Visva-Bharati authorities weren’t obtainable for feedback. (FIle)
Kolkata:
A number of luminaries, together with members of Rabindranath Tagore’s household, have written to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee towards the Visva-Bharati authorities, urging her authorities to take possession of a century-old heritage highway as they concern that entry to it is perhaps blocked.
Contemplating the spree of constructing excessive boundary partitions in a number of elements of Shantiniketan and making a “prison-like ambiance”, there are apprehensions that the 3-km highway connecting Visva-Bharati with Tagore’s dream village Sriniketan may even be blocked for public quickly and a brand new highway come up as an alternative, mentioned the letter written by 40 eminent individuals, together with a member of painter Nandalal Bose’s household.
“An 8-9 ft excessive wall is nearing completion on a portion of this previous highway which is dotted with residences of luminaries like Amartya Sen, Khsitimohan Sen and Nandalal Bose,” the letter written in Bengali mentioned.
“As soon as the wall is accomplished, this highway might be out of bounds for residents of Sripally, Simanta Pally, Pearson Pally, Andrew’s Pally, Deer Park, Binoy Bhavan and Sriniketan, and part of historical past and heritage of Santiniketan might be misplaced,” it added.
If an alternate new highway is carved out for motion between Shantiniketan and Sriniketan, the previous highway might be blocked by Visva-Bharati because the varsity authorities have been endeavor such initiatives “unilaterally” with out taking into account the objection of many ashramites and locals, they alleged within the letter.
“If the highway is taken again by the state PWD, such an previous thoroughfare won’t be made inaccessible to the individuals and the target of Tagore to arrange Visva-Bharati and Shantiniketan won’t be misplaced,” they mentioned.
The ashramites — the residents of the campus and the neighbourhood, together with former college students and academics — mentioned they’d written to Visva-Bharati vice-chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty in February towards erecting such excessive partitions however didn’t get any response.
“We hope that the feelings of those that had been residing on this space for ages earlier than Visva Bharati turned a central institution might be given due recognition by you,” they mentioned within the letter despatched to the chief minister on Thursday.
Among the many signatories of the letter had been Supriyo Tagore and Subhra Tagore, descendants of the “Bard of Bengal” and former principals of Pathabhavan and Mrinalini Pathabhavan, apart from Nandalal Bose’s grandson Suprabuddha Sen.
Visva-Bharati authorities weren’t obtainable for feedback.
On August 17, the transfer of Visva-Bharati, based by Tagore in 1921, to construct fencing across the Poush Mela floor triggered violence and the varsity’s properties had been vandalised by a mob.
