Panchayat Polls In Odisha: Tagore’s Neglected Home, Statue Also Issues In His Ancestral Village

Paradip: Pandua in Jagatsinghpur district’s Erasama is a non-descript village. But the place makes news once in a while for a derelict house, which is Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s ancestral home. It is in this house that Tagore wrote the dance-drama Chitrangada.

Not surprisingly, in the upcoming panchayat polls in Odisha, Tagore is also an issue in his ancestral village.

Three members of a family who are contesting the polls have promised to install a bronze statue of Tagore in the village, if elected.

Kailash Chandra Swain, a retired government employee, has filed his nomination for sarpanch post. His daughter-in-law Swapanita Swain is contesting for zilla parishad member post and daughter Subhashree Subhasmit for the post of panchayat samiti member.

“We have urged the government several times to install his statue. His ancestral home also lies neglected,” Kailash Chandra Swain (62) said.

Years ago, the Odisha government had decided to install a statue of Tagore in the village but that promise lies forgotten. The state Culture department talks of renovating Tagore’s ancestral home from time to time but the plan has remained on paper.

Villagers have named the road that connects the village with the highway as ‘Rabindra Sarani’ in the Nobel laureate’s honour but feel only government efforts can help preserve his legacy.

Pandua village was part of the zamindari estate of the Tagore family. In all, 53 villages in Jagatsinghpur were part of the family estate.

Tagore visited the village several times between 1896 and 1942.