Rabindranath Tagore

Prabir Mitra hospitalised as health deteriorates

Veteran actor Prabir Mitra has been hospitalised due to severe health issues. Facing complications from oxygen deficiency and other ailments, he was admitted to a private medical facility in the capital on December 22. His younger son, Sifat Islam, confirmed the news to the daily Prothom Alo.

Bangladeshi dance troupe turns heads at Indian festival

In a lively celebration of cultural exchange, a distinguished nine-member ensemble from Dhaka’s esteemed dance academy, “Kolpotoru,” showcased Bangladesh’s artistic heritage at the illustrious “Bali Yatra Festival 2024” in India. The performance was held at the invitation of the Government of India. 

ESSAY / On the national anthem of Bangladesh: An apologetic discourse (part two)

The question here should be: Why does the nationality of the poet matter if the sentiment and emotional dimensions are the central focus that keeps the dynamic of a national anthem active?

ESSAY / On the national anthem of Bangladesh: An apologetic discourse

The recent attack on “Amar Shonar Bangla” stems from this type of attempt to categorise the national anthem, leading to further allegations against it

ESSAY / Tagore and the Hispanic world

Reception of Tagore in the Hispanic world is a significant literary event in itself because they acknowledged Tagore during such a time when the occidental enthusiasm for him was declining

REFLECTIONS / Rabindranath’s rebellion

“The liberation that comes through sorrow is greater than the sorrow,” says Nikhilesh, in Home and the World. I quote from Penguin’s Modern Classics edition, in Sreejata Guha’s translation.

Mad Theatre to present play on Tagore’s romance with Ocampo today

Today (June 25) at 7:15pm, the eighth rendezvous of "Rabindranather Dwitiyo Bijoya" will be staged at the Experimental Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. The play is written, directed, and conceptualised by Asadul Islam, the head of Mad Theatre.

Photo exhibition features Rabindranath’s novel ‘Shesher Kobita’

A photo exhibition, inspired by the renowned poetic novel "Shesher Kobita" by the legendary Rabindranath Tagore, is set to take place this Friday (June 28) at 6pm at the Chitrashala Auditorium of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. 

Four veteran figures to receive Nazrul Padak this year

This year, four veteran figures are set to be honoured with the Nazrul Padak, as announced by the Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University. The recipients of the award include renowned Nazrul Sangeet artistes Dalia Nausheen and Salahuddin Ahmed, alongside esteemed researchers Dr Gulshan Ara Kazi and Anupam Hayat.

March 25, 2023
March 25, 2023

War and peace and poetry and poets

How can you talk about peace without taking into account war? Both are subjects not only of Tolstoy’s great novel but also of the two founding epic poems of Greek as well as Indian literature.

December 24, 2022
December 24, 2022

Tagore, the climate crisis, and compassionate development

Rabindranath Tagore saw World War I as the West literally turning its guns on itself, using its very worst traits to cannibalise itself

December 18, 2022
December 18, 2022

Six of my favourite winter reads

Be it for their nostalgic pull or the promise of escaping into a rich, evocative world, these tales have been consistent go-to’s for me over the years.

October 11, 2022
October 11, 2022

Nobel Prize: Thomas Hardy lost to Tagore, Tarashankar to Neruda

As the Nobel Prize authorities recently declassified the list of nominees and nominators for the for the Nobel Prize of several years, a wealth of information tumbled out.

September 28, 2022
September 28, 2022

5 amazing places to visit in Kushtia

Kushtia, the place where Lalon Shah spread his message of spirituality and where Rabindranath Tagore came to stay to have inspiration for a number of his writings. Located in the Khulna division in south-western Bangladesh, this city calls upon you with its mesmerizing cultural heritage and beautiful natural sites. So here are 5 places that you must visit the next time you are in Kushtia.

August 14, 2022
August 14, 2022

Female characters of Tagore: Symbols of empowered women

Rabindranath Tagore’s early writings (1881-1897) often focused on social injustice against women, female deities in his literature signified woman's inner strength. Tagore underscored that woman should never be passive, and he was very aware of women's social roles. Almost all of his female characters were plotted in traditional ways, but they were all quite strong. His women's liberation conquest was ahead of its time. As a result, one of his most significant contributions to society is the portrayal of women in his art.

August 6, 2022
August 6, 2022

Tagore’s Gitabitan and the bookshelf of a Bengali household

It has been 81 years today since Rabindranath Tagore, a Bengali polymath, poet, composer and the first Bengali Nobel Laureate, breathed his last. In these 81 years, much has changed in the world, including the modernisation of his compositions. Tagore’s songs—Rabindra Sangeet, as they are known—are still popular amongst Bengali music lovers.

August 1, 2022
August 1, 2022

If Tagore were here to see…

This is not the first time a singer has been brutally berated due to their rendition of Tagore songs.

July 24, 2022
July 24, 2022

How it feels when you can’t finish reading a book

As I have grown older, my mind is calmer but it’s a void now, empty of any voice.

July 15, 2022
July 15, 2022

Resurrecting Lalkuthi

Barely three bookshelves with broken doors, shattered glass panes scattered all over the floor and damp cobweb-ridden walls -- such is the scene inside Farashganj’s Johnson Hall, also known as Lalkuthi.