Jagatsinghpur: An ancestral house of Rabindranath Tagore has been lying in neglect at Pandua village under Sadar block in Jagatsinghpur district, thanks to the apathy of the officials concerned.
In the absence of measures to preserve the memorabilia of the bard, Tagore’s furniture, including the chair and tables that he had used are lying in neglect.
Despite frequent requests, no one came forward to extend a helping hand in repairing and maintaining Tagore’s ancestral house and assets. While the Odisha Government had decided to install a statue of Tagore in the village as a mark of respect to the poet, nothing has been done so far. Villagers said they had also requested for the establishment of a dance, drama and music academy in the village, but it fell on deaf ears.
According to reports, Tagore visited Pandua between 1896 and 1942 because the village was a vast zamindari estate of his family. There were 53 villages in Jagatsinghpur which were part of the zamindari estate of the Tagore family. The house was one of Tagore’s most preferred retreats and it was here where the poet had penned his dance drama ‘Chitrangada’, based on a story from Mahabharata.
Locals have named the road that connects the village with the highway as ‘Rabindra Sarani’. While people of Pandua feel proud as Tagore himself spent time there, they said steps should be taken to preserve his legacy in Jagatsinghpur.
A few years back, Himanshu Das who is now taking care of the house and the furniture, had tried to auction the furniture to gather funds for the upkeep of the house, but no one came forward to purchase them. His grandfather, Banchanidhi Das, was a well-wisher of Tagore and met him whenever he visited Pandua.
A senior officer of the State Culture Department said although there were plans to renovate Tagore’s ancestral house, they could not be implemented due to funds crunch. It had sent a proposal in this regard to the Union government but the latter did not release any funds, the officer added.
PNN
