Asom Sahitya Sabha President criticises state govt for discontinuing holiday on Rabindra Jayanti

May 8: The birthday of Noble laureate Rabindranath Tagore used to be a holiday especially for the educational institutions in Assam. Students used to celebrate the day by participating in various cultural activities. However, the holiday for Rabindra Jayanti ceased to exist from 2017, courtesy the state government’s lack of cultural sensitivity. Moreover, the students now need to appear in unit tests on that day. This was how Asom Sahitya Sabha (ASS) president Paramananda Rajbongshi criticised Assam government for for erasing Rabindra Jayanti from its academic calendar.

Rajbongshi was at Silchar on Wednesday and addressed the gathering on the occasion of the 2nd Baul Festival held at Banga Bhavan. He came down heavily upon the BJP-led Assam Government for doing away with the holiday on Rabindra Jayanti. He said, “A society cannot be called as civilised if it fails to honour creative genius like Rabindranath Tagore, Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay or Bhupen Hazarika.”

He expressed anger at the insensitivity of the Assam Government for disrespecting a poet of the caliber of Tagore. Rajbongshi further pointed out that such whimsical decision of holding exam on the day of Rabindra Jayanti in vernacular medium schools need clarification from the government.