Tagore’s birth anniv today

The 157th birth anniversary of Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore will be observed today.
Different cultural organisations across the country have chalked up special programmes in celebration of the day. Cultural affairs ministry will hold a daylong programme at Rabindra Kuthibari at Shelaidaha in Kushtia. 
The programme will feature performances by renowned Tagore artistes, stalls displaying crafts, Tagore books and CDs and others at stalls. 
Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy will hold a discussion and cultural show at its National Theatre Hall in the evening. Noted artistes and popular cultural organisations will present Tagore songs, dance and poems at the programme. 
Chhayanuat will hold a two-day Tagore Festival at its auditorium which will begin this evening featuring performances by eminent 
Tagore singers, recitation and dance artistes. 
Bangla Academy held its celebration programme on Monday at Abdul Karim Shahitya Bisharad Auditorium where the academy conferred Rabindra Award 2018 on Tagore researcher Abul Momen and Tagore singer Fahim Hossain Chowdhury. 
Bangladesh Rabindra Sangeet Samanway Parishad will hold a three-day Tagore festival which will begin today at Shawkat Osman Memorial Auditorium at Central Public Library. 
Rabindranath Tagore, born on Baishakh 25 according to Bangla calendar, was the youngest of the 14 children of Debendranath Tagore and Sarada Devi.
Tagore reshaped the Bangla language and literature in the 19th and 20th centuries through his works in almost all genres of literature. He also left a profound mark on music and performing arts.
The poet wrote over one thousand poems, eight volumes of short stories, almost two dozen plays and playlets, eight novels, and many books and essays on philosophy, religion, education and social issues.
He also penned over two thousand songs and set them to tunes. Two of them became the national anthems of India and Bangladesh. 
Rabindranath wrote his fist poem at the age of eight. He wrote his first substantial collection of poems under the pen name Bhanushingha. Tagore was a trend-setter playwright as his plays Raktakarabi, Dak Ghar and Achalayatan show.
He was the first non-European poet to win Nobel Prize for literature. He won the prize in 1913 for ‘Song Offerings’, the English version of his collection of poetry ‘Gitanjali’.
Besides, in 1915, he was knighted by King George V, but Tagore renounced his knighthood in 1919 in protest at the Amritsar massacre of 400 Indian peasant demonstrators by British troops. 
Tagore founded Visva Bharati University at Santiniketan in 1921 which drew scholars from all over the world. 
He died on August 7, 1941 at the age of 80.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net