A bit of Tagore history on sale in London, will govt buy?

In north London’s Vale of Health, Hampstead, a white Grade II listed Victorian villa is up for sale. In 2015, during her first visit to London, the West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee had asked if her government could buy this three-bedroom villa which is on the National Heritage List for England as a building of special interest. But why was it of special interest to the chief minister? There’s a blue plaque on the house, “recording [it as] the residence of Rabindranath Tagore in 1912 one of the most influential figures in Indian literature and culture”, according to estate agents Goldschmidt & Howland.

Back in 2015, Banerjee had asked the then Indian high commissioner Ranjan Mathai to inquire if her government could acquire the house and conserve it. “My government is keen to buy the house where Tagore lived. Tagore is our pride. It is a private property and, therefore, I have asked our high commissioner to see if we can strike a deal,” Mamata had told TOI in July 2015. That house is now up for sale, but there’s been no word from the West Bengal government if it plans to shell out the asking price of £2,699,500 (approximately Rs 27 crore).
On September 21, West Bengal Heritage Commission chairperson Suvaprasanna told TOI: “Mamata Banerjee has always kept her word. If she had spoken about wanting to strike a deal to acquire this property, I am certain that she would want to keep her word. At my next meeting with her, I will certainly bring up this issue. She knows how to arrange funds for doing anything that serves the interest of Bengal.”