Meghalaya govt proposes to set up Tagore Cultural Complex in Shillong

Nov. 22: As a mark of tribute to the poet laureate Rabindranath Tagore, the government of Meghalaya has now come up with a proposal of setting up Tagore Cultural Complex in Shillong. In this connection, Meghalaya Chief Minister  Conrad K. Sangma on Wednesday met Prahlad Singh Patel, Union Minister for Culture and Tourism, and reportedly discussed this proposal.

Rabindranath Tagore had visited Shillong in 1919, 1923 and 1927, and had his longest stay at Brookside, a bungalow at Rilbong. Tagore composed Raktakarabi and the Shesher Kabita, the two immortal creations in Shillong. To commemorate the exploits of Tagore, the Meghalaya government has proposed to set up the Tagore Cultural Complex in the Brookside complex in Shillong.

It needs mention here that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism in 2011 had introduced the Tagore Cultural Complex project to nurture performing art talents across India. If the Ministry of Culture approves the proposal submitted by the Meghalaya government, then it would be the first Tagore Cultural Complex in Northeast India.

At a time, when multiple instances of attack on Bengalis are reported from various parts of Meghalaya, this step of setting up of Tagore Cultural Complex in Shillong will go a long way in cementing the ties between the two linguistic communities.