Authorities to take action for demolition of painter Abanindranath Tagore's heritage house

Hindustan Times

4 days ago

Kolkata, The administration would take action against those responsible for almost razing down the heritage house of painter Abanindranath Tagore, who played a pivotal role in the Bengal School of Art movement in the 19th century, in Santiniketan.
Bolpur Municipality Chairperson Parna Ghosh on Tuesday said that despite a notice served by the civic body on the present owner of the property named 'Awas' not to tinker with the construction in any way, the person engaged a real estate developer and razed down major parts of the building.
Santiniketan in West Benganl's Birbhum district comes under the Bolpur Municipality.
"We will protect whatever remains of 'Awas' are still there. We will take action against those who went ahead with the demolition ignoring the notice served by the municipality," Ghosh said.
Only the gate of the house, with the name 'Awas' inscribed on the still intact boundary wall, remains, according to a video clip of the demolished property, which went viral on social media.
Abanindranath, a nephew of Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore, used to stay in 'Awas' during his stay in Santiniketan.
The house was built at Santiniketan's Aban Pally, named after the painter who was appointed the second 'Acharya' of Visva Bharati university in 1942 after the death of Tagore in 1941. Visva-Bharati, set up by Tagore in 1921, was declared a central university and an institution of national importance by an Act of Parliament in 1951.
'Awas' changed hands afterwards.
Former acting vice-chancellor of Visva Bharati and ashramite Sabujkali Sen expressed dismay over the incident.
"We are saddened that a house associated with the memory of Abanindranath Tagore - and retaining certain unique features reflecting his works - has been mostly razed down. A part of history and heritage is thereby gone," she said.
Education Minister Bratya Basu, when told about the demolition of 'Awas', said he did not have much knowledge about the development.
"Abanindranath Tagore is our national pride. I am happy several of the houses - associated with his memory - are being preserved and maintained elsewhere. This includes a property in Konnagar, in Hooghly district which is being preserved by the local municipality,' said Basu who is also a theatre personality.
Abanindranath is also known for "Bharat Mata" , a painting he created in 1905, representing the nation as a four-armed goddess.
He also had a number of books on art to his credit. Besides, the stories he wrote for children were told so picturesquely that it was said, Abanindranath 'writes pictures'.
He died in 1951 at the age of 80 years.