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New Delhi : Vice President (VP) of India M Hamid Ansari on July 13, 2017, said that Suvra Mukherjee brought grace and dignity to the position of the first lady of the country. He was addressing a gathering after releasing the book ‘President’s Lady’ authored by Sangeeta Ghosh and handing over the first copy to President Pranab Mukherjee here.
The Vice President said that Suvra Mukherjee was a patron and performer of music, a painter, a writer, a teacher, a mother and a soul companion to the person who now adorns the highest office in our land. He said that this volume, reflects a remarkable personality, the endearing and humane approach of Suvra Mukherjee. This book is a befitting tribute to wonderful and talented person, he added.
VP Ansari said that Suvra Mukherjee brought grace and dignity to the position of the first lady of the country and became the perfect foil for the President. It is also fitting that the book is being released on this date, which marks the wedding anniversary of our President, he said.
Born in Jessore (now in Bangladesh), she faced the uprooting that visited millions in the sub-continent as partition cut through not only the map, but also across the social and cultural fabric of the land. She built a new life in Kolkata, with her love for the academic pursuits resulting in degrees in History and Political Science, the Vice-president said adding as the first lady, she brought her love of sangeet to the Rastrapati Bhawan with her harmonium and tanpura gifted to her by the Bengali music maestro DL Roy, according to a PIB release.
Suvra Mukherjee was a vocalist, an exponent of Rabindra Sangeet and performed in the poet’s dance-dramas for many years in India, Europe, Asia and Africa. She was also responsible for setting up the ‘Geetanjali Troupe’ with the mission of showcasing Rabindranath Tagore’s philosophy through song and dance. The book recounts how in 2013, pushing aside protocol concerns, the First Lady sat with her troupe and sang her favourite numbers of Tagore on the occasion of Rabindra Jayanti. She also authored two books- the first, ‘Chokher Aloey’, a personal account of her close interaction with former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, and the second, ‘Chena Achenai Chin’, a travelogue recounting her visit to China, according to the PIB release.