His literary works still show the way in any crisis situation for the society, culture and nation, he said at a programme marking the 143rd birth anniversary of the great poet.

Bangladesh-Bharat Moitree Samity organised the event in the city, with Dr Durga Das Bhattacharya in the chair.

Barrister Tania Amir said Tagore is a global personality and all his literary creations call for liberty of individuals and protection of human rights.

Tagore's philosophy and thoughts is still relevant and is needed in the prevailing conditions where human rights are violated, movement of people is restricted and communalism is being promoted, she said.

She urged the authorities to preserve the works of Rabindranath Tagore for younger generations.

"Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore is a strong link in the friendship between Bangladesh and India. He is a part of our shared history and heritage," said Indian High Commissioner Veena Sikri.

"We are perhaps the only two countries in the world whose national anthems have been composed by the same poet," she said.

His plays and dance dramas continue to enthral the audiences even today because the social message they convey is still relevant, she said.

As a compassionate man, Tagore made new experiments in rural reconstruction for the welfare of the rural people and advocated community development programme, said the Indian high commissioner.

Hasanul Haq Inu, president of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, said, "The politicians in our country must be educated and honest to make a model nation and Tagore is an example for us."

Writer Salam Azad, Sheikh Nurul Islam, Ismat Kadir Gama, Prem Ranjan Dev, Advocate Delwar Hossain Bhuiyan, Dr Mridul Kanti Chakraborti also spoke.