Indo-Bangla society hosts peace concert in Houston
Times of India | 21 July 2024
Kolkata: Bengalis from India and Bangladesh residing in Houston, Texas in the United States, organised a peace concert on Saturday in light of the developments in Bangladesh that has left expats from the country anxious about the volatile situation back home.
Part of the golden jubilee celebrations of Tagore Society of Houston (TSH) at the Tagore Grove in the energy corridor of Houston in Texas, the concert had Carnatic music-Jazz fusion to spread Tagore’s message of universal love and borderless world, peace and harmony.
“Despite the unrest in Bangladesh, Bengalis from either side of the border have come together to celebrate 50 years of TSH. Tagore, revered equally in Bengal and Bangladesh, binds the community together here. We hope and pray Tagore, who embodied peace and love, will inspire Bangladeshis once again to shun violence and embrace peace,” said Partha Sarathi Chatterjee, director of TSH, a cultural organisation that was established in Space City in the heart of Texas in 1974 with the sole purpose of disseminating the universal ideas and philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore.
TSH has focused on spreading the mystic nature of his poetry, his humanistic ideals and his outspoken advocacy for a borderless world, which is so appropriate in modern times too.
TSH has achieved key milestones in the 50 years, hosting North American Bengali conferences (NABC) in 1996, 2006 and 2015, celebrating Tagore’s 150th anniversary, installing the first full-figure statue of Tagore in North America in 2013 and inaugurating an open-air Tagore Memorial in 2023.
“TSH will continue to introduce Tagore’s treasure trove of literary, cultural and artistic legacy to a wider, multi-cultural & multi-ethnic enthusiasts. It will spread the message of universal love and borderless world as the world grapples with division and war, being the voice of peace and love,” Chatterjee added.
A commemorative book on Rabindranath Tagore released by TSH was launched by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee in Kolkata last month.