Birth Anniversary of The Bard
Aaj Ponchish e Boisakh!
For people who do not belong to the state of West Bengal, this date or day probably does not have much significance. I checked a few national news channels on TV today. There was no mention on the significance of this day on any of the news channels on TV. Certainly the Indian elections and the clowning politicians currently are more than a plateful for the news channels to handle. The regional news channels of Kolkata however did take some pains to emphasise the importance of this day and carried news regarding how this day was being celebrated in different parts of west Bengal and also in Bangladesh.
Apparently the birth anniversary of one of the greatest poets of India and the writer of India’s national Anthem is not important enough to get a mention on the news channels. And why should it be covered? I don’t think this day is marked by any politician offering wreath at the grave of Rabindranath Tagore! Nor does the parliament have any special programme on this day to pay tribute to the great man. It is not even marked by any special programme organized by any political party. And it certainly is not a national holiday. So the birth anniversary of Tagore doesn’t attract any attention or become a headline.
I am not sure whether the birth anniversary is celebrated in any part of India except for “Greater Bengal”. In west Bengal as well as Bangladesh this day is marked by special gatherings where the songs of the bard are sung by eminent singers. Plays written by Tagore are staged in certain public halls. I went to a shopping mall today and there was a special function being organized beside the public address system in mall broadcasting the bards songs! Tagore is probably the only poet who is credited with creating the national anthem for two different countries of the world. One of his creations "Amar Shonar Bangla" is also the national anthem of Bangladesh. However, I don’t remember seeing such celebrations when I was a small boy living in Ranchi. I certainly don’t remember knowing about the significance of this day. As a boy, I was definitely aware that India’s national anthem was written by Rabindranath Tagore, thanks to my school GK book. I don’t remember how I came to know the the national anthem by heart. We were supposed to sing the anthem on special occasions in school. Those were also the days when the national anthem used to be broadcast before and at the end of every movie in the movie halls. I remember watching my parents and others in the movie hall get up as soon as the first strains of the song began. Seeing them I used to get up too. In school, I remember how we used to be told by our teachers to stand absolutely erect and not make any sound when the national anthem was being sung. We were young at that time and were driven more by what we were taught by our teachers and parents rather than any such nationalistic feelings. So I learnt to get up and be absolutely still whenever I heard the rendition of the national anthem. Later on, when I grew up, I began to appreciate the meaning of the words. Today, when I hear the national anthem being played, I not only get up but also unconsciously begin to hum the song and start feeling a sense of pride; of being an Indian, of the achievements of my country.
At the same time, there is another feeling that comes to my mind. It is this thought which came to my mind once again today morning as I was reminded that today is the birth anniversary of the great poet. The feeling is about making the people of India aware about the writer of our national anthem. If Gandhiji is rightly called the father of nation and every child is made aware of his greatness, if India celebrates the birthday of the first prime minister of India, if the father of the Indian constitution is remembered, is it not important that the birth anniversary of the man who gave us our national anthem be celebrated all across India in a certain special way? After all, the national anthem goes a long way in instilling a nationalistic feeling within us for our country. It is a cause of spontaneous outburst of nationalistic emotions within us. It is one way by which every Indian is united and recognized on the international stage. If the national anthem has a special significance in every Indians’ heart, then I feel that more efforts should be made to raise awareness about the writer and the composer of the national Anthem on a national level. People in all corners of India should be encouraged to celebrate the birthday of this great poet. Schools and colleges should hold special functions on this day to mark the occasion. It is only in this way that we will be able to instill a further sense of pride in our national anthem and therefore in everything that is part of this great country.
For people who do not belong to the state of West Bengal, this date or day probably does not have much significance. I checked a few national news channels on TV today. There was no mention on the significance of this day on any of the news channels on TV. Certainly the Indian elections and the clowning politicians currently are more than a plateful for the news channels to handle. The regional news channels of Kolkata however did take some pains to emphasise the importance of this day and carried news regarding how this day was being celebrated in different parts of west Bengal and also in Bangladesh.
Apparently the birth anniversary of one of the greatest poets of India and the writer of India’s national Anthem is not important enough to get a mention on the news channels. And why should it be covered? I don’t think this day is marked by any politician offering wreath at the grave of Rabindranath Tagore! Nor does the parliament have any special programme on this day to pay tribute to the great man. It is not even marked by any special programme organized by any political party. And it certainly is not a national holiday. So the birth anniversary of Tagore doesn’t attract any attention or become a headline.
I am not sure whether the birth anniversary is celebrated in any part of India except for “Greater Bengal”. In west Bengal as well as Bangladesh this day is marked by special gatherings where the songs of the bard are sung by eminent singers. Plays written by Tagore are staged in certain public halls. I went to a shopping mall today and there was a special function being organized beside the public address system in mall broadcasting the bards songs! Tagore is probably the only poet who is credited with creating the national anthem for two different countries of the world. One of his creations "Amar Shonar Bangla" is also the national anthem of Bangladesh. However, I don’t remember seeing such celebrations when I was a small boy living in Ranchi. I certainly don’t remember knowing about the significance of this day. As a boy, I was definitely aware that India’s national anthem was written by Rabindranath Tagore, thanks to my school GK book. I don’t remember how I came to know the the national anthem by heart. We were supposed to sing the anthem on special occasions in school. Those were also the days when the national anthem used to be broadcast before and at the end of every movie in the movie halls. I remember watching my parents and others in the movie hall get up as soon as the first strains of the song began. Seeing them I used to get up too. In school, I remember how we used to be told by our teachers to stand absolutely erect and not make any sound when the national anthem was being sung. We were young at that time and were driven more by what we were taught by our teachers and parents rather than any such nationalistic feelings. So I learnt to get up and be absolutely still whenever I heard the rendition of the national anthem. Later on, when I grew up, I began to appreciate the meaning of the words. Today, when I hear the national anthem being played, I not only get up but also unconsciously begin to hum the song and start feeling a sense of pride; of being an Indian, of the achievements of my country.
At the same time, there is another feeling that comes to my mind. It is this thought which came to my mind once again today morning as I was reminded that today is the birth anniversary of the great poet. The feeling is about making the people of India aware about the writer of our national anthem. If Gandhiji is rightly called the father of nation and every child is made aware of his greatness, if India celebrates the birthday of the first prime minister of India, if the father of the Indian constitution is remembered, is it not important that the birth anniversary of the man who gave us our national anthem be celebrated all across India in a certain special way? After all, the national anthem goes a long way in instilling a nationalistic feeling within us for our country. It is a cause of spontaneous outburst of nationalistic emotions within us. It is one way by which every Indian is united and recognized on the international stage. If the national anthem has a special significance in every Indians’ heart, then I feel that more efforts should be made to raise awareness about the writer and the composer of the national Anthem on a national level. People in all corners of India should be encouraged to celebrate the birthday of this great poet. Schools and colleges should hold special functions on this day to mark the occasion. It is only in this way that we will be able to instill a further sense of pride in our national anthem and therefore in everything that is part of this great country.
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