Bangladesh presents replicas of Tagore's boats to India
Kolkata, Sept 12 (IBNS)
Bangladesh presented replicas of world bard Rabindranath Tagore's boats to the Indian government here on Wednesday.
Bangladesh Information and Cultural Affairs Minister Abul Kalam Azad, along with his seven delegates, visited Kolkata on Wednesday for the presentation of replicas of the Padma and Chapola Boats on Wednesday to Visva Bharati University and Rabindra Bharati University.
The Padma boat, along with the Kuthibari in Silaidaha in Bangladesh's Kusthia district, in intrinsic to Tagore's creative output, agree scholars.
The poet is known to have used the houseboat regularly as a retreat in between his managerial duties at the family estate intermittently for a decade from 1890.
On this boat, Tagore began his English translation of 'Gitanjali'. 'Malini' was also written in during this period.
The Chapala was a dinghy attached to the Padma. The poet used it to travel into narrow strips of water where the barge couldn't go.
The 150th birth anniversary celebration of Tagore has opened new vistas in Indo-Bangla bi-lateral cooperation, said Azad.
"The fields of Indo-Bangla bi-lateral cooperation have to be expanded now, he said.
Azad was speaking at a programme of Joint Indo-Bangla Commemoration of 150th Birth Anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore and presentation of replicas of Padma and Chapala Boats to Rabindra Bharati University Kolkata (RBU), and Visva Bharati, Shantiniketan (VB) at a function at Jorasanko Thakurbari in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Azad also fondly reminisced that people of Bangladesh can never forget and are always grateful to India for its cooperation in Bangladesh's War of Liberation in 1971.
He termed the presentation of Padma and Chapala boat replicas as 'a special gift for our brothers of Republic of India from Bangladesh'.
Speaking on the occasion, Sanjiv Mittal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Culture, expressed thankfulness to Peoples' Republic of Bangladesh for presenting these replicas to RBU and VB.
He also expressed gratitude on behalf of the Indian government to Government of Bangladesh for extending this cooperation.
He stated that the government has already taken initiatives for preservation and renovation of Tagore's house at Jorasanko, Kolkata by Archaeological Survey of India and an amount of Rs.1.18 crore has already been sanctioned for the purpose.
Tagore composed the National Anthems of two brother nations - India and Bangladesh.