Siliguri (West Bengal) [India], May 9 (ANI): The 164th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore was celebrated at the Siliguri Municipal Corporation in Siliguri on Friday.

Rabindranath Tagore Jayanti or Poncheeshe Boishakh marks the birthday of the noted Nobel laureate.

Mayor of Siliguri Municipal Corporation, Goutam Deb, and other officials adorned the Rabindranath Tagore statue at Baghajatin Park with floral garlands.

Mayor of Siliguri Municipal Corporation, Goutam Deb, said, 'Today is a special day for every Bengali staying in Bengal or outside Bengal. Everyone is celebrating the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore. We are offering flowers to the statue of Rabindranath Tagore. In the evening, we are organising a gala with a noted Rabindra Sangeet singer.'

Born in Calcutta (present-day Kolkata) on May 7, 1861, Rabindranath Tagore was the first Indian to receive the Nobel Prize. He passed away on August 7, 1941.

Tagore was born on the 25th day of the month of Boishakh in the year 1422 according to the Bengali calendar, so in West Bengal, his birth anniversary is being celebrated today.

Tagore, who reshaped Bengali literature, holds the distinction of being the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in the year 1913 for his book of songs, 'Gitanjali' (Song Offerings).

Tagore has penned several renowned poems, songs, and literary works, including the national anthem of India - Jana Gana Mana.

Referred to as the 'Bard of Bengal', Tagore started writing poetry at the young age of eight. As an exponent of the 'Bengal Renaissance', he advanced a vast canon which comprised paintings, hundreds of texts, sketches and doodles, and around two thousand songs.

His work reshaped Bengali literature and music and also changed Indian art in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

One of Tagore's most famous novels, 'Ghare-Baire' (The Home and the World), was adapted into a movie of the same name by India's Oscar-winning director Satyajit Ray.

Notably, two of his compositions were chosen as national anthems of two countries, which are India's Jana Gana Mana and Bangladesh's 'Amar Shonar Bangla' (My Golden Bengal). (ANI)