Union Minister stokes controversy over remarks on Tagore's complexion

BJP Lok Sabha member and Union Minister of State for Education Dr Subhash Sarkar’s alleged comments on Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s complexion has stoked a major controversy.

Kolkata (West Bengal): Union Minister Subhas Sarkar on Wednesday stoked a major controversy having allegedly opined that Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore's mother had refused to embrace him in his childhood due to his not so fair skin colour. The remarks drew angry reactions from West Bengal's ruling All India Trinamool Congress saying that it was an insult to the Nobel Laureate and state icon. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had defended the minister, saying that his remarks were against 'racism' and that it was misconstrued.

Sarkar had made the remarks while attending an event at the Visva-Bharati University at Bolpur- Santiniketan in West Bengal. He said this while the vice-chancellor of the central university was sitting beside him at the function. "The other members of the Tagore family were extremely fair. But Rabindranath Tagore’s skin colour was not fair. For that reason, many of his family members including his mother refused to embrace him in his childhood. However, later he became world-famous," Sarkar said.

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Reacting to the comments, educationists and politicians lambasted Sarkar for his controversial comments. They contended that Gurudev himself had admitted in many of his books, that his skin colour was not fair. But that does mean that his mother refused to embrace him in his childhood for that reason, they added.

Former Rabindra Bharati University Vice-Chancellor Pabitra Sarkar said that he had no idea as to why the hon'ble minister made such comments and asked whether he had read the biographies of Tagore thoroughly or whether he understood the spirit of these writings properly.

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Supriyo Tagore, a member of the Tagore family said, "There are many interesting stories relating to that. But the comment that his mother refused to embrace him for that reason is totally unwarranted. The Union minister has made insulting statements."