Kolkata: To mark the sesquicentennial of
Rabindranath Tagore, West Bengal government has declared
August 8, the death anniversary of the bard, a holiday in all
its offices and establishments.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said she would
urge the Centre to declare Tagore's death anniversary a
national holiday.'' I will write to the Centre in this
regard.''
''In 1987 during the 125th birth anniversary of the
poet, I had taken the initiative of requesting the then Prime
Minister Rajiv Gandhi to declare Tagore's birthday a national
holiday, which he did,'' she said.
Banerjee said processions of children would be taken
out on August 8 from Tagore's ancestral house at Jorasanko,
from Harish Mukherjee street and another from Park circus and
would converge at Shahid Minar on August 8.
''I myself will be in the procession from Harish
Mukherjee Street,'' she said.
Elaborate programmes had been chalked out for August
8, 9 and 10, which included illuminating Tagore's ancestral
house at Jorasanko, Rabindra Sadan, Rabindra Bhavans in the
districts and all establishments which have the memory of
Tagore.
A programme is also being organised at Netaji Indoor
stadium to spread the message of Tagore.
All railway stations under the Eastern, South Eastern,
NF Railway and Metro Railways would be illuminated, she
said.
Banerjee said the state government had decided to set
up a Rabindra academy at Mongpu in Darjeeling where the poet
had lived for some time.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, July 28, 2011, 22:59