Authorities in Visva-Bharati were not available for comment. (File)
Calcutta:
Several luminaries, including members of Rabindranath Tagore’s family, wrote to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee against the authorities in Visva-Bharati, urging his government to take possession of a century-old heritage route, fearing that its access is blocked.
Given the frenzy of building high perimeter walls in several parts of Shantiniketan and creating a “prison atmosphere”, it is feared that the 3 km road from Visva-Bharati to the dream village of Tagore , Sriniketan would soon be blocked off to the public and a new road came in its place, says the letter written by 40 prominent figures, including a family member of painter Nandalal Bose.
“An 8 to 9 foot high wall is nearing completion on part of this ancient road which is dotted with residences of luminaries like Amartya Sen, Khsitimohan Sen and Nandalal Bose,” reads the letter written in Bengali.
“Once the wall is completed, this road will be closed to residents of Sripally, Simanta Pally, Pearson Pally, Andrew’s Pally, Deer Park, Binoy Bhavan and Sriniketan, and part of Santiniketan’s history and heritage will be lost,” he added.
If a new alternative route is mapped out for movement between Shantiniketan and Sriniketan, the old route will be blocked by Visva-Bharati as the university authorities have undertaken such projects “unilaterally” without taking into account the objection of many ashramites and locals, they alleged in the letter.
“If the road is taken over by the PWD state, such an old artery will not be made inaccessible to the people and Tagore’s goal of installing Visva-Bharati and Shantiniketan will not be lost,” they said.
The ashramites – residents of the campus and neighborhood, including former students and teachers – said they wrote to Visva-Bharati vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty in February against the erection of such high walls but got no results. reply.
“We hope that the feelings of those who lived in this region for ages before Visva Bharati became a central establishment will be recognized by you,” they said in the letter sent to the chief minister on Thursday.
Among the signatories of the letter were Supriyo Tagore and Subhra Tagore, descendants of the “Bard of Bengal” and former directors of Pathabhavan and Mrinalini Pathabhavan, in addition to the grandson of Nandalal Bose Suprabuddha Sen.
Authorities in Visva-Bharati were not available for comment.
On August 17, the decision of Visva-Bharati, founded by Tagore in 1921, to build fences around the Poush Mela grounds sparked violence and the university’s properties were vandalized by a mob.
