Exhibition on Tagore chugs into city

CHENNAI: The next four days are going to be a treat for history buffs and literature lovers as Sanskriti Express a mobile museum on Rabindranath Tagore's life and works -- will be stationed at Chennai Central Railway station.
The exhibition train has five coaches, each featuring different phases of the famous writer's personal and literary life. The train, now on platform no 11 of the Central station, will be open to public.The coaches have been named Jibon Smriti', Gitanjali', Muktodhara', Chitralrekha', Sesh Katha' and `Smaranika', all Tagore's works.
Jibon Smriti' depicts Tagore's life, with photographs and his reminiscences. It also gives details of Shatiniketan. Gitanjali' features verses, songs and prose from Tagore's works.
Muktodhara' includes the nobel laureate's short stories, novels, dramas, prose and essays. It also portrays Tagore as a performer, featuring songs and recitations with photographs.
In Chitrarekha,' viewers get to see the rare paintings, portraits and sketches done by the kaviguru. It also has a variety of paintings done by eminent artists like Nandlal Bose and Sudhir Khastagir.
Seshkatha and Smaranika shows the final days of Tagore through photographs and paintings. It also contains exquisite handicraft from Shantiniketan for sale.
Divisional Railway Manager S Anantharaman inaugurated the exhibition at the station. "We expect at least 30,000 visitors in the next three days. The train was very popular in cities where it had visited. We have informed all schools to make use of the opportunity."
The train, flagged off by Union railway minister Mamta Banerjee, will proceed from Chennai to Pondicherry, Madurai, Rameshwaram, Thiruvananthapuram, Ernakulam and Mangalore.