Mamata Banerjee honors Indian forces and Rabindranath Tagore

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday heaped praises on the Indian armed forces for fearlessly protecting the country's frontiers.

Speaking on the occasion of the 164th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, Banerjee said the country is praying for the well-being of its soldiers and the people.

"We are praying for the well-being of the people of this country and our motherland," she said.

The CM, after garlanding a giant portrait of Tagore in the Rabindra Sadan-Nandan cultural complex, described the Nobel laureate as the person whose songs "give us solace and guide us through every moment".

Banerjee referred to Tagore's love for the motherland, which was reflected in his poems, fiction and articles.

"His ideals will dispel the dark clouds and ward off the dark threats," Banerjee said while observing that Tagore symbolised universal brotherhood and humanity through his writings, she said.

She called upon everyone to work to nurture and cherish their mother tongue.

"We should keep the writings and teachings of Tagore throughout the year and not for one day," she said.

Pointing out "every state has its unique culture", she said, "We must protect our language heritage and culture." She said Tagore's works have been enlightening the whole world.

Earlier in a post on X, she quoted a few lines from Tagore's famous collection of poems 'Gitanjali' and paid tribute to the great visionary and colossus literary figure.

Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose, through a post on X, in Bengali, described Tagore as someone who "had guided the entire human race and defined the true spirit of nationalism through his writings".

Thousands of people converged at the Bard's ancestral house at Jorasanko during the day and went around the rooms where the articles used by Tagore were being kept and preserved.

Students of Rabindra Bharati University and teachers sang and recited his poems. Several prominent Rabindra Sangeet exponents also performed on the occasion.

Cultural rallies were taken out by different clubs and organisations in the morning in different areas where the participants donned ethnic wear and sang Tagore's popular renditions.

Many musical soirees were also held in different localities in the evening, performing his songs, poems and plays.