JAGATSINGHPUR: The rickety ancestral house of Rabindranath Tagore at Pandua village in Jagatsinghpur district is lying neglected. Himanshu Sekhar Das, who is in possession of Tagore’s furniture, including the chair and tables that he used, said they are gathering dust in the absence of any measures by the State Government to preserve them.
A few years back, Das had tried to auction the furniture to gather funds for the upkeep of the house, but no one came forward to purchase them. Apparently, the legendary poet had donated land and set up a high school at Pandua village under Erasama block. Das’ grandfather, Banchanidhi Das, was a well-wisher of Tagore and met him whenever he visited Pandua.
Das said despite frequent requests to the State Government and different socio-cultural organisations, no one has helped in repairing and maintaining the ancestral house or Tagore’s assets. While the State Government had decided to instal a statue of Tagore in the village as a mark of respect to the poet, nothing has been done so far. Villagers said they had also requested the State Government for the establishment of a dance, drama and music academy in the village.
Tagore visited the village several times between 1896 and 1942 because Pandua was vast zamindari estate of his family. There were 53 villages in Jagatsinghpur which were part of the zamindari estate of the Tagore family. The house was one of Tagore’s most preferred retreats and it was here where the poet had penned his dance drama ‘Chitrangada’, based on a story from Mahabharata, Das said.
Locals have named the road that connects the village with the highway as ‘Rabindra Sarani’. While people of Pandua village feel proud as Tagore himself spent time there, they said steps should be taken to preserve his legacy in Jagatsinghpur.
A senior officer of the Culture department said although there were plans to renovate Tagore’s ancestral house they could not be implemented due to funds crunch. The Culture department, Government of Odisha, had sent a proposal in this regard to the Union Government but the latter did not release any funds, he added.