MUMBAI: Giving a tribute to Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee today inaugurated a museum named after him on his death anniversary.
The museum ‘Rabindra Tirtha’ has come up on five acres of land at New Town in Kolkata with an investment of Rs 20 crore, as per reports. The centre is a complete research academy on Rabindranath Tagore. Besides an auditorium with a seating capacity of 200, it boasts of an archive consisting of Tagore’s works and an exhibition room where his paintings are on display. There are rooms for guests, specially scholars and students coming from abroad to do research work at the centre.
Speaking on the occasion, Banerjee also announced setting up of ‘Nezrul Tirtha’ in the name of poet of Nazrul Islam. She said the Government had also decided to set up an international convention centre on the lines of Vigyan Bhavan in Delhi and an eco-tourism park in the New Town. A number of programmes were organised through the state to pay homage to Gurudev Tagore on his death anniversary.
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“One will find another Santiniketan at ‘Rabindra Tirtha’,” Banerjee said in her inaugural address, adding that it was set up to carry forward thoughts and philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore.
She announced the formation of a seven-member task force to oversee its management.
Stating that her plan was to set up a wide ‘Rabindraangan’ encompassing Rabindra Sadan and Nandan complex in the city, she said considering the delay in receiving financial grant from the Centre, a decision was taken to construct the ‘Rabindra Tirtha’.
A bronze statue of Rabindranath was erected at the centre of the large lake in the complex.
The plan of the project was conceptualised by renowned painter Jogen Chowdhury.
The inauguration was attended by many singers, painters, artists, Tagore researchers and the ministers of state cabinet.
In Santineketan, governor MK Narayanan and vice-chancellor of the Viswa Bharati University Susanta Dutta Gupta took part in a special prayer meeting to observe the day.
