Legendary Tributes

And this year,being the 150th birth anniversary of the renowned Nobel-laureate,is even more significant. Moreover,Gitanjali,the collection of poems that won him the Nobel Prize,enters the hundredth year of its existence.

On this momentous occasion,a morning procession or Prabhat Pheri has been organised by the Bangiya Sanskriti Samsad,one of the leading Bengali cultural organisations in the city. The procession will involve over one hundred vocalists,who have been practicing rigorously for the past ten days.

Shibani Sengupta,president of the Samsad,says,“Rabindranath Tagore is known the world over as a spiritual poet,and had a great love for nature. He had an intense yearning to identify the spiritual undertones behind physical and natural phenomena.”

“We thought that this Prabhat Pheri or Baitalik,as Tagore called it,would be a befitting tribute to such a great personality of our country on the momentous occasion of his 150th birth anniversary,” she adds.

Members of several Bengali cultural associations from all around the city have confirmed their participation in the event. All the participants will march from the Samsad Bhavan in Bhosale Nagar,through the University of Pune to the open-air theatre at the Lalit Kala Kendra within its campus,all the while collectively rendering songs and reciting poems composed by Tagore. On arrival at the Lalit Kala Kendra,a cultural program enumerating the great poet’s work will be performed by the participants,with a few Marathi translations of his poetry also being incorporated.

“Through this event,we have endeavoured to bring all the Rabindraphiles of Pune together to collectively pay homage to Tagore’s immense legacy,” says Sharmila Majumdar,secretary of the Bangiya Sanskriti Samsad. The event is one of several efforts by various Bengali cultural organisations around the city,to celebrate the memory of their Gurudev (as Tagore is popularly known).

Surajhankar,an organisation dedicated to the propagation of Rabindrasangeet,had organised a program of their own a week ago,to commemorate the occasion.

R K Shevgaonkar,vice chancellor of the University of Pune,and noted Bharatnatyam exponent Sucheta Chaphekar will grace the event with their presence. Vinod Kothari,who had the good fortune of studying at Shantiniketan during Tagore’s time,is a guest of honour at the function. He says,”Shantiniketan has been a rich source of talent since the very beginning. First Tagore,then Ray and in recent times Amartya Sen.” About the function he says,”Puneites should consider it a great honour that they are the hosts of such a program that highlights the great poet’s contribution to Indian society. The concert,songs and other things lined up for the day are a magnificent way to pay homage to the literary master.”

The procession will set out from Samsad Bhavan in Bhosale Nagar at 6.30 am tomorrow morning,and will conclude at the Lalit Kala Kendra at 9.30.