.webp)
On August 6, marks the 82nd death anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, the first non-European and Bengali poet to win the Nobel Prize for literature, and widely revered as the ‘World's Poet’.
The day has always been observed with extensive programs in a befitting manner as a tradition in both Bangladesh and India's West Bengal.
To observe the day, cultural organisations and government, and non-government institutions are paying their respective tributes with virtual events, featuring several noted artists, Tagore enthusiasts, and scholars.
Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy (BSA) organised a programme titled 'Rabindranath o Bangabandhu' at its National Music and Dance Centre Auditorium.
Chhayanaut, the country's esteemed cultural institution, arranged an event titled ‘Aghaat Kore Niley Jiney’ at Chhayanaut Sanskriti Bhaban in Dhaka's Dhanmondi.
Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigoshthi streamed a Facebook live programme at 7:30 pm on that day. The online event featured songs, dance, recitation, and discussions, and it was joined by Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam, Azizul Huq, Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigoshthi General Secretary Jamshed Anwar Tapan, and Assistant General Secretary Iqbalul Haque Khan, among others.
Besides, television channels, namely Bangladesh Television, Channel i, Banglavision, Maasranga, and others aired special programmes.
Youngest of thirteen surviving children of Debendranath Tagore and Sarada Devi, Rabindranath was born on 25th Baishakh, 1268 according to the Bangla calendar (May 7, 1861, according to the Gregorian calendar) in the Jorasanko mansion at Calcutta, British India.
Also referred to as the "Bard of Bengal”, Tagore composed over 2,000 songs which created a separate genre known as ‘Rabindra Sangeet’. Besides, he wrote a total of eight novels, 84 short stories, and volumes of poems in his prolific literary career spanning almost seven decades.
For Bangladesh, Rabindranath holds special significance. His poems and his songs inspired the nation in its most difficult years and the country had taken one of his songs ‘Amar Sonar Bangla’ (My Golden Bengal) as its National Anthem.
