Govt plans to organise symposium on Netaji's work and life on birth anniversary

Kolkata: The Bengal government is planning to organise a symposium on the life and work of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on his birth anniversary at Mahajati Sadan.

This comes at a time when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee requested the Centre that Subhas Chandra Bose's birthday has to be observed as a National Day.

From the dais of Sanghati Divas on December 6, the Chief Minister had sought explanation from the Centre for withdrawing Jesus Christ's birthday as a national holiday and also demanded Subhas Chandra Bose's birthday be observed as a national day.

According to a senior official of the state government, the decision to organise the symposium has been taken to pay respect to Subhas Chandra Bose on his birth anniversary at the same auditorium and the cultural centre setting of which was planned by him.

It was Subhas Chandra Bose who took the initiative of setting up Mahajati Sadan, a house that symbolises national integration and unity.

The foundation stone was laid by Rabindranath Tagore in the presence of Subhas Chandra Bose, who was then associated with Congress. Later, trouble developed over its construction when Subhas Chandra left Congress and joined Forward Bloc. The objection was raised by the then Mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation Dr Bidhan Chandra Roy. However, all the problems were ironed out with time and Dr Roy himself inaugurated the building.

It houses a library, a museum on India's freedom movement and an auditorium. Later, an annex building was constructed. Mahajati Sadan has been thoroughly revamped by the Mamata Banerjee government.

If everything goes as planned, then colleges in the city and other parts of the state will be informed as only college students would be participating in the symposium.

The official said that there is also a possibility of organising a debate competition at Mahajati Sadan on the same day.

But it would only be possible to organise either the symposium or a debate competition. Final call in this regard is yet to be taken."Whatever takes place it will be done through a screening process on the basis of their performances as preliminary steps of the competition," the official said adding that usually painting competition, in which school goers mainly participate, is organised every year on the birth anniversary of Netaji at Mahajati Sadan.

In 2018, for the first time either the symposium or a debate competition is going to be held at the auditorium, which is a heritage of the city.