Exclusion of Tagore’s name from UNESCO plaques at Santiniketan, Self-promotion or saffron agenda?
The recent removal of Rabindranath Tagore’s name from the “temporary” plaques installed by Visva Bharati University authorities to commemorate the inclusion of Santiniketan as a ‘World Heritage Site’ by UNESCO has led to widespread public outrage and West Bengal A political storm has arisen. While the marble slab mentions Prime Minister Narendra Modi and university vice-chancellor Vidyut Chakraborty, the name of poet Tagore, who founded the university township, was conspicuously absent. Incidentally, UNESCO itself admits on its website that “Santiniketan was founded by the famous poet and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore.” In September this year, Santiniketan became India’s 41st UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Facing criticism from all sides, Visva-Bharati officials argued that the expensive marble slabs were merely temporary installations set up to “mark the heritage site” and that the university had been designated a “heritage site” by the Archaeological Survey of India and UNESCO. Will be deleted after “marking”. Original text.” do not follow UNESCO guidelines and will soon be changed. However, in an attempt to extend his tenure, the Vice Chancellor illegally installed several plaques that used Acharya’s name, while brazenly Their names are being publicized. These unauthorized plaques have been installed on Shantiniketan Trust land and PWD road without their consent.
Bhattacharya emphasized that it was Santiniketan that was given the title of ‘World Heritage Site’, not Visva Bharati. “The Vice Chancellor is wrongly preventing tourists from accessing these sites. They have also deployed security guards to protect these illegal plaques from public outrage. We express strong objection to this.” Visva-Bharati University Faculty Association has already sent an email to the Prime Minister and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, seeking intervention in the matter. Furthermore, a senior government official refuted the university’s claim that it was waiting for UNESCO’s guidance, saying, “UNESCO will communicate with the Ministry of Culture of the Government of India. Why should he give instructions to Visva-Bharati?”
Political reaction
Although the plaques were installed on October 18, the matter remained out of the public eye later due to the Durga Puja festival in West Bengal. With the conclusion of the puja on 25 October, the issue attracted immediate attention, evoking a strong political reaction. Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jawahar Sarkar posted on social media: “UNESCO specifically said that they are honoring Rabindranath Tagore and his unique legacy by declaring Santiniketan as a World Heritage Site. It seems that a megalomaniac Vice Chancellor and his boss think that UNESCO is honoring them!!” At a press conference on 26 October, Trinamool supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee emphasized that Rabindranath Tagore’s Due to this reason Shantiniketan got UNESCO status. “He is the creator of Santiniketan and Visva-Bharati, and they removed his name! We were silent because of Durga Puja. If Rabindranath Tagore’s name is not inscribed on the plaques by tomorrow morning, my people will start an agitation by carrying photographs of Rabindranath Tagore from 10 am onwards,” he announced.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh commented, “Eliminating Nehru was not enough. Now, the eradication of Rabindranath Tagore has also begun.” Ramachandra Dom of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), a seven-time former Lok Sabha MP from Birbhum, said that the installation of the plaque was a “targeted design by the forces of Hindutva”. Speaking to Frontline, he said, “The current VC is doing everything possible to destroy the ideals of Rabindranath Tagore and replace them with the ideology of his political superiors.” He said that granting the status of World Heritage Site to Shantiniketan by UNESCO is a historic event and preparations for it were going on for a long time. “Just because the process has now matured, it does not mean that the credit for it goes to any one person. People across the country are already expressing anger over this issue.
This situation has put the saffron party on the backfoot. A BJP source stressed that the plaques were “temporary” and that the Trinamool and Congress were “indulging in political opportunism” with their protests, yet acknowledged that it was “intended to hurt Bengali sentiment”. may be misinterpreted”.
Apart from the Visva-Bharati Faculty Association, the Santiniketan Trust (founded in 1888 by Debendranath Tagore, father of Rabindranath Tagore), and the Santiniketan Ashramic Sangha (an organization founded by Rabindranath Tagore in 1911) also expressed their opposition to the installation of the marble.
“The present VC is making every effort to destroy the ideals of Rabindranath Tagore and replace them with the ideology of his political superiors.”Ramachandra DomCPI(M) leader
In a letter jointly addressed to the Prime Minister on October 26, the Shantiniketan Trust and the Ashramic Sangh wrote: “Did Visva-Bharati take the consent of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi before finalizing its name with the name of the Vice-Chancellor”? This appears to be self-advertisement which is damaging the image of not only the Vice Chancellor but also the respected Chancellor Shri Narendra Modi. Neither the Chancellor nor the Vice Chancellor is the founder of this heritage site and the construction there, nor did they inaugurate the site. Then why should their names be mentioned at the bottom of the declaration? Has UNESCO created any authorized body or committee that decides and controls the management of these heritage areas? Have they been informed about the scripts written on the tablets? Did he give his consent even after knowing that it was against the tradition of Santiniketan?”
Ever since Chakraborty took over as Vice-Chancellor of Visva-Bharati in 2019, the central university has been embroiled in controversy. Chakraborty is not only engaged in a bitter and protracted dispute with a section of the faculty, but is also attempting to reclaim a portion of the land on which Nobel laureate Amartya Sen’s ancestral home stands. Sen had alleged that university officials were doing this “to please their masters in Delhi”. Amidst the turmoil and unrest at the university, on 18 October the Calcutta High Court, hearing a case related to Visva-Bharati, said that Chakraborty “should be immediately removed from his post.”
