Current trends divergent from Tagore’s philosophy
On the occasion of 158th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, three noted personalities were awarded with Rabindra Puroshkar-2019 yesterday for their contribution to upholding the Nobel laureate poet’s legacy in the country.
The recipients of the award are: Tagore researchers Prof Shafiuddin Ahmed, Prof Begum Akhter Kamal and Rabindra Sangeet artiste Iqbal Ahmed.
Bangla Academy, which has been conferring the award for a decade now, honoured them at a ceremony at the academy’s Abdul Karim Shahityabisharad Auditorium.
As part of the award, the honourees received Tk 50,000 each as prize money along with crests and certificates.
Expressing his gratitude for the recognition, Iqbal Ahmed, a freedom fighter, said he was captured and taken to a Pakistan army camp where he was brutally tortured during the Liberation War.
The reason was inciting people “with revolutionary and nationalistic songs”, as cited by the Pakistani army, Iqbal said.
“I don’t know whether I really did that. If I truly did, I feel it was my greatest achievement,” he added.
Talking about the poet’s ideas on nationalism, Bangla Academy President and National Professor Anisuzzaman said Rabindranath Tagore brought to the fore the aggressive aspect of nationalism and criticised it.
Tagore’s philosophy was accepting the whole world as a global citizen, said Prof Anisuzzaman, while chairing the event.
He said the globally renowned poet considered himself a Bengali first because of Bangla language. To him, geography behind nationalism came second, Prof Anisuzzaman added.
On education, Tagore gave priority to enjoyable learning rather than achieving good academic results through success in exams.
It is unfortunate that the current trends go exactly the opposite way, he regretted.
“Even after so many years of his death, Tagore’s thoughts on education, homeland and internationalism are very much relevant,” he added.
Welcoming the audience, Bangla Academy Director General and poet Habibullah Siraji said the academy has been honouring those, with the award, who have made significant contribution to disseminating Rabindranath Tagore’s works through research and music.
Educationist Prof Anwarul Karim, among others, spoke at the ceremony.
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