Lok Sabha Debates
Shri Sudip Bandyopadhyaya Made A Submission Regarding The 150 Th Birth ... on 7 May, 2010
> Title: Shri Sudip Bandyopadhyaya made a submission regarding the 150th Birth Anniversary celebration of Rabindranath Tagore w.e.f. 9 may, 2010.
SHRI SUDIP BANDYOPADHYAY (KOLKATA UTTAR): Madam, I will just deviate to the other issue. Day after tomorrow the celebrations of 150th birth anniversary of Kabi Guru Rabindranath Tagore will start. I hope, the whole nation would pay a tribute to one of the greatest poets of the world - Kabi Guru Rabindranath Tagore – on 9th May, day after tomorrow. A circular from the Government of India has possibly been issued keeping Dr. Manmohan Singh as the Chairman of one committee and constituting another committee under the leadership of Shri Pranab Mukherjee, the Leader of the House.
Madam, what I would appeal is that Kabi Guru Rabindranath Tagore’s song Jana Gana Mana is the National Anthem of the country. Naturally, the whole nation should celebrate his 150th birth anniversary. I think, the hon. Prime Minister should make an appeal, while Shrimati Sonia Gandhi is also present over here, that we should all celebrate this great poet’s 150th birth anniversary at a high scale. All political parties and all Members of the House, feel that as the birthday of Shri Mahatma Gandhi is being celebrated, the birth anniversary celebrations of Kabi Guru Rabindranath Tagore, who sang Jana Gana Mana Adhinayak Jay Hey should also be celebrated with great honour and prestige.
We want to get some assurance from either the hon. Prime Minister or Shri Pranab Mukherjee as to what steps they are going to take to celebrate his 150th birth anniversary.
THE PRIME MINISTER (DR. MANMOHAN SINGH): Madam, Rabindranath Tagore is a part of India’s civilizational and cultural heritage. He is dear to each and every one of India’s citizens. The Government has already decided to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of his birth in a befitting manner. The National Committee is being setup under my Chairmanship, and the Implementation Committee is being setup under the Chairmanship of my distinguished colleague Shri Pranab Mukherjee. I assure the House that I do recognize that this is an event, which we must celebrate appropriately to ensure that we do notice and we are able to honour this great poet of India in a befitting manner.
SHRI B. MAHTAB (CUTTACK): It is said that : “All’s well that ends well”. We are coming to the close of the Budget Session, and before we go back to our constituencies and to our respective States, a good news is being delivered today here what the Prime Minister has stated here that the Cabinet is going to take a positive decision.
I welcome that decision. The confusion that was created and what we had anticipated that it may lead to a number of frictions has been given a go-by now with the Prime Minister’s statement; and the Leader of the House also has taken cognizance of the utterances that were made here.
At the same time, I would also mention of Kabiguru’s 150th Birth Anniversary that is going to start from 9th of May this year. In 1961, I am reminded that when the Centenary Celebrations of Kabiguru was celebrated, all the State Governments were involved, and in the specific areas which Kabiguru had visited, memorials named as Rabindra Bhawan were set up; places he had travelled abroad also were commemorated with. Kabiguru is the single Poet of this world whose poem has been accepted as the National Anthem of two nations – of India and also of Bangladesh.
I think as an international literary figure, India should celebrate the Poet’s 150th Birth Anniversary in a befitting manner. u.
अध्यक्ष महोदया : धन्यवाद, बहुत-बहुत शुक्रिया शारिक साहब। Dr. Rama Chandra Dome, kindly associate yourself. Please make it very brief.
DR. RAM CHANDRA DOME (BOLPUR): I associate myself with the opinion expressed by other leaders on the Prime Minister’s statement on the issue of Census. It is a very positive decision. I am really grateful and thankful to the Prime Minister and the Government that they have expeditiously taken such a decision and gave respect to the majority opinion in this House, cutting across the party lines.
The other point on which I associate myself, Madam, is on the 150th Birth Anniversary of Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore. You know, Madam, that I represent that constituency, Bolpur, where Shantiniketan was the seat of activities of Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore. It is really with a sense of pride, I find pride in it, that the Prime Minister has already announced… MADAM SPEAKER: You associate yourself with Shri Sudip Bandyopadhyay.
DR. RAM CHANDRA DOME : I associate myself with Shri Sudip Bandyopadhyay. The 150th Birth Anniversary of Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore should be celebrated in a befitting manner throughout the nation. I also suggest that all the State Governments and all the followers of Rabindranath Tagore should be taken into confidence.