DHAKA, June 2, 2023 (BSS) - In celebration of Bangladesh-Baharat Maitri (Bangladesh-India Friendship) and the common cultural heritage, the high commissions of Bangladesh and India in the UK jointly hosted an exclusive Tagore Musical Evening in London on Wednesday. 

High Commissioner of Bangladesh Saida Muna Tasneem and High Commissioner of India to the UK Vikram Doraiswami spoke on the occasion titled "Celebrating Tagore and Nature", a press release said today.

In her welcome remarks, High Commissioner Saida Muna Tasneem paid deep homage to Bangladesh's Founding Father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and thanked Bangabandhu for choosing one of the most popular patriotic songs of Tagore 'Amar Sonar Bangla' as Bangladesh's national anthem.

The High Commissioner said, "Rabindranath Tagore, the first non-European and a Bengali poet to receive a Nobel prize, has created the strongest cultural bond between the people of Bangladesh and India as his literary works in Bengali resonate with the people and the land of these two countries, particularly with Bengali speaking people across the borders”.

She recalled that “Bangladesh and India jointly celebrated the 150th birth anniversary of Tagore; and the cultural collaboration between Bangladesh and India was strengthened further by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the inauguration of Bangladesh Bhaban at Kobi Guru's Shantiniketan". 

On the occasion, High Commissioner of India to the UK Vikram Doraiswami said the literary works of Rabindranath Tagore beautifully depict the relationship between humans and nature. 

He emphasised organising joint cultural programmes that demonstrate the enduring friendship and shared cultural heritage between the people of India and Bangladesh. 

At the event, celebrity Tagore's researcher and singer Rezwana Choudhury Bannya and renowned Indian singer Aniruddhya Kumar Ghoshal enthralled the audience with their heartfelt performance of Tagore's songs that vividly depicted the six seasons of Bengal.
 
One of the highlights of the cultural event was the exquisite recitation of the English translation of Rabindranath's poetry by the famous Bangladeshi actress Shompa Raza and a colorful dance performance by eminent British-Bangladeshi dancer Showmi Das and her co-artists, choreographed on Rabindra Sangeet.

The event was attended by diplomats, academics, chamber leaders, professionals and eminent members of the Indian and Bangladeshi diaspora.