Mired in controversy, Visva-Bharati authorities have now decided to remove the three marble plaques installed to announce its recently acquired UNESCO heritage status which had Chancellor Narendra Modi and Vice Chancellor Bidyut Chakraborty’s names inscribed on them but missed out naming Rabindranath Tagore, founder of the university. The official reason cited for removal of the plaques: they were installed on a “temporary” basis.
Confirming the removal, the university’s acting public relations officer Mahua Banerjee said: “The plaques were never meant to be permanent. We are now awaiting the tablets from the Archeological Survey of India which are likely to reach us as early as the end of this month. As soon as we receive those, we will replace our own plaques with the ASI tablets.”
Banerjee further stated that Visva-Bharati authorities would also put up the Unesco’s own tablet inscriptions within the heritage area over and above the ASI plaques as and when they reach Santiniketan.
What Banerjee called “temporary” installations are actually three-and-a-half feet by two-and-a-half feet white marble slabs no less than six inches thick, each placed on concrete bases that have a height of some three to three-and-a-half feet from the ground. While the plaques carry the text “UNESCO INSCRIBED WORLD HERITAGE SITE” embossed on them followed by the names of Modi and Chakraborty. Three identical plaques were set up before the Upasana Griha (the glass prayer hall), the Amra Kunja (the mango grove where the university’s annual convocation ceremony is held) and the Rabindra Bhavana complex that houses five of Tagore’s residences and a museum.
A ballpark estimate taken from vendors at the local Bolpur market put a price tag of Rs 15,000 on each of the embossed marble tablets exclusive of the cost of constructing their bases.
What’s more, apprehending a backlash from those unhappy with the omission of Tagore’s name from the plaques, varsity authorities deployed private security personnel to guard the plates from getting destroyed or damaged.
The inscriptions were put up last week following Santiniketan getting added to Unesco’s list of World Heritage Sites on September 17 for its “ensemble of historic buildings, landscapes and gardens, pavilions, artworks, and continuing educational and cultural traditions that together express its Outstanding Universal Value” and making the zone the country’s 41st site to acquire the prestigious tag.
While the university’s move of ignoring Tagore from its plaques led to adverse reactions from significant sections of Visva-Bharati’s ashramites, stakeholders and outsiders who find their connect with Tagore’s Abode of Peace, scathing criticisms were voiced from some of the country’s opposition parties. “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,” posted Trinamul Congress MP Jawhar Sirkar on his X handle on October 20. “Erasure of Nehru wasn’t enough. Now, erasure of Rabindranath Tagore also begins,” Congress spokesperson Jairam Ramesh followed three days later responding to a chain of posts on the issue from his party leaders.
“We sincerely believe that no approval from your office has been taken for putting up such plaques without the name of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore and that you would not allow the content of the plaques without the name of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore,” the protest email addressed to PM Modi stated.
“There is a public outrage against such a move which has been reported by different media and the common perception is that Prof. Bidyut Chakrabarty has done this after getting the direction / green signal from the Acharya, Hon'ble Narendra Modi. Accordingly, Mr. Jawhar Sircar, MP, Rajya Sabha, and Mr. Jairam Ramesh made two tweets which were directed against you,” the communication forwarded by Kaushik Bhattacharya, association secretary, added.
“The vice chancellor is not part of the Santiniketan trust which is exclusive to the university and manages the Upasana Griha and is no longer in charge of the PWD-managed roads in Santiniketan where he has put up those inscriptions. That act in itself was illegal,” maintained Sudipto Bhattacharya, a senior functionary of the association.
