B’deshi students join VB march against Tagore Bangla property vandalism
Times of India | 24 June 2025
12345 Santiniketan: The Visva-Bharati community, led by vice chancellor Prabir Kumar Ghosh, organised a candle-light march on Monday evening to protest against the recent vandalism of Rabindranath Tagore's ancestral home in Sajadpur, Bangladesh. The march also saw participation from Bangladeshi students studying at Visva-Bharati. Despite the political turmoil in their homeland, they decided to joined the protest. A Bangladeshi student, requesting anonymity, expressed embarrassment over the incident and hoped for govt action against the perpetrators.There are about 50 Bangladeshi students at VB now. The number is high particularly at Kala Bhavana, Sangeet Bhavana, Bengali dept and Patha Bhavana. There is an International Bangladesh Bhavan at Santiniketan, which was built with the financial support of the erstwhile Bangladesh government. History, language and culture of two countries are taught here.The march, which began at the Upasana Griha (glass temple), traversed the campus, protesting against the June 8 attack on the heritage site — a Kacharibari (revenue collection house) — once frequented by Tagore. Ghosh expressed the community's collective outrage, stating, "The miscreants in Bangladesh caused serious damage to a heritage house owned by the Tagore family. We all — the students, teachers, employees, and ashramiks — strongly condemn this incident. This house is a part of our heritage. We will protest against such incidents."Sabujkali Sen, a former student and pro-VC of Visva-Bharati, highlighted the historical significance of ‘Kacharibari', noting that Tagore penned many literary masterpieces during his visits there. "The attack is on Tagore's tradition," Sen said, adding that many in Bangladesh are shocked but feel helpless.The incident already prompted India to condemn the attack. External affairs ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal also called the attack "a disgrace to Tagore's inclusive philosophy."Chief minister Mamata Banerjee, on June 13, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to take up the matter with Bangladesh.