Tagore's 150th Birth Anniversary Celebration
In-law's house to be museum
Poet Rabindranath Tagore
Extensive renovation work has begun at Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath's father-in-law's house at Dakkhindihi under Fultala upazila ahead of the poet's 150th birth anniversary celebration. The Department of Archeology is carrying out the renovation work to make the house a museum titled 'Rabindra Complex'. Sources in Khulna regional office of the department said Tagore's in-law's house, bearing his memories, is a preserved archeological site. Tk 31.50 lakh has been allocated for renovation of the house. Shihab Uddin Md Akbar, regional director of the department, said the cultural affairs ministry earlier sent a letter in August last year for its renovation on an urgent basis to turn it into a museum. The maternal ancestral home of the great poet was also situated at Dakkhindihi village. The family of Netai Roy Chowdhury of this village belongs to his maternal uncles. Tagore had married Bhabatarini alias Mrinalini Devi, daughter of Benimadhab Roy Chowdhury of the village on December 9 in 1883. Their marriage was solemnised at Jora Sangko in Kolkata. Deputy Assistant Engineer of Department of Archeology Khandakar Zillur Rahman said the two-storied dilapidated building has four rooms on the first floor and two rooms on the ground floor at present. The entrance to the house is approached by staircases. The building has eight windows on the ground floor and 21 windows on the first floor. The height of the roof from the floor on the ground floor is 13 feet. There are seven doors, six windows and wall almirahs on the first floor. The iron grills of the windows, stairs and corridors have been stolen. The whole building was plastered with white-colour lime and sand. But the plaster has fallen down from most of the walls for lack of maintenance. A rift has developed on the ground floor. Tiles and wood in the room on the rooftop are slowly being damaged. Zillur said the archeological site bearing the memories of the great poet could be protected through proper renovation of the old building, its boundary wall, kitchen, bathrooms, roof of the room on the rooftop and the tiles-roof of the veranda. Shihab said the total land in the site gazetted in favour of the Department of Archeology in 2010 did not come under the possession of the ministry so far.
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