are still many places that recognise India through his works, which was mostly in Bengali. We need to engage more in the language.”
The web portal, eBangla, was launched on the occasion. The portal, which was first launched in 2008, only offered news and views from the world. Now it comes with added features like online buying, Bengali recipes and a Bengali calendar marked with major events.