Indian acting High Commissioner (AHC) to Bangladesh Pawankumar Badhe has said the two extraordinary poets – Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam – live equally and profoundly in the hearts of the people of both Bangladesh and India.

Speaking at a function on Thursday evening, he highlighted that the enduring love and reverence shown towards Rabindranath and Nazrul remain among the strongest symbols of shared cultural heritage of the two countries.

The event was organised at Bangladesh National Museum by Itihash O Oitijjo Parishad in collaboration with the Indira Gandhi Culture Centre (IGCC) Dhaka, cultural school Tapoban, Nrityanchal and bahumatrik.com, marking the birth anniversaries of the two poets.

A major attraction of the evening was “Nrityagiti,” a dance-music tableau directed by renowned artists Shamim Ara Nipa and Shibli Mohammad of Nrityanchal.

The performance presented a creative synthesis of the musical and philosophical legacy of Rabindranath and Nazrul. During this segment, the artists performed group dances set to 14 popular songs by Rabindranath and Nazrul.

The event featured Cultural Affairs Minister Nitai Roy Chowdhury as the chief guest. Presided over by Prof Niranjan Adhikari, the discussion session featured presentations by Prof Dr Tarik Manzur from Dhaka University and Professor Ahmed Reza from Jahangirnagar University.

The event also featured an exhibition of portraits of Rabindranath and Nazrul, drawn by over a hundred students from 13 schools across Dhaka, and its surrounding areas.

At the conclusion of the programme, certificates of recognition were presented to the participating young artists.