Today marks a very important day in Bengali culture. It is celebrated as a festival in every Bengali household, paying tribute to a man who is revered almost as a God by Bengalis all over the world. Rabindranath Tagore, fondly known as Gurudev, was born on 25th of Baisakh 1338 according to the Bengali calendar. Although according to the Gregorian Calendar, he was born on 7th May 1861, Rabindra Jayanti is celebrated on 25th Baisakh every year.
On this day every year, Bengalis pay tribute to this great poet, composer and author by felicitating his framed photographs (which is proudly available in every Bengali household) with floral garlands and incense followed by cultural programmes in the evening. A multi-talented personality, he composed poems, wrote novels, essays, short stories, travelogues, dramas, and thousands of songs. He was responsible for the expansion of Visva Bharati University in the city of Shantiniketan, the pride of Bengal. And of course, awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.
As a Bengali, I am used to the hustle and bustle of the arrangements of this culturally rich evening from the very beginning of the Baisakh month (mid-April). In my pre-teens and teenage years, I used to be involved in the celebration by participating in dance performances on some of his melodious creations and compositions. After my teenage years, I got occupied with my undergraduate studies followed by my job. But I would look forward to this evening and get immersed in the musical and cultural celebration.
This year, however, this wasn't possible. Due to the lockdown, we are discouraged step out of our houses, let alone celebrate this day like we usually do. There had to be some kind of celebration though. So we arranged a cultural programme over a video call. My parents, uncles, aunts and cousins got together over a video call, decked up in saris and kurtas, and paid tribute to Gurudev by singing songs composed by him and reciting his poems. Although unusual, this kind of celebration brought us together under these circumstances. More than anything, it made us nostalgic about all those musical evenings that we had spent together as a family.
Happy Rabindra Jayanti!
