Special tribute to Tagore on R-day parade

The tunes and lyrics of 'Rabindra sangeet' reverberated in the air over the majestic Rajpath twice -- the chosen songs being 'Ekla chalo re' (if they answer not to your call, walk alone) and 'Oi mahamanaba ashe' (Cometh the great man).

The tableau on 'Gurudev' by the Culture Ministry and Sangeet Natak Akademi was the first to be rolled out among the cultural displays from states and ministries.

A huge copper-coloured bust of Tagore formed the foreground of the tableau with the Vishwa-Bharati University founded by him in Shantiniketan in the backdrop as well as the depiction of a meeting Mahatma Gandhi had with the poet laureate. There was also a big replica of the Nobel medallion awarded to the poet in 1913.

His works like Gitanjali and some of his paintings were also part of the artwork. 'Ekla chalo re', said to be a personal favourite of the Mahatma, was played the background.
Railway Ministry too had a tableau on Tagore showcasing a replica of the railway coach used by him during his journey from Bolpur to Kolkata in West Bengal.

The original railway coach has been placed by the Indian Railways in a museum at Bolpur railway station near Shantiniketan as a mark of respect for the great poet, artist, social reformer and patriot.

Some original writings of Tagore as well as another replica of the Nobel prize were displayed in the tableau.

A group of performers from Shantiniketan, dressed in colourful traditional attire of 'Rabindra Nritya' danced to 'Oi mahamanaba ashe'. The song was played in Bengali followed by a Hindi translation.

Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, sitting beside Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, seemed to be enjoying as she clapped and smiled when the railway tableau passed by. Banerjee had flagged of Sanskriti Express, a special exhibition train to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Tagore on his birthday on May 9 last year.