7 months ago
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Politics successful West Bengal often revolves astir the State’s taste icons. Over the past fewer days, the 2 tallest names successful the Bengal literate satellite — Rabindranath Tagore and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay — person go subjects of an aggravated governmental debate, with governmental parties appearing to beryllium successful a hurry to due them.
In the archetypal week of November, the West Bengal authorities issued a notification mandating that Tagore’s Banglar Maati Bangla Jol (Bengal’s onshore and Bengal’s water) beryllium sung during greeting assembly successful each State-run schools. In December 2023, the authorities had declared the opus arsenic the State anthem and directed that it beryllium played astatine each State authorities events on with the nationalist anthem.
Around the aforesaid clip that this notification was issued, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) authorities astatine the Centre organised an lawsuit to observe 150 years of Chattopadhyay’s Vande Mataram. The BJP enactment successful West Bengal instantly sensed an opportunity. It went to assorted locations associated with Chattopadhyay and highlighted neglect astatine a fewer of them. Its leaders accused the authorities of not paying capable respect to Vande Mataram and questioned the timing of making mandatory Tagore’s opus astatine each State-run schools.
The Trinamool responded by accusing the BJP of disrespecting Tagore. The enactment said that BJP MP Vishweshwar Hegde Kageri had made derogatory remarks against Tagore. It held protests astatine Jorasanko Thakurbari, the ancestral location of the Nobel Laureate, successful Kolkata. The BJP MP had said that the nationalist anthem, penned by Tagore, was written “to invited British officials” and opined that Vande Mataram should person alternatively been made the nationalist anthem.
The statement appears to person reduced Tagore to being an icon of the Trinamool and Chattopadhyay arsenic being a relation exemplary for the BJP. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee admitted that determination was an effort to make a disagreement betwixt the 2 poets. She besides claimed that since scholars are divided connected the clip of creation of Vande Mataram, her authorities had acceptable up a committee to observe the sesqui-centenary celebrations of the song.
Developments successful neighbouring Assam added substance to the debate. A section Congress person was booked, astatine the acquisition of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, for singing Tagore’s song, Amar Sonar Bangla (O my Golden Bengal). Members of civilian society, including academicians, descended connected the streets of Kolkata singing Amar Sonar Bangla, which is besides the nationalist anthem of Bangladesh, successful protestation of the constabulary enactment successful Assam.
The Jana Gana Mana versus Vande Mataram statement was earlier raised by fringe elements. However, up of the 2026 Assembly polls, it has been mainstreamed successful West Bengal politics. While it goes without saying that Tagore towers implicit different literate figures successful West Bengal and that his ideals proceed to signifier the essence of Bengali individuality and culture, determination is besides ample abstraction for different writers and poets successful Bengal’s literate and taste milieu.
The BJP has successfully fuelled the statement implicit the 2 poets. However, the Trinamool should not autumn into this trap, peculiarly erstwhile the West Bengal authorities honours each the salient icons from the State, including Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the laminitis of the Jana Sangha. It is unfortunate that the works of taste icons are being pitted against 1 another, particularly erstwhile their writings are rooted successful patriotism and nationalism. Some scholars constituent retired that erstwhile Chattopadhyay met a young Tagore successful 1882, helium enactment a garland astir him calling him an “elegant writer of the caller age”. In 1896, Tagore sang Vande Mataram astatine the Kolkata league of the Indian National Congress. Comparing the nationalist anthem — Jana Gana Mana — with the country’s nationalist opus — Vande Mataram — is not lone an workout successful futility, but besides reflects a constrictive knowing of India’s past and politics.
In an perfect world, poets and writers whose works signifier the ground of the state question would stay supra the fray of politics. Granted, we don’t unrecorded successful specified a world. But adjacent if politicians cannot bash so, they tin beryllium much prudent by honouring the contributions of each Indians and not pitting icons against 1 another. In an already polarised environment, specified attempts of appropriation lone deepen our governmental responsibility lines.
