New Delhi, May 9 -- Every year, the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, Asia's first Nobel laureate, is celebrated on May 7 across India.

However, West Bengal and the Bengali diaspora globally observe his birth anniversary on Pochishe Boishakh, with a grand cultural festival. This year, Pochishe Boishakh is today, May 9.

Interestingly, Tagore's birthday is celebrated twice each year - reflecting the coexistence of the globally recognised Gregorian calendar and the traditional Bengali calendar.

According to the Gregorian calendar, Tagore was born on 7 May 1861, in the Jorasanko mansion in Calcutta (now Kolkata). Consequently, the Government of India, educational institutions outside Bengal, and the global community officially mark...