West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee recently mistakenly attributed authorship of the epic 'Mahabharata' to Kazi Nazrul Islam. The gaffe came after Banerjee confused Indian astronaut Rakesh Sharma with film star Rakesh Roshan while congratulating ISRO.
Kazi Nazrul Islam, often referred to as the rebel Bard of Bengal, is renowned for his anti-colonial poems and lyrics promoting communal harmony. Banerjee's assertion that he authored the 'Mahabharata', a work attributed to the sage Veda Vyasa, is inaccurate.
"Studies alone do not make a person learn in the real sense. One has to have a big heart. Read and understand what our great men have written. Read Rabindranath, Nazrul, Vivekananda.... Mahabharat was written by Nazrul Islam," Banerjee said at the TMCP Foundation Day event.
Previously, she goofed-up with Rakesh Sharma's name and has also claimed that former prime minister Indira Gandhi had sent individuals to the moon and, upon their landing, inquired about India's appearance from space.
Banerjee recounted the response, "'Rakesh' replied 'saare jahan se achha'." It is important to note that Rakesh Sharma, the first Indian astronaut in space, did not land on the moon. However, this misrepresentation persisted in Banerjee's latest speech.
A few days prior, Banerjee's confusion between Rakesh Sharma and Rakesh Roshan sparked a flurry of reactions on social media. The misidentification led to Rakesh Roshan trending online and triggered humorous comments from netizens who took to trolling Banerjee for her mistake.
