Ambassador Address on the occasion of
163rd Birthday of Gurudev Rabindra Nath Tagore
(Wednesday, May 8, 2024, 1600-1700 hr, Ayush Hall )
My dear friends and colleagues,
Friends from the Media,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Good Evening!
It gives me immense pleasure in welcoming you all to this celebration of the 163rd Birthday of Rabindra Nath Tagore by the Embassy of India. This is the second time that we are organizing this event. I would like to felicitate and thank our Kathak Dance teacher Dr. Rupa Chakraborty and her team for taking this excellent initiative in organizing this event today to mark the Day.
- Rabindranath Tagore was an eminent Writer, Poet, Musician, Painter, Educationist, and a Nobel Laureate. He belonged to a very reputed family that played a crucial role in the freedom movement of India. From his childhood, he developed an interest in writing poetry. He is one of the greatest poets of all time. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913 for his collection of poems - Gitanjali. He was an outstanding writer and wrote several novels and dramas. Tagore composed the national anthem of India, i.e. Jana Gana Mana.
- Rabindranath Tagore was a great musician. He composed thousands of immortal songs. They cover numerous moods, styles and have bewildering varieties. Rabindrasangeet, as we call them, covers several subjects and can be related to seasons, nature such as rivers, mountains, fields, universe, love, joy, separation, sorrow, togetherness and so on. Rabindranath Tagore also wrote over forty plays which included comedies and tragedies, farces and satires with dramatic dialogues. These dramas are performed regularly and are extremely popular. He even composed prayers and patriotic songs. His love for his motherland and the Bengali language are unmatched.
- Tagore travelled extensively all over the world. An educationist, he first set up a school at Shantiniketan – abode of peace in 1901. He desired to mix the best of Indian and Western traditions in this school. Shantiniketan went on to become the Vishva Bharati University in 1921 which is a Central University in India today.
- Rabindranath Tagore occupies a special place in the history of India and the world. He was a man of great vision and with special qualities. There is a lot that we can learn from the life of Tagore. On this auspicious day, let us pay our homage to this great poet and philosopher and remember him for some of his finest compositions, a few of which would be performed by our Dr. Rupa Chakraborty and her team now.
- Thank you everyone for joining us today.
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