Bharatiya Janata Party has chosen the day of Tagore Jayanti (9 May) for the oath taking ceremony in West Bengal.
In West Bengal, the Bharatiya Janata Party has not chosen May 9 as the day for the oath taking ceremony. According to the Bengali calendar, this day is the 25th day of Baisakh and on this day the whole of Bengal celebrates the birth anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. Gurudev’s supporters in the world celebrate his birth anniversary on 7th May. Since Gurudev Rabindranath is the cultural heritage of Bengal, BJP has made another attempt to connect with the sentiments of the people. This is also respect towards Gurudev.
On the pretext of forming a new government in West Bengal, do you know that when Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore was born on 7th May, then why is Tagore Jayanti celebrated on 25th Baisakh (25th day of Baisakh)? After all, what is the logic behind celebrating his birth anniversary for three days?
Answer to confusion on date
Rabindranath Tagore was born on 7 May 1861 according to the English calendar, but according to the Bengali calendar this day was 25 Baisakh. This is why 25 Baisakh is considered to be the basic basis of Tagore Jayanti. Many people ask this question, if the birth took place on 7th May, then why is it celebrated on 25th Baisakh? Are these two different dates? Is it celebrated for three days? The answer to these questions lies in the understanding of the calendar.
Rabindranath Tagore The date of birth was 25 Baisakh in Bengali date. The English date of that day was 7 May
For a long time, people in India used local almanacs. Bengali calendar or Bangabad was prevalent in Bengal. On the other hand, Gregorian calendar i.e. English dates are being used in the world and in government records. When Tagore was born, his date of birth was 25 Baisakh in Bengali date. The English date that day was May 7, so both dates are correct. They are not different days. They are two different calendar versions of the same day.
25 What is the cultural significance of Baisakh?
Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore was not just a poet. He is a great symbol of the cultural soul of Bengal. His poetry, songs, stories, plays and thoughts are deeply connected with Bengali life. For this reason, his birth anniversary is not observed only on the English date in Bengal. People like to remember him according to Bengali tradition. Therefore 25 Baisakh got special importance. Just as many Indian festivals are celebrated according to the lunar or solar calendar, Tagore Jayanti is also celebrated on the basis of Bengali date.
Laddus distributed after BJP’s landslide victory in West Bengal.
Then what is the significance of May 7?
The importance of May 7 is no less. This is the English form of Tagore’s date of birth. May 7 is mentioned at many places at the national and international level. This date often appears in schools, articles, news and government documents. Because the English calendar is most popular today, but in Bengal, especially in cultural programs, people consider 25 Baisakh as the real birth anniversary. Therefore, it would not be wrong to say that 7th May is a historical date and 25th Baisakh is a cultural date.
Why don’t 25 Baisakh and 7 May fall on the same day every year?
This is what confuses people the most. The reason is that the Bengali calendar and the Gregorian calendar do not work the same. The method of calculation of both is different. Because of this, the English date of 25 Baisakh may change slightly every year. Sometimes it falls around 7th May. Sometimes it can be seen around 8th May or at some places around 9th May i.e. 25th Baisakh is stable, but its English date is not exactly the same every time. That is why Bengali society says that the correct traditional date of Tagore Jayanti is 25 Baisakh.
Preparations for swearing in are underway in West Bengal.
Is Tagore Jayanti celebrated for three days?
Generally Tagore Jayanti is based on one main day. That day is 25 Baisakh, but in practice in many places the celebration lasts for more than a day. Because Tagore is not just a writer, he is a cultural tradition. Songs, dances, poetry recitations, dramas, discussions, exhibitions and meetings are organized in his memory. Larger institutions tend to have a larger number of events, so events can last two days, three days, or sometimes even an entire week. This does not mean that there are three different dates of his birth anniversary. This means that the main date is one, but the celebration can last for several days.
How is the tradition of celebrating three days formed?
In some places, there is an opening ceremony before the event starts, then cultural performances the next day. A special lecture, awards or closing ceremony is held on the last day. Many schools and universities have also been doing this. They distribute the programs on different days as per their convenience. Sometimes the main program cannot be held on a working day, so one part is kept before and one after.
Due to the crowd and variety of programs at Shanti Niketan, Kolkata and other cultural institutions, the celebrations can last for several days, so if people say that Tagore Jayanti lasted for three days, it means the length of the celebrations, not the confusion of the birth date.
We’re celebrating the 165th anniversary of the birth of a true great: Rabindranath Tagore, who was born #onthisday 7 May, in 1861 in Calcutta, India.
The first non-European literature laureate, he was awarded the #NobelPrize “because of his profoundly sensitive, fresh and pic.twitter.com/I4pHjIWpLO
— The Nobel Prize (@NobelPrize) May 7, 2026
Why did 25 Baisakh get more importance in Bengal?
Tagore’s place in Bengal is very special. He is called Kavi Guru. His songs are still a part of everyday life. Rabindra Sangeet, dance, recitation, drama, everything is related to Bengali cultural life. Therefore his birth anniversary is also celebrated according to the local cultural calendar. 25 Baisakh is not just a date. It is an emotional day in the Bengali psyche. On this day people remember Tagore as a member of their cultural family. This is the reason that even after knowing the English date, people give more importance to 25 Baisakh.
In this way, it is natural to be confused about Tagore Jayanti, because we have two calendars in front of us. One English, the other Bengali. Rabindranath Tagore was born on 7 May 1861. The same day was 25 Baisakh in Bengali calendar, hence both the dates are correct. The cultural tradition of Bengal gave more importance to 25 Baisakh. For this reason Tagore Jayanti is celebrated on the same day. As far as celebrating three days is concerned, that could be the period of celebration, but the basic date of the birth anniversary is the same, hence the correct understanding is that the basis of Tagore birth anniversary is 25 Baisakh and 7 May is its English calendar form.
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