Kabiguru's birthday today

The self-expression of God is in the variedness of creation; and our attitude towards the Infinite must in its expression also have variedness of individuality, ceaseless and unending. When a religion develops the ambition of imposing its doctrine on all mankind, it degrades itself into a tyranny and becomes a form of imperialism. This is why we find a ruthless method of fascism in religious matters prevailing in most parts of the world, trampling flat the expansion of the spirit of man under its insensitive heels.

This is an excerpt from Rabindranath Tagore's address at the Sri Ramakrishna Centenary Parliament of Religions, in March 1937.

That is the genius of Rabindranath. Spoken decades ago, these words remain relevant today when religious fanaticism is taking a firm root across the globe.

And the variedness of creation, of individuality, ceaseless and unending, is what he left for us in his lifelong works in the form of songs, poems, novels, short stories, plays, essays and what not. His "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verses" speak for themselves and have stood, and will perhaps forever stand, the test of time.

But Rabindranath is not all about his elegant prose and magical poetry. He is part of our everyday life, mundane and spiritual. This mystic is omnipresent, through his verses, in our joy and sorrow, in merriment and mourning.

He is for every day. Yet there is something special about today, the 25th Baishakh. For 154 years ago on this day he made his first mark upon the earth and never ceased to do so as long as he lived.

It is not for nothing that Bangalees across the world today celebrate the bard's 154th birth anniversary. Rabindranath became even more pertinent to Bangalees when in 1971 his "Amar Sonar Bangla" stirred up their political awareness and added substance to the Liberation War. The song was later made our national anthem in 1972.  

In homage to the Nobel laureate, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will lay the foundation of Rabindra Biswabidyalay at Sirajganj district's Shahzadpur, once a Tagore family estate. The poet had the responsibility to look after the estate himself and visited it many times.

Just like Shilaidah in Kushtia, another former estate of the Tagores, Shahzadpur takes on a festive look on every birth anniversary of the poet. This year, the foundation laying of the university will add flavour to the festivity.

"People in this region had been demanding a Rabindra University at Shahzadpur Kuthibari for long. Our demand is finally being met," Nasim Uddin Malitha, a renowned Tagore researcher, told the Daily Star.