Siliguri (West Bengal): Rabindranath Tagore's Gouripur House in West Bengal's Kalimpong district, where the nobel laureate stayed from 1983 to 1940 is set for a facelift.
In view of the popularity of this famous site, which was declared a heritage property in 2018, the State Heritage Commission and the state information and culture department has taken up the task to renovate the Gouripur House. Around Rs three crore has been allotted for the work.
Tagore wrote the poem "Janmodin" (birthday) sitting at this house located on the Upper Cart Road in the Durbindara area in Kalimpong district in 1938. The property was gifted to Tagore by Brajendrakishore Roy Chowdhury, the zamindar of Gouripur in Mymensingh (now in Bangladesh). The poet went to Gouripur in 1938 and stayed there till 1940. His health condition was poor and was advised by doctors to spend some days in the mountains.
Presently, tourists from across the world flock here. The repair and renovation will be undertaken while keeping its structure intact. A separate museum will be set up that will display poems written by the poet and materials used by him. Also, there will be a research centre where scholars from the country and abroad can assess important resources about Tagore.
After composing "Janmodin" in the Gouripur House, Tagore recited the poem on the 25th day of the Bengali month of Baisakh 1345 (1938) for 15 minutes on his birthday on All India Radio through telephone.
Kalimpong District Magistrate R Bimala said, "The Gouripur House was in a dilapidated condition. The State Heritage Commission and the department of information and culture have taken up an initiative to restore it. It will also have a museum and a research centre. We will train some local guides to inform tourists about the history of this property."
Subrata Manna, secretary of Kalimpong's Miloni Club, said, "It was our long-standing demand that this memory of Tagore be preserved. The heritage property was getting damaged. We like to thank the state government for taking the initiative to restore this place. It will also give a major boost to the tourism sector."
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Salima Siddiqui, a tourist from Bangladesh, said, "I was very disappointed to see the memory of Kabiguru getting destroyed. I am happy to hear that the Gouripur House will be renovated."
