State makes grand spectacle of Bangla Divas at Rabindra Sadan
Times of India | 16 April 2025
Kolkata: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, on Tuesday, in an ode to singer Pratul Mukhopadhyay, chose the words of his song "Ami Banglar Gaan Gai" to greet people on Bangla Divas. The Bangla Divas, passed by the state assembly in 2023, was first celebrated in the 2024 Poila Baisakh. The celebrations were curtailed because Bengal was under the Model Code of Conduct due to the Lok Sabha elections.
On Tuesday, it was held on a much larger scale at Rabindra Sadan, attended by state education minister Bratya Basu and state information and cultural affairs minister Indranil Sen. "From 2026, Bangla Divas would be celebrated in all panchayats of the state," Sen said. State drama academy chairperson Arpita Ghosh, poet Joy Goswami, and secretary of information and culture affairs department, Santanu Basu, were also present.
Earlier, the chief minister, in a post on X, prayed for the spread of the cultural heritage of Bengal and a strong bond of brotherhood among the citizens.
On Tuesday, cultural programmes were held in the Rabindra Sadan complex, and various awards were handed over to performers, artists and littérateurs. The awardees included Kumar Bose, Tarun Bhattacharya, Subodh Sarkar, Gaurav Chandra Murmu, Debasish Bhattacharya, Dilip Kumar Saha, and Sarmila Pal.
In Sept 2023, the assembly adopted a resolution to mark the first day of the Bengali calendar, Poila Baisakh (April 15), as "Bangla Divas" and Rabindranath Tagore's song "Banglar Mati, Banglar Jal, Banglar Bayu, Banglar Phal" as the state anthem of Bengal. The resolution was made in protest against the Centre's proposal to observe June 20 as the state's foundation day. The Bengal assembly on June 20, 1947, had resolved that Bengal would remain with India.
CM Banerjee, during the assembly debate, had said, "People of Bengal don't support June 20, which is synonymous with violence and bloodshed during partition, as the state foundation day. June 20 was a painful day when Bengal was divided on the basis of religion. Why should we celebrate a day of regret and pain?"