Mungpoo, May 9: Binay Tamang, an executive
member of the GTA Sabha, today said he was “ashamed” of the condition
of the Rabindra Bhavan at Mungpoo and sought the transfer of the
bungalow from the state government’s charge to the hill autonomous body.
The comment was
made by Tamang, who is in charge of the information and cultural affairs
department at the GTA Sabha, while addressing a gathering at the
Rabindra Jayanti celebrations at Mungpoo in Kurseong, about 35km from
Darjeeling.
Rabindranath
Tagore had visited the bungalow four times between 1938 and 1940 because
of his love for the place and a special bond with Maitreyi Devi,
daughter of his friend. She was married to the then director of cinchona
plantation, Manmohan Sen.
Maitreyi Devi had also published a book Mungpoote Rabindranath
containing an account of his stay in Mungpoo. Later, she established
Rabindra Smriti at the director’s bungalow in 1944 to preserve the
poet’s memories.
Government sources
in Calcutta said this evening that the Mungpoo Rabindra Bhavan, which
also houses a museum, was being looked after by the state public works
department. “In fact, we carried out a renovation of the Rabindra Bhavan
at Mungpoo two years ago,” said a PWD official.
But Tamang today gave a different picture, that of lack of maintenance of the bungalow.
“Gurudev is a poet
not just of the Bengali community but of the entire people of this
country and in fact of the world. The moment I came here early this
morning, I felt somewhat ashamed as such a historic place has not been
maintained well. This place should have been developed like Raj Ghat in
Delhi,” Tamang said. He also expressed his displeasure over the state
government’s delay in transferring the information and cultural affairs
department to the GTA.
“Bengal’s minister Gautam
Deb had earlier mooted a proposal that information ad cultural affairs
departments of both the state government and the GTA should jointly
organise the event (Tagore’s birth anniversary). He was to attend the
programme today. But about a week back, he told us that the GTA should
organise the event itself. Nevertheless, both the departments today
jointly conducted the event. But we wish that the department is fully
transferred to the GTA so that we can hold the birth anniversary in a
grand manner next year,” said Tamang.
“Chief minister
Mamata Banerjee, who is in charge of the state’s I&CA department,
will be visiting Darjeeling soon and we are hopeful that the transfer of
this department will be completed,” he added.
The hills have two
information and cultural affairs departments running parallel to each
other at the moment. The DGHC had set up a department which was
automatically transferred to the GTA when it was formed last year. The
state’s department is also operative in the hills, though it is to be
transferred to the GTA according to the memorandum of agreement for the
formation of the hill body.
“Once the museum
is transferred to the GTA, we will draw up a project to beautify the
building and give it due importance. Even Netaji Subash Chandra Bose’s
museum at Giddepahar in Kurseong needs to be maintained. But even that
property has not been maintained properly,” Tamang said.
Last year, the
state government had announced Rs 4 crore for setting up an
international research centre at Mungpoo. However, work has not yet
started. North Bengal development minister Deb, while attending last
year’s Rabindra Jayanti celebration at Mungpoo, had also said the
district information and cultural affairs officer’s office had prepared
an estimate of Rs 14 lakh to do up the bungalow.
Sources in the
state’s cultural affairs department said the project entailed setting up
a solar panel and repairing the museum. “We hear that the state
government is planning some big project for the museum and that is why
our Rs 14 lakh project has been kept on hold. Moreover, with the north
Bengal development department electrifying the museum recently, there is
no need for a solar panel,” said a source.
The Telegraph
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