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As if to underline the cultural debt, PM Modi and CM-designate Adhikari paid tribute to Tagore on his birth anniversary before the ceremony began, a moment that threaded the day’s politics through Bengal’s most enduring pride.
History descended on Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground on Saturday—not quietly, not gradually, but with the crash of dhol, the swirl of Chhau dancers, and a roar that swept across central Kolkata like a tsunami.
BJP legislature party leader Suvendu Adhikari took oath as the Chief Minister of West Bengal, heading the first BJP government in the state since Independence. Governor R.N. Ravi administered the oath of office and secrecy to Adhikari amid chants of “Jai Shri Ram”, drumbeats, and a sea of fluttering saffron flags. Bengal, for the first time, watched the lotus bloom.
The day was chosen with deliberate care and unmistakable symbolism. The BJP chose Saturday as the day of the oath ceremony since it coincided with the birth anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore as per the Bengali calendar. As if to underline the cultural debt, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and CM-designate Suvendu Adhikari paid tribute to Tagore on his birth anniversary before the ceremony began—a moment that threaded the day’s politics through Bengal’s most enduring pride.
The drums arrived before the politicians did. By early morning, the Brigade Parade Ground had begun to thrum with rhythm as folk artists and performers from across West Bengal gathered to mark the swearing-in.
From the northern districts to the western belts, troupes poured in—bringing with them masks, movement, and memory.
The unmistakable energy of Purulia’s Chhau dance cut through the air, with dancers leaping and spinning as crowds thickened, turning
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