Amid Indo-Pak tensions, Mamata pays tribute to armed forces & Tagore’s ideals

Kolkata: Amid heightened tensions between India and Pakistan, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, while speaking at ‘Kabi Pranam’ programme to mark the 164th anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, heaped praises on the Indian armed forces for fearlessly protecting the country’s frontiers and urged the world to rise above the narrow personal interests.

“We are praying for the well-being of the people of this country and our motherland,” she said.

The CM, after garlanding a giant portrait of Tagore in the Rabindra Sadan-Nandan cultural complex, described the Nobel laureate as the person whose songs “give us solace and guide us through every moment”.

“His ideals will dispel the dark clouds and ward off the dark threat,” she said. She said Tagore’s works have been “enlightening the whole world”.

She also said that people should not remember Tagore only once a year, instead, they should remember him and pay respect to their mother language and culture every day.

“We cannot even think without Tagore. We also pay respect to the Indian armed forces who are protecting our motherland. We take lessons from Tagore in our everyday lives. We have learnt so many things from him as a cultural icon. However, it seems that we, the people, have gradually reduced our indulgence in Rabindranath. All the states should pay respect to their mother tongue and their culture,” Banerjee remarked.

In a post on X, she quoted a few lines from Tagore’s famous collection of poems, ‘Gitanjali’.

“On the birth anniversary of poet Rabindranath Tagore, we pay our heartfelt respects and bow to him. We remember him not only on the 25th Baishakh, but every day. He is in our direction, in our language, in our hope - in everything! The whole world is illuminated by the light of his creation,” she wrote.

Tagore’s birth anniversary is celebrated as ‘Rabindra Jayanti’ on 25th Baishakh, according to the Bengali calendar. On her X handle, Banerjee also posted an excerpt from one of Tagore’s most iconic poems, “where the mind is without fear and the head is held high/where knowledge is free/where the world has not broken up into fragments/ by narrow domestic walls”.

The birth anniversary of Tagore was celebrated across the state on Friday with traditional fervour and joy. In Santiniketan, Rabindra Jayanti was observed with great enthusiasm. The day was celebrated in the state dance performances, theatrical performances, etcetera.

The ruling Trinamool Congress in a post on X said: “Rabindra Jayanti is a celebration of the very roots of Bengali identity. From moments of joy to times of hardship, Kobiguru’s words have helped shape how we think and feel. Smt. @MamataOfficial reminded us that his teachings are still a part of how we navigate the present.”

Thousands of people converged at the bard’s ancestral house at Jorasanko during the day and went around the rooms where the articles used by Tagore were being kept and preserved. Students of Rabindra Bharati University and teachers sang and recited his poems. Several prominent Rabindra Sangeet exponents also performed on the occasion. Many musical soirees were also held in different localities in the evening, performing his songs, poems and plays.