Ananda Bose bids farewell to West Bengal with open letter, calls state his 'second home'

Kolkata, March 11 (IANS) Former West Bengal Governor C.V. Ananda Bose, who resigned from his post last week, on Wednesday issued an “open letter” to the people of the state, expressing a deep emotional attachment to the region, and said that his association with West Bengal would remain unbreakable even after he departs from the Lok Bhavan.

In the letter, posted on the official social media handle of Lok Bhavan, formerly Raj Bhavan, in Kolkata, Bose described the state as his “second home” and said his association with its people would remain strong.

“Though my term has come to a close, my journey in West Bengal is far from over. I shall continue to be associated with West Bengal — my second home — as its integral part,” Bose wrote.

Explaining his deep attachment to the state, he referred to a remark by Mahatma Gandhi.

“Several decades back, Mahatma Gandhi had said: ‘I am not able to leave Bengal, and Bengal will not let me go.’ Today I share that feeling. Such is the electrifying magnetism of this hallowed soil that has produced great men and women who have shown the way to the country,” Bose said in the post.

He also referred to a remark by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore while describing his state of mind before leaving West Bengal later in the day.

“I recall what Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore had said, and I quote: ‘Leave this chanting and singing and telling of beads... He is there where the tiller is tilling the hard ground and where the pathmaker is breaking stones.’ I wanted to search for and find God in the lanes and bylanes of Kolkata, on the roads of villages and towns, in the bright, enthusiastic eyes of children, and in the affectionate look of the elderly,” he added.

Concluding the letter, Bose expressed confidence in the future of the state and extended his wishes to its people.

“May Bengal reach glorious heights in the days to come. Let there be prosperity and good health for all. May Ma Durga protect my people. Vande Mataram,” he said.