Chhayanaut gets Indian Tagore award

Bangladesh's leading cultural outfit Chhayanaut was conferred the Indian government's prestigious Rabindranath Tagore Cultural Harmony award for 2015 at an impressive function in New Delhi  of India this morning.

Indian President Ramnath Kovind handed over the award to Chhayanaut President Dr Sanjida Khatun at the Pravasi Bharatiya Kendra.

The award, instituted in 2012, is given annually and carries an amount of Rs one crore (convertible to foreign currency), a citation in a scroll, a plaque as well as an exquisite traditional handicraft/ hand loom item. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Culture Minister Dr Mahesh Sharma were among those present at the function.

Accepting the award, Dr Khatun, in her speech, said India, by honouring Chhayanaut, has bound the cultural group in a bond of gratitude and will inspire it to work even harder to continue its work.

She said Chhayanaut was born in 1961 at a time when Pakistan tried to control and regimentalise the art and literature of Bangalis.

Felicitating Chhayanaut, Modi said recalled Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit along with him to Santiniketan in April last year for inauguration of Bangladesh Bhavan there and said "it is rare that PMs of two countries can be brought together for a cultural cause. Tagore is at its root."

Recalling that Tagore has penned Bangladesh's national anthem, he commended Chhayanaut for working towards promoting and propagating the poet's ideals and cultural values across the world.

Veteran Indian choreographer Rajkumar Singhajit Singh and and sculptor Ram Sutar Vanji were also handed over the award for 2014 and 2016 respectively at the function Modi will also remain present on the occasion to felicitate the awardees.

The Tagore Award for Cultural Harmony was instituted by the government of India from 2012 recognising the contributions made by Rabindranath Tagore to humanity at large with his works and ideas as part of the Commemoration of his 150th Birth Anniversary in 2012, for promoting values of Cultural Harmony.