Dwindling Population of the Majestic Beast

The population of tiger is dwindling dramatically. Though India boasts of having the highest number of tigers in the world till date yet it has lost two-thirds of its tiger population within a decade or so. The increasing demand for tiger skins and body parts especially from China for procuring medicines and aphrodisiacs has attracted the complicity of poachers and Forest Department to make a lucrative business of poaching. As China is celebrating this year as ‘Year of the Tiger’, it seems poaching will be made extensively.

Seemingly, the government is innocent about the whereabouts of the poachers. But in reality, the Forest Department and the Nation Tiger Conservation Authority themselves are responsible for poaching and thus the tiger trade is rampant and the poachers continue to roam free. The slipshod government effort to protect this endangered species is an organised crime and a national shame.

150th Birth Anniversary Celebrations of Gurudeb

The 150th birth anniversary of the literary, cultural and philosophical genius, Rabindranath Tagore whose rich, diverse and vast literary oeuvre is virtually unmatchable in the world, was celebrated through an array of colourful programmes by various art, literary and cultural organisations, schools, colleges and universities across the country.

A cluster of state-level programmes are set to be celebrated in memory of Tagore round the year. In addition to releasing of the revised Rabindra Rachanabali, another 15 books on Tagore’s life and creation will hit the literary world by Paschimbanga Bangla Akademi. Various Tagore-oriented discussion forums comprising personalities from India and abroad will be organised during the whole year. To mark the 150th birth anniversary, a park named after Tagore will be inaugurated and Tagore Award will be declared. In collaboration with Bangiya Sahitya Parishad, the universities in North Bengal will organise colourful programmes featuring Tagore. A few dramas and dance-dramas of Tagore will be staged jointly by Natya Akademi, Sangeet Akademi and Rabindra Sadan. A 10-day Tagore Fair will be organised to portray various directions and dimensions of Tagore’s creation. Exhibitions on the life and creation of Tagore will be held in Kolkata including in almost all the districts of West Bengal.

The state-based celebration committee will coordinate with the Central Government and the centrally-funded cultural organisations located in the State.