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Santiniketan/Kolkata, May 9 (IANS) Hundreds of people from India and abroad congregated in the sylvan surroundings of the Visva-Bharati University as West Bengal saluted Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore Sunday with offerings of songs, dances and plays composed by the bard to launch his 150th birth anniversary celebrations.At Santiniketan in Birbhum district the festivities got off to a colourful start.The university, founded by Tagore in 1921, reverberated at dawn to his touching songs as students and teachers - resplendent in traditional dresses - went around the campus in a procession singing his compositions.Everybody then assembled at Chatimtala - the exact spot under a chatim tree where the poet's father Debendranath had established an ashram way back in 1863 - and took part in prayers that culminated in a rendition of a series of devotional songs composed by the bard, who holds the distinction of having authored the national anthems of two sovereign nations -- India and Bangladesh.An exhibition of Tagore's paintings was inaugurated at the Nandan Art Gallery of the university's fine arts wing Kala Bhavan. It was followed by the opening of a photo exhibition at Rabindra Bhavan Museum.Vice chancellor Rajat Kanta Roy also launched a computer literacy programme at the Rural Reconstruction wing at Sriniketan, the varsity's second campus. In the evening, a performance of Tagore's famous dance drama Tasher Desh was held at Gour Prangan, the centre of the ashram.Tagore (1861-1941) was the first Indian to win the Nobel prize for literature in 1913. His 150th birth anniversary falls on May 7, 2011.In Kolkata, people from all walks of life queued up at Jorasanko Thakurbari - the poet's ancestral home in the city's northern part - to pay homage to the genius, whose popular appeal has largely been undiminished even 69 years after his death.Tagore's admirers visited the room where he was born and watched the cultural programme organised in the courtyard of the palatial building which now houses the Rabindra Bharati Museum.The museum, a part of the Rabindra Bharati University, drew a large crowd.The state government held its main programme of tribute at Rabindra Sadan - a cultural complex named after the poet - where singers, dancers and elocutionists captivated the audience with their rendition of Tagore's compositions.The Committee for Celebrating Rabindranath's 150th Birth Anniversary organised prabhat pheris (morning choirs) with school children and adults hitting the streets at day break with Tagore's songs on their lips.The Kolkata Municipal Corporation, various cultural and drama troupes, schools, colleges and universities organised colourful programmes to remember Tagore, whose rich, diverse and vast literary ouvre is virtually unmatched in the world.In the evening, the Rabindra memorial award was given to writer Manindra Gupta.Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee flagged off an exhibition train Sanskriti Express from Howrah station to showcase Tagore's life and philosophy.The five-coach train, adorned with various literary creations and paintings of Tagore, will touch important stations in various parts of the country before returning to Kolkata May 8 next year.'It is our tribute to Rabindranath on his 150th birth anniversary. This train will travel across India for one year. This train will carry various literary creations and paintings of Kabiguru,' said Banerjee at the flag off ceremony in the presence of several intellectuals and artists.
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