Addressing on the occasion of the State Foundation Day of West Bengal in association with Kalibari Shimla Trust at Kalibari Hall, today Governor, Shiv Pratap Shukla said that the people of West Bengal have been immensely contributed in Nation building besides having established their own identity in every sphere right from the freedom movement to maintaining of traditional art, customs, culture and literature. Besides, Bengal has also been the birthplace of many great revolutionaries.
Many great personalities like Swami Vivekananda, Rabindranath Tagore, Subhash Chandra Bose, Jagdish Chandra Bose, Swami Ramakrishna Paramhans etc. were born here. Shukla said that from literature, art and cinema to making significant contributions in science, technology and industry, West Bengal has made steady progress and set new benchmarks. He said that cultural festivals like Durga Puja, Kali Puja have become symbols of our identity, which are celebrated with great enthusiasm not only in this State but across the country.
“The spirit of unity in diversity with which Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken the initiative to celebrate the Foundation Day of various states embodying the whole of India in the thread of unity”, said Shukla. He said that the only intention behind organising these events was that people of other states can also participate in such events to know more about the history, culture and customs of different states and to realize the concept of “Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat”.
Earlier, the Governor offered prayers at the Kalibari temple and honoured the people of West Bengal living in Himachal who are doing excellent work in the preservation of Bengals cultural heritage. A cultural program depicting the rich culture of West Bengal was also organized on the occasion. Earlier, N.K. Banerjee, Trustee and President of Kalibari Shimla Trust welcomed the Governor. Kalol Pramanik, Senior Scientist and former Secretary of Kalibari Temple Trust gave brief information on the historical importance of Kalibari and foundation day being celebrated. Rajesh Sharma, Secretary to Governor presented a vote of thanks. Dr. A.R. Basu, Trustee, Secretary of the Trust Somnath Pramanik, other office bearers of the Trust and other prominent people of Bengal State were also present on the occasion.