A forum of artistes and activists will celebrate the nationalism of Rabindranath Tagore along with his songs, dance and writings at Park Circus Maidan on his birth anniversary on Tuesday as a counter to the “appropriation” of Tagore by Right wing nationalists.
Around the same time, less than 5km from the ground, Union home minister Amit Shah will helm a programme on Tagore at an auditorium in Science City.
Tagore’s idea of nationalism is diametrically opposite the saffron regime’s aggressive and flawed idea of nationalism, which thrives on hatred and polarisation, the organisers of the Park Circus programme said.
“The aggressive nationalism displayed by today's rulers is also a form of ethno-centric nationalism. Tagore embodies the biggest opposition to this brand of nationalism. Time and again, he cautioned people against this brand of toxic nationalism. It is so ironic that the rulers of today's India, who are proponents of this flawed, militant nationalism, are trying to appropriate Tagore. This is a contradiction, an oxymoron,” said Joyraj Bhattacharjee, a theatre activist and one of the founders of the People’s Forum Against Politics of Hatred, which is organising Tuesday evening’s programme.
“There is no point in dissecting what Amit Shah will say on Tagore. In all likelihood, a panel of experts has prepared the draft of his speech. What he says will be amplified by mainstream and social media. They have all the resources of publicity at their disposal. But we take this challenge. We hope people who believe in Tagore’s ideals will make our programme a success,” he said.
The programme will have dance, songs, recitals and a panel discussion on Tagore and nationalism.
A theatre troupe called Prachya will stage a dramatised adaptation of Tagore's short allegorical fantasy, Totakahini (The Parrot’s Tale).
“The story is a critique of the colonial education system. But it is so relevant in today's India. The new education policy of the BJP government, the bid to change our history, the bid to saffronise education... we are using the text as a tool against all of these,” said Biplab Bandyopadhyay, the director.
Asked about the Amit Shah programme, Bandyopadhyay said: "They are organising their programme. The home minister will say several things tomorrow. Some renowned artistes of Bengal will perform there. But we will try to celebrate the ideas that Tagore actually believed in."
The programme at Science City is being organised by Khola Hawa, a socio-cultural body based in Bengal. Swapan Dasgupta, BJP leader and former Rajya Sabha MP, is the president of the organisation.
Danseuse Tanusree Sankar and her troupe, actor Rituparna Sengupta and singer Somlata Acharyya are slated to perform at Science City.
On Tuesday, before going to Science City, Shah is also scheduled to visit Jorasanko Thakurbari, Tagore’s ancestral house.
In the run-up to the state polls of 2021, a BJP bullish about its chances had put a lot of focus on Tagore. The crushing electoral defeat had somewhat stalled that urgency.
“The Bengali middle class's obsession with Tagore is well known. The subaltern sections are more or less loyal towards Trinamul. The attempt to co-opt Tagore is part of an effort to win over the Bengali middle class. But Tagore's worldview of liberal humanism cannot be reconciled with the BJP's militant brand of nationalism,” said Maidul Islam, a Kolkata-based political scientist.
