The 161st birth anniversary of Nobel laureate Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore will be observed in the country on Sunday after two years of muted celebrations for the Covid-19 pandemic. Tagore was a poet, visual artist, playwright, novelist, as well as a composer whose works reshaped Bangla literature and music in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born on May 7, 1861 at Jorasanko mansion in Kolkata, he was the youngest of 13 surviving children of Debendranath Tagore and Sarada Devi. He became Asia's first Nobel laureate after winning the Nobel Prize in literature for Gitanjali in 1913. Also read: Remembering Tagore, the polymath! Two of his songs are now the national anthems of Bangladesh and India. Tagore wrote novels, short stories, songs, dance-dramas, and essays on political and personal topics. Gitanjali, Gora, and Ghare-Baire, Chokher Bali are among his best-known works. President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages on the occasion. President Hamid wished overall success of all the ceremonies planned to observe the birth anniversary saying, “May the call of 25th Baishakh to the evergreen touch every Bengali’s heart.” “I believe that the philosophy of the ‘Biswa Kabi,s’  life and his creations will forever inspire the Bengalis in building a non-communal Bangladesh free from exploitation and deprivation,” said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in her message. Also read: Tagore’s historic Kuthibari is threatened by river erosion, locals scream for help Bangladesh Television and different private television channels and Bangladesh Betar will air special programmes highlighting the life and works of Rabindranath. Like every year, different cultural organisations have chalked out events to celebrate the occasion with rich tributes to Tagore through performances and lecture on his life and works.

With the ongoing second wave of Covid-19 barring artistes to showcase their performances in front of live audiences, the 160th birth anniversary of Noble Prize-winning Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore is being observed online on Saturday. Just like last year, several cultural organisations have chalked out a handful of virtual events to celebrate the occasion with rich tributes to the Bengali polymath through performances and lecture on his life and works. Chhayanaut, Bangladesh Shipakala Academy, Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre and others will pay tribute to the Noble Laureate litterateur by organising online programmes with esteemed artists from home and abroad. Country’s leading cultural organisation Chhayanaut is set to host a cultural event titled Dhor’ Nirbhoy Gaan, which is scheduled to be streamed live from Chhayanaut's YouTube and Facebook group at 9 pm on Saturday. Also read: Japanese documentary ‘’Tagore Songs’’ screened virtually Chhayanaut Secretary-General Laisa Ahmed Lisa said, “On this glorious occasion during this pandemic, may his messages of harmony unite us against the odds, and channelling those messages to the admirers of Rabindranath Tagore and his majestic creations is the purpose of our programme.” This marks the second consecutive year of Chhayanaut’s virtual celebration -- last year, it organized an event titled ‘Oi Mohamanob Ashe’, streamed live on its YouTube channel named Chhayanaut Digital-Platform and its official Facebook group. Bangladesh Shipakala Academy (BSA) is also hosting a virtual event featuring cultural performances and discussions on the life and majestic creations of Tagore on its Facebook page at 11 am. Also read: Tagore’s 79th death anniv: Remembering the great poet The event will be joined by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs Secretary Md Badrul Arefin, BSA Director General Liaquat Ali Lucky, renowned Rabindrasangeet artiste Tapan Mahmud, singer Nobonita Chowdhury, dance maestro Sharmila Bandyopadhyay, recitation artist Dalia Ahmed and more. Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) will stream an online programme on its Facebook page at 7.30 pm on Saturday. The programme is scheduled to be joined by renowned artists from Bangladesh and India. One of the world's leading institutes for research and programmes on South Asia, the Institute for South Asia Studies (ISAS) at the University of California, Berkeley, is hosting another virtual event to celebrate the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore at 10 pm on Saturday, with cultural presentations of esteemed artistes from Bangladesh and India. The event, titled 'Pochishe Boishakh: Celebrating the Birth Anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore at UC Berkeley', will be telecast on the Facebook page of the Institute for South Asia Studies. Also read: Chhayanaut celebrates Tagore’s 159th birth anniversary on YouTube Bangladesh Rabindrasangeet Shilpi Sangstha Dinajpur will stream a live programme on its Facebook page at 9.30 pm. The programme will feature cultural performances including songs, recitations and discussions by artistes from both Bangladesh and India. Besides, various television and radio channels are scheduled to host a number of programmes on the day.

Bangladesh-born legendary Indian poet Sankha Ghosh, widely known by his pen name Kuntak, died at home in the eastern city of Kolkata on Wednesday (April 21, 2021) morning. He was 89. Ghosh passed away around 11.30 am on Wednesday, barely a week after contracting coronavirus, his family said. The poet was in home isolation since April 14 when he tested positive for Covid-19. He was put on life support on Monday (April 19, 2021)  after his condition worsened. In fact, the eminent poet had been suffering from age-related ailments for a while. In January this year, he was briefly hospitalised. Read Kabori: The doyen of Bangladeshi cinema departs Born at Chandpur in present-day Bangladesh and brought up in West Bengal, Ghosh belonged to the era of Bengali poets after Jibanananda Das. Dinaguli Rataguli and Nihita Patalachaya are some of his celebrated works that have been translated into English. He is also the recipient of several coveted awards -- Jnanpith and Sahitya Akademi awards to name a few. In 2011, Ghosh was conferred with the Padma Bhushan, the third-highest civilian award in India. The prolific poet, who studied in Kolkata's prestigious Presidency College and completed his master's degree in Bengali from Calcutta University in 1954, also taught at many varsities, including Calcutta University, Jadavpur University, Delhi University and Visva Bharati. Also read: India records fresh high of nearly 300,000 new COVID-19 cases, over 2,000 more deaths India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party's president JP Nadda took to social media to pay his tribute to the poet.  "I am deeply saddened by the death of renowned Bengali poet Sankha Ghosh, who was honoured with Padma Bhushan, Sahitya Akademi Award, Rabindra Award, Saraswati Award and Jnanpith Award. May his soul rest in peace," he tweeted. Last year, Bengal lost another legend to Covid. Celebrated actor Soumitra Chatterjee, the favourite of India's Oscar-winning filmmaker Satyajit Ray, passed away at a hospital in Kolkata on November 15. Also read: India's capital to lock down as nation's virus cases top 15M Last week, India became the second worst-affected country in the world in terms of Covid cases. On Tuesday, India reported as many as 259,170 new cases and 1,761 fatalities in 24 hours, the highest daily death toll since the pandemic broke out in 2020. India's Covid tally and death toll currently stand at 1,53,21,089 and 1,80,530, respectively, according to the country's Health Ministry. Read Dhallywood superstar Alamgir hospitalised with Coronavirus