Austere celebrations in Tripura on Tagore's birth anniversary, CM pays floral tribute

Agartala (Tripura) [India], May 8 (ANI): The 159th birth anniversary celebrations of Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore in Tripura on Friday were an austere affair due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis in the state.
The ocassion is usually celebrated with various cultural programs and large gatherings.
Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, along with some other leaders, paid floral tribute to Tagore at the Rabindra Kanan park in Agartala here.
"All programs have been cancelled or cut short to maintain social distancing due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Tagore is not only a poet, philosopher and freedom fighter but probably the lone person in the world whose composition became the national anthem of two nations - India and Bangladesh," Deb told reporters here.
He said that the people of Tripura are proud that Tagore visited the state several times.
Meanwhile, Deb expressed worry over the COVID-19 positive cases among two battalions of the Border Security Force (BSF) and said that he hopes that the health workers, who are working round the clock on the treatment, will soon cure all of them.
The Chief Minister said that two patients have already recovered.
"At present, there are 86 COVID-19 positive patients, including BSF personnel and their family members. A special zone for COVID-19 patients has been created, which is well equipped and adequate. Discussions are on with the Centre on further requirements," he added. (ANI)