Kolkata, 7 August (H.S.):

On the death anniversary of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee paid an emotional tribute to the poet through a heartfelt post on social media. Referring to him as “the Thakur of our soul,” Banerjee said Tagore’s ideals are more relevant today than ever, especially amid what she described as rising hostility toward the Bengali language.

Taking to microblogging platform X on Thursday, the Chief Minister wrote, “Gurudev lives around us every day, every moment. At a time when people are being attacked simply for speaking Bengali, it is Rabindranath Tagore who inspires us to resist.”

Expressing deep anguish over what she called targeted attacks on the Bengali language, Banerjee said, “When the language of a towering genius like Rabindranath is attacked, it is not only unfortunate—it is heartbreaking.”

Citing Tagore’s iconic line “Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high,” Banerjee asserted that Tagore remains the guiding light in the journey towards a fearless India. She also mentioned that the West Bengal government, offering salutations to Tagore from Santiniketan, has launched a movement against what she termed “linguistic violence.”

“The movement will continue as long as there are hostile attacks on the Bengali language,” she stated, declaring that Rabindranath Tagore is the soul and inspiration of this struggle.

Calling for collective resistance, Banerjee urged people to take a pledge on this day: “We will not tolerate any authoritarian assault on the Bengali language.”

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh