Rabindranath Tagore birth anniversary

Today is Rabindranath Tagore's birth anniversary - Pachishe Boishakh - as it is known in Bengali. Tagore - the poet, novelist, essayist, philosopher and musician.

Tagore is a significant part of every Bengali’s heart and soul. From his short stories to songs and plays, an average Bangali refers to Tagore and cites Kobiguru as he is fondly remembered in every circumstance of life, in joy, sorrow, agony or pain.

The first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913, Rabindranath Tagore’s novels, stories, songs and dramas were acclaimed as well as criticised for their lyricism and colloquialism.

Gitanjali, Gora and Ghare-Baire are his best-known works. His compositions were chosen by two nations as national anthems: India's Jana Gana Mana and Bangladesh's Amar Shonar Bangla.

In the year 2011, to mark and honour Gurudev’s 150th birth anniversary, the Government of India had issued five rupee coins.

As per a PTI report, the West Bengal government has decided to celebrate the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore on Friday in a less colourful manner, a senior government official said, amid the ongoing lockdown to fight COVID-19.

“Rabindra Jayanti will be observed by the state government at 4 PM on May 8 at Cathedral Road in the southern part of the city. The honourable chief minister will remain present at the programme,” he said on Wednesday.

“There will be no big celebrations like other years as no gatherings will be allowed due to the Covid-19 outbreak. The chief minister will only garland the statue of Tagore. There will be no stage and no singing programme,” he said.