Rabindranath Tagore was born at the “Thakur Bari” in Jorasanko, Kolkata in the year 1861 on the 9th of May. His birthday, Rabindra Jayanti, was recently celebrated all over the country through his songs, poetry, and other literary works. Primary celebrations in Delhi start early in the morning through day-long performances at Rabindra Bhavan on Copernicus Marg. A further program is held in the evening at the Chittaranjan Park Kali Mandir Society where various Rabindra Sangeet choirs assemble and present an extremely harmonious program. We religiously cover these events every year.

But this year we did it differently.  We visited “Thakur Bari” (“abode of Tagores”) to partake in the Rabindra Jayanti celebrations here, “Kabi Pronam” (“Ode to the Poet”). “Thakur Bari” was a luxurious mansion inhabited by the Tagores for generations. Rabindranath Tagore was born and died here. At present, however, it chiefly houses the autonomous educational institution Rabindra Bharati University. A part of the mansion has been converted into a museum to display the art and life of Rabindranath and other members of the illustrious Tagore clan.

The celebration here started early at 6 a.m. with the garlanding of Tagore’s statue at the university campus. A makeshift stage below a sprawling marquee was erected on the grounds inside the campus. The larger part of the seating arrangement was on the mat-covered ground with some chairs on the sides. We were surprised that a sizeable audience had assembled even at that early hour. The program started with chorus songs by students of Rabindra Sangeet department of the university. The program traditionally starts with Tagore’s song “He nutan dekha dik arbar” (“Hail the new once more”). The choir then went on to sing two other songs. After that, approximately 50 artists came one after the other and either sang, recited, or read Tagore’s works. The artists included veterans, celebrity performers as well as new singers. The program worked with clockwork precision. As per protocol, each artist stuck to a single number notwithstanding audience requests. This program concluded in about 6 hours. Time flew, and there was no dull moment given the variety of artists and performances. The evening program included more music and dance dramas that are a major part of Tagore’s works.

In addition to the cultural programs, a handicrafts fair was also organized.

Jorasanko Thakurbari is a tourist site in Kolkata. But the “Kobi Pronam” celebrations gave the place a festive feel. We soaked in as much as we could as this was our annual serving of Tagore for the year.

We intend to come back here on a less busy day just to visit the Thakurbari and the rich Rabindra Museum.

Also Read: A Complete Travel Guide To Shantiniketan