2011 Rabindranath Tagore Celebrations
Rabindranath Tagore was born on 7 May 1861, and passed away on 7 August 1941. He became a respected Bengali novelist, playwright, poet, artist and musician. As a poet, his work was seen as new and exciting. He traveled the world, and in doing so, he became popular in the literary world cross East Asia, Europe and North America. In the year 1913 he was awarded the Noble Prize for Literature, becoming the first Asian to be given this honor. Now, celebrating the 150th anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, Bangladesh and India are joining forces to pay tribute to this legend.
The festivities to celebrate Rabindranath Tagore will kick off in Dhaka on 6 May 2011 and will be shared with New Delhi on 7 May 2011. In Bangladesh, it will be a three day event, running until 8 May 2011. The opening ceremony in New Delhi will be attended by artists from Bangladesh who will be performing in the joint celebrations. Together, India and Bangladesh have been able to create a program of activities and attractions for locals and visitors to enjoy. Visitors to the Tagore Anniversary festivities will be able to view some of his work, such as movies, paintings, prints and performing arts. There will also be seminars and conferences for visitors to attend, as well as retreats for scholars.
To bring the world and life of Rabindranath Tagore to life, there will be tourist drives that will take visitors to a variety of locations that are associated with Tagore and played a role in his life and work. The tour will be called Rabi Tirtha and will include Jorasanko, which is where Tagore was born, the locations of his former family estates in Potishar, Shahazadpur and Silaidoh. Local operators in Bangladesh and India will be lending their assistance.
Special packages will be available, which will include the tour to cultural sites and activities, such as the exhibitions. Celebrating the impact that Tagore had on Bangladesh and India’s culture is significant for both countries, and Tagore is man that these countries are proud to have ties with.
