Artistes present Tagore songs on Friday at Shilaidah Kuthibari in Kushtia. — New Age photo

The centennial celebrations of Tagore’s winning of the Nobel Prize for his English version of Geetanjali was observed colourfully at his majestic bunglow known as Shilaidah Kuthibari in Kushtia on Friday.
Tagore, the literary titan of the sub-continent, was the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. And many of the poems of the Nobel winning collection on poetry were composed at this bunglow.
Singers and researchers from Bangladesh and Indian participated at the programme organised jointly by Atandra Prohori from Bangladesh and Friends of Bangladesh.
A day-long pitha festival was also organised.
Finance Minister Abul Mal Abdul Muhith opened the programme as chief guest. Information Minister Hasanul Huq Inu was there as special guest.
Professor Hasan Azizul Huq, professor Sanat Kumar Saha, advisor to the chief minister of the Pashchimbanga government Shuvo Prashanya Bhatyacharya, Tridiv Chatyapadhyaya, Nasiruddin Yousuff, Indian Deputy high commissioner Swandip Chakrabarty and others delivered speeches at the programme chaired by poet Belal Choudhury.
Prime minister’s foreign advisor Gouhar Rizvy, attorney general Mahbube Alam and journalist Abed Khan was also present in the programme.
Discussants at the programme paid tribute to the Nobel Laureate.
The evening session featured presentation of Tagore’s poems and songs performed by the local and Indian artistes.
A remarkable number of audiences enjoyed the programme.