West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said she was extremely happy with the news of Santiniketan being added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Banerjee, currently touring Spain, wrote on ‘X’, "Glad and proud that our Santiniketan, the town of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, is now finally included in UNESCO's World Heritage List. Biswa Bangla's pride, Santiniketan was nurtured by the poet and has been supported by people of Bengal over the generations." She added, "We from the Government of West Bengal have significantly added to its infrastructure in last 12 years and the world now recognizes the glory of the heritage place. Kudos to all who love Bengal, Tagore, and his messages of fraternity. Jai Bangla, Pranam to Gurudev." Former Visva Bharati officiating vice-chancellor Sabujkali Basu told PTI, "This is a proud moment for everyone and it was the result of sincere efforts by former VCs since 2005." "We are obviously happy. Former VCs like Rajatkanta Roy, Sushanta Kumar Duttagupta had tirelessly worked for this honour to create Santiniketan a heritage site and we are happy with the outcome today," she said.

Pointing out that the honour has not been bestowed to any university located in the area but to the entire place of which the central university is an integral part, she said Santiniketan had been first created by Maharshi Devendra Nath Tagore in 1888 and the Santiniketan Trust had been working to safeguard the sanctity and character of the whole area.

"And after all the hard work in all these years, today is an occasion of joy," Basu said.

A member of the trust said, "We will celebrate the occasion at the 'Upsana Griha' (prayer hall) tomorrow (Monday). The event will be called Ananda Utsav." Visva Bharati student union leader Somnath Sow said, "All of us, all stakeholders, will be present at the celebrations tomorrow." The ruling Trinamul Congress posted on X, "Santiniketan, the cherished home of Kobiguru Rabindranath Tagore, has earned its place in @UNESCO's World Heritage List. It proudly stands as a testament to the profound cultural and intellectual contributions of the Nobel Laureate. Let us continue to cherish and protect this treasure for generations to come." Santiniketan, the famed place in West Bengal where poet Rabindranath Tagore built Visva-Bharati over a century ago, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

"New inscription on the @UNESCO #WorldHeritage List: Santiniketan, #India. Congratulations!" the world body posted on 'X'.

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