The “Sonar Tori” (golden boat) may not have been able to do its one-time run between Kolkata and Dhaka last year to mark Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary. But yet another train, Sanskriti Express, which also showcases the life and times of Tagore, is all set to embark on a similar journey in August this year.
And if all goes as planned by the Indian Railways’ heritage and culture committee, headed by eminent theatreperson Saoli Mitra, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will be at hand when a function is held in Dhaka to greet the train’s arrival along with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed. Other Indian dignitaries who are likely to be present include Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee and West Bengal’s new chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
It was during Ms Banerjee’s tenure as railway minister that the idea of both “Sonar Tori” and Sanskriti Express was first conceived. But while the Sanskriti Express took off, Sonar Tori’s one-time run from Kolkata to Dhaka had to be cancelled after the Bangladesh government sought postponement when the Indian Railways sent it dates for the scheduled run.
As per the broad cultural programme drawn up by the railway panel, a five-day programme is scheduled to be held in Bangladesh — the city is not specified though in all likelihood it will be Dhaka. In India too a similar programme spread over five days is planned in Bolpur, close to Santiniketan, the home of Tagore’s beloved Visvabharati.
On the anvil both in Bangladesh and in Bolpur, West Bengal, are performances by Indian and Bangladeshi artistes — plays, Rabindrasangeet performances, dance dramas and poetry.
While the travelling exhibition on board the Sanskriti Express offers a glimpse into Tagore’s life and work, the railway committee has suggested that two more coaches be added to this train. The aim is to use these coaches to provide information about the time that Tagore spent at Shilaidaha Kuthibadi, which is now in Bangladesh. It was during his visits to Kuthibadi that Gurudev is said to have written his best-known works — such as Sonar Tori, Chaitali, the poems of Naibedya and Kheya, and the songs of Gitanjali.