Tagore's Bajra replicas bound for India

The writer-poet had composed some of his famous works in the houseboats on the Padma river.

bdnews24.com
Published : 8 Sept 2012, 11:26 PM
Updated : 8 Sept 2012, 11:26 PM
Dhaka, Sep 9 (bdnews24.com) -- Bangladesh will be gifting two replicas of the Bajra, a large river boat with living quarters, used by Nobel laureate writer-poet Rabindranath Tagore to oversee his family estates in Shilaidah, Shahzadpur and Patisar for a decade from 1980.
BBC Bangla on Saturday night reported quoting Bangladesh's Deputy Ambassador at Kolkata, Abida Islam, that one of the replicas would be kept at Shanti Niketan, while the other would be kept at Jorasanko Thakurbari on the premises of Rabindra Bharati University.
Bangladesh's Information and Culture Minister Abul Kalam Azad will hand over the replicas in separate functions in Kolkata and Bolpur on Sep 12.
In Kolkata, Vice Chancellor of Rabindra Bharati University will receive it. In Bolpur of Birbhum district, the replica will be given to the Vice Chancellor of Viswa Bharati University.
Tagore had composed some of his famous works in the houseboat on the Padma river. His famous poetry collection from 1981, 'Sonar Tori', was written on board the original 'Padma' houseboat.
A 60-feet replica of the 'Houseboat Padma' was built a while back at the initiative of the Archaeology Department, with assistance from Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA). It has been currently kept at the Shilaidah Kuthibari.
The BBC Bangla report also said, quoting Rabindra Bharati University Vice Chancellor Sabyasachi Basu Rai Chowdhury, that they would be displaying the replicas. At the same time, the visitors would be briefed on the connection between Tagore's literary works and the houseboat, various details about the boat itself and the works written by the writer on board the boat.
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