Like previous years, Channel i is gearing up to hold a festive Rabindra Mela at its premises in Tejgaon in the capital on May 8, marking the 155th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore. 

This year the organisers will confer lifetime achievement award on educationist and founder of Bishwa Sahitya Kendra Professor Abdullah Abu Sayeed, and noted Rabindra Sangeet singer Tapan Mahmud. 

A press conference was held yesterday in this regard at the Channel i office where Bangla Academy DG Shamsuzzaman Khan (chief advisor of Rabindra Mela), managing director of Channel i Faridur Reza Sagar, and Sajjad Hossain, Deputy Managing director of this year's Rabindra Mela sponsor AB Bank, were present, alongside the two recipients of this year's lifetime achievement awards. 

Abdullah Abu Sayeed expressed his gratitude to Channal i and said, “Rabindranath has achieved worldwide fame for his songs; he is unparalleled as a writer and novelist, but those works of his are relatively less-appreciated. My organisation is working to spread those works, with the initiative Rabindra Chakra being one of the major efforts. Over two million students are reading the literary works of Tagore.” 

Tapan Mahmud said “I have been practicing Rabindra Sangeet for 47 years, but never thought I would be felicitated for it. I have practiced Rabindra Sangeet from my passion for it.”

The fair will be inaugurated by noted artists, litterateurs, Tagore enthusiasts, cultural and media personalities with the channel i family, at 4:30pm. It will feature performances of Rabindra Sangeet by prominent and upcoming singers, dance-drama, children's dances, recitation of Tagore's poems, reading from Tagore's works and paintings on Tagore. Some 25 stalls will also be at the fair, which will run till 8pm. Channel i will telecast the fair live.