Plaques at Visva-Bharati sparks controversy for missing Tagore’s name

At least three such plaques have been installed at Visva-Bharati, describing it as a UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Visva-Bharati University in West Bengal’s Birbhum District has sparked a controversy over the plaques it installed on the campus to describe it as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as it missed the name of Nobel laureate and the founder of the university, Rabindranath Tagore.

The plaques have the names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is the chancellor of Visva-Bharati, and Bidyut Chakrabarty, the university’s vice-chancellor (Image posted on X by Jawhar Sircar)

The famed Santiniketan town, where Tagore built Visva-Bharati over a century ago, was inscribed on the Unesco World Heritage List in September this year.

The plaques have the names of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is the chancellor of V-B, the state’s only central university, and Bidyut Chakrabarty, the university’s vice-chancellor.

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha member Jawhar Sircar questioned the plaque by sharing a picture of it on his X handle.

“UNESCO specifically said they are honouring Rabindranath Tagore and his unique legacy by declaring Santiniketan as a World Heritage Site. — A megalomaniac VC and his boss seem to think UNESO is honouring them!!” the former bureaucrat, wrote on X.

V-B authorities confirmed that at least three such plaques have been installed at VB which don’t have the name of the Nobel laureate.

“Three plaques have been installed. The names of the chancellor and the vice-chancellor have been inscribed on them,” Mahua Banerjee, university’s spokesperson, told HT. She refused to comment on the controversy.

Tagore’s great grandson Supriyo Thakur also expressed his displeasure and said that efforts are on to wipe off the name of Tagore from Visva Bharati.

“I am not in Santiniketan at the moment, but I have heard the news. The present V-B authorities are trying to wipe out the name of Tagore from Visva Bharati. There should be some protests. Those who have done it should be taught a lesson,” Thakur told HT over phone.

“Just like the Sun need not be identified, the relation between Tagore and Visva Bharati need not be announced. Some people are raising irrelevant questions. There are some people whose only purpose is to oppose. Their statements have no acceptability,” Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said while responding to Sircar’s comment on social media.

The decision to include Santiniketan in the UNESCO list was taken at the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Saudi Arabia.