11 hours ago
Writers and artists in Tripura write to Muhammad Yunus condemning vandalism at Rabindranath Tagore's ancestral home in Bangladesh
Amid protests against an attack on Rabindranath Tagore's ancestral home in Bangladesh, poets, writers, and intellectuals wrote to Bangladesh Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus on Thursday demanding 'exemplary punishment' for the culprits behind the 'shameful and condemnable' incident.
A letter signed by eminent litterateurs Professor Mihir Deb and Ratul Debbarman; renowned theatre artist Bibhu Bhattacharya; painter, mime artist, and Sangeet Natak Academy awardee Swapan Nandy; and Professor Mujahid Rahman, was sent via the West Tripura district magistrate's office, from where it is expected to be forwarded to the Assistant High Commission of Bangladesh at Agartala. The Assistant High Commission is in turn expected to forward the letter to Dhaka.
In the letter, the signatories said their protest was voiced from Tripura, which has a long relationship with Tagore and was visited by him several times, and that the people of the state were 'deeply hurt' by the attack on the Nobel literature laureate's ancestral 'kacharibari' (revenue office) at Shahzadpur in Bangladesh's Sirajganj district last week.
'Rabindranath Tagore is the consciousness that encircles all our inspirations, awareness. He is a beacon holder of global thought, rising above the narrow barriers of language, identity, religion, colour. We celebrate him every day through the national anthem. We believe with all our heart that everything which share his memory are of pride for us. Insult or disrespect to Rabindranath Tagore – whether it is in our country or elsewhere, is shameful and condemnable, unpardonable,' reads the letter.
The vandals have not only damaged precious historical assets but also insulted the cultural values of millions of people and deserve 'proper justice' and 'exemplary punishment', the writers and artists further wrote in the letter.
On Monday, the ruling BJP protested in Agartala against the vandalism and attacks on minority communities in Bangladesh. BJP state president Rajib Bhattacharjee and leaders Subal Bhowmik, Bhagaban Das, Mimi Majumdar, and others carried placards and banners condemning the developments in the neighbouring country.
Earlier, on June 14, similar protests took place in other parts of the state, including at Kailashahar in Unakoti, the Raghna international border in North Tripura, Sonamura in Sepahijala, Belonia in South Tripura, and Agartala.
TIPRA Motha also organised several protests against the vandalism in Bangladesh.
