Visva-Bharati authorities weren’t out there for feedback. (FIle)
Kolkata:
A number of luminaries, together with members of Rabindranath Tagore’s household, have written to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in opposition to the Visva-Bharati authorities, urging her authorities to take possession of a century-old heritage street as they worry that entry to it may be blocked.
Contemplating the spree of constructing excessive boundary partitions in a number of components of Shantiniketan and making a “prison-like environment”, there are apprehensions that the Three-km street connecting Visva-Bharati with Tagore’s dream village Sriniketan can even be blocked for public quickly and a brand new street come up instead, stated the letter written by 40 eminent individuals, together with a member of painter Nandalal Bose’s household.
“An Eight-9 ft excessive wall is nearing completion on a portion of this outdated street which is dotted with residences of luminaries like Amartya Sen, Khsitimohan Sen and Nandalal Bose,” the letter written in Bengali stated.
“As soon as the wall is accomplished, this street can be out of bounds for residents of Sripally, Simanta Pally, Pearson Pally, Andrew’s Pally, Deer Park, Binoy Bhavan and Sriniketan, and part of historical past and heritage of Santiniketan can be misplaced,” it added.
If an alternate new street is carved out for motion between Shantiniketan and Sriniketan, the outdated street can be blocked by Visva-Bharati because the varsity authorities have been enterprise such tasks “unilaterally” with out taking into account the objection of many ashramites and locals, they alleged within the letter.
“If the street is taken again by the state PWD, such an outdated thoroughfare won’t be made inaccessible to the folks and the target of Tagore to arrange Visva-Bharati and Shantiniketan won’t be misplaced,” they stated.
The ashramites — the residents of the campus and the neighbourhood, together with former college students and lecturers — stated they’d written to Visva-Bharati vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty in February in opposition to erecting such excessive partitions however didn’t get any response.
“We hope that the emotions of those that had been dwelling on this space for ages earlier than Visva Bharati turned a central institution can be given due recognition by you,” they stated within the letter despatched to the chief minister on Thursday.
Among the many signatories of the letter have been Supriyo Tagore and Subhra Tagore, descendants of the “Bard of Bengal” and former principals of Pathabhavan and Mrinalini Pathabhavan, moreover Nandalal Bose’s grandson Suprabuddha Sen.
Visva-Bharati authorities weren’t out there for feedback.
On August 17, the transfer of Visva-Bharati, based by Tagore in 1921, to construct fencing across the Poush Mela floor triggered violence and the varsity’s properties have been vandalised by a mob.
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