Ramadass urges WB CM to drop controversy over poem

Puducherry, Oct 24 (UNI) PMK Lok Sabha Member of Parliament Prof M Ramadass today urged West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya to drop the controversy over the alleged distortion of Tagore's poem in a publication of the Tourism ministry.

In a letter to Mr Bhattacharya, Prof Ramadass urged him to drop the matter and convey the same to Puducherry Chief Minister N Rangasamy to whom he had earlier written to withdraw the publication and to initiate action against the author.

He said while reading the publication of Puducherry Government and Tagore's magnum opus, it was clear that there was no distortion or deviation of Tagore's poem.

''Normally, distortion occurs when a poem is misused to convey a different meaning than what it intends or when it is reproduced verbatim to elucidate a different situation.

However, in this case none of these has occurred'', Prof Ramadass added.

He said 'Tagore on Pondicherry' extols the greatness of Puducherry. It glorifies Puducherry as 'the heaven on earth'. On the other hand, Tagore's 'Gitanjali' visualises India awakening into a ''Heaven of Freedom''.

The author glorifies Puducherry expressing his love for the land while Tagore portrays his fiery patriotism. Throughtout the poem, the author, a senior IAS officer, had used Tagore's style which is an accepted procedure in literature.

Perhaps, the only apparent offence may be the title of the poem which gives a misleading impression, he added.

''The officer with his poems ''Puducherria'' and ''Hi-rum-cherry'' has become an acknowledged poet of Puducherry. His attachment to Puducherry must have prompted him to use Tagore's style to draw the attention of the readers and convey his message on Puducherry, and with this he had done great service to Puducherry and Tagore'', he said.

Stating that Italy had recently conferred 'City of Peace' name on Puducherry he said, the author deserves commendations and not condemnation.

UNI XR JJ MIR BS1921