Our past achievements
The Tagore Bust In Central London
HRH The Prince of Wales with Kalyan Kundu and the bust, sculpted
by artist Shenda Armery Photo, courtesy and © Monish Sengupta
On 7 July 2011 in the heart of London, HRH The Prince of Wales unveiled a bust of India’s greatest artist Rabindranath Tagore in Gordon Square to celebrate the poet’s 150th Birth Anniversary.
The Tagore Centre UK organised the campaign to install the bust and raised funds via an appeal. Kalyan Kundu, founder and chairperson of The Tagore Centre UK said he was unsure whether the Centre, struggling for funds, had a secure future, but the Tagore memorial – a symbol of peace – was being left behind as a legacy for future generations.
The bust was sculpted by the artist Shenda Armery who has previously made ones of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and former House of Commons Speaker Baroness Betty Boothroyd.
The ceremony was simple but moving and was set amongst the greenery of Gordon Square. Even the downpour of the morning rain had stopped and the sun emerged as Prince Charles arrived and was greeted with applause from a large gathering of distinguished guests and friends.
Prior to the unveiling there was a performance of Tagore songs by members of The Tagore Centre UK and four professional dancers who braved conditions to give a sterling performance for His Royal Highness.
In his opening speech Kalyan Kundu said: “Today we have gathered here together to witness the historic unveiling of this bronze sculpture of Rabindranath Tagore… a poet, philosopher and a myriad-minded Renaissance man of India. This is indeed a historic event as this is the first time a sculpture of Tagore has been installed outdoors in the heart of London and very close to the academic institution where he was a student in 1878.”
Artist Shenda Armery, HRH The Prince of Wales and Kalyan
Kundu Photo, courtesy and © Monish Sengupta
He also mentioned how Rabindranath Tagore not only made modern art in India, but also shaped the minds of modern India herself and was also a champion of the ‘one-world’ philosophy.
Mr Kundu poignantly remarked, “the 7th of July marks one of the darkest days in our history. Six years ago on this day, and not far from this place, London experienced a terrible atrocity where we lost many innocent brothers and sisters due to the mindless act of a few misguided and easily influenced extremists…” and that “…the unveiling of a statue of an apostle of peace, here in Gordon Square is a significant and timely reminder that a world of resentment and fear benefits no one and only brings with it pain.”
It was a theme that was also taken up by Prince Charles who gave an emotional and moving speech of his own adding that the occasion marked a message of ‘harmony’ from Tagore, and pointing out the site was a stones throw away from where one of the four atrocities of that tragic day had taken place.
In his speech, Prince Charles had previously sent a message to Dartington Hall, Devon (who also held celebrations) that “Tagore has always been regarded as exceptional in the breadth and depth of his work as a philosopher and writer of songs, as poet and playwright, in his interest in education, rural renewal and farming and as a painter crossing the divide between East and West.”
“Of course, today’s date, July 7th, marks a dark anniversary as has already been mentioned in the history of our capital and indeed of our country,” he remarked. “The inscriptions on this bust will shine out as a beacon of tolerance, understanding and of unity and diversity.”He added: “One hundred and fifty years on from his birth, I find Tagore’s work very relevant for our time, particularly his understanding of a principle which is so dear to me, so much so that I have made it the title of a recently published book – Harmony.”
He continued: “Not only have we failed to make our lives in harmony with all existence, we have also sought to bend the rest of creation to our will and use it regardless of the cost. In one of his poems he warns us, ‘No, it is not yours to open buds into blossoms, shake the bud, strike it, it is beyond your power to make it blossom. Your touch soils it; you tear its petals to pieces and strew them in the dust.’
”Prince Charles spoke about “the way climate is being disrupted and resources being dangerously depleted, and the skies, rivers and seas being polluted,” issues the Prince felt Tagore had anticipated.
“You cannot deny great teachers like Tagore any longer,” he urged. “And yet we do. I sometimes wonder how long it will be before we quite literally come to our senses and see the damage and the hurt and hear the Earth’s cry.”
“In all that he did in his songs and his poetry, in his work of education and his rural renewal, Tagore urged us to accept that we must bring to our work not just science and rational thought but also the life of the spirit, that without this we are incomplete and vulnerable to a dangerous hubris.”
Prince Charles ended with a passionate appeal: “Perhaps more than anything else it is this message of Tagore we need to hear, tend to and with great urgency act upon.It now gives me the greatest possible pleasure and privilege to unveil this bust of a great man.”
And with that His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales unveiled the Bust, which can be seen in the heart of Gordon Square near the University of London.
Culture Activities
The cultural events organised by the Tagore Centre have enhanced and enlivened the cultural landscape of London.
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Tanushree Shankar’s Dance Troupe
There have been many memorable evenings when eminent Rabindrasangeet singers such as Santidev Ghosh, Maya Sen, Suchitra Mitra, Dwijen Mukherjee, Ritu Guha, Purobi Mukherjee, Rezwana Choudhuri Banya, Pramita Mullick, Roma Mandal, Banani Ghosh, Arghya Sen and others – all celebrities in this genre – have provided delightful entertainment. Performances by The Dancers’ Guild, Mamata Shankar Ballet, Tanushree Shankar’s Dance Troupe, Mrinalini and Mallika Sarabhai and the solo performance by Sanjukta Panigrahi have mesmerised our audiences.
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Saumitra Chatterjee in Homapakhi
In 2007 the Centre sponsored “Homapakhi”, a modern psychoanalytical play written by Dr Amit Ranjan Biswas , a member of the Centre and Directed by and acted in by Saumitra Chatterjee. The play was a resounding success, not least due to the towering presence of the actor /director Saumitra Chatterjee. In September 2010, in the run up to Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary, the Centre arranged an open air musical festival which was free for all. The event was held at The Scoop by the Thames in London. The unique medley of traditional, folk and contemporary styles of dance, rhythms and rhymes wrapped in Tagore’s literary and musical works, attracted a wide range of audiences. Some of the above cultural celebrities as well as the well-known intellectuals such as Dr Bhabatosh Dutta, Prof Sibnarayan Ray and artist Purnendu Patree were felicitated by the Tagore Centre during their visits to London.
The Tagore Centre has an audio-visual auditorium for multimedia presentations and demonstrations. The Centre regularly hosts events on Sunday afternoons to entertain and inform. These range from lectures, discussions, poetry readings, singing, film shows, children’s and community events. The Centre is starting a weekly class for Music for young people next month to be tutored by the reputed musician Sanjay De. With a modest grant from the lottery heritage fund, talented Tagorean Ansuman Biswas is now engaged in a project of extending the familiarity of Tagore`s literary/artistic output to the younger generation including school children in the UK.
Lectures and seminars
Dr Joseph O’Connell presenting his talk “Tracing Vaishnava Strains in Tagore” At
Revisiting Tagore, May 2011, University of London Photo, courtesy and
© Monish Sengupta
Lectures and seminars form an integral part of The Centre’s work. These seminars deal with diverse topics such as Tagore and his contributions to Indian culture – its literary, musical and historical heritage as well as the roles and contributions of many other intellectual stalwarts in these areas.
Tagore – Yeats Memorial Lectures were organised jointly with The Nehru Centre (the Cultural wing of the Indian High Commission) and held at The Nehru Centre.
The speakers were writers, poets and scholars such as the late Dr E P Thompson (UK), Dr Joachime Osterheld (Germany), Dr Kathleen Raine (UK), Prof Tapan Raychoudhuri (UK), the late Nirad C Chaudhuri (UK), Lord Bikhu Parekh (UK), Prof Victor Ibvulis (Latvia), Prof Clinton Sealy (USA) and Dr William Radice (UK). In October 2000 a two day International Symposium “Rabindranath Tagore: A Creative Unity” was held at the Senate House, University of London. The speakers were from Bangladesh, the USA, Canada, Latvia, Spain, Estonia, Russia, Netherlands and of course India and the UK.
In October 2001 a one – day seminar “Tagore in British Schools” was held at The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). The event was chaired by Dr William Radice – a noted Tagore enthusiast and translator. In May 2011, the year of Tagore’s 150th birth anniversary, yet another International Seminar over two days “Revisiting Rabindranath” was held at the Senate Hall, University of London. Again there was an array of international speakers from Hungary, Netherlands, Germany, Canada, Poland and India and the UK. This event was chaired by Prof Bashabi Fraser of Napier University, Edinburgh.
In 2011, a special commemorative volume was produced by the Centre – “A Timeless Mind”: this was launched the High Commissioner of India, His Excellency Nalin Suri who was chief guest on that occasion.
This was in conjunction with our impressive international conference Revisiting Rabindranath, a three-day international conference celebrating the work and life of Rabindranath Tagore. Held within the halls of University of London in May 2011, it was part of the UK-wide 150th Birth Anniversary Celebrations of India’s greatest artist were events were held up and down the country. This conference focused on the impact that Tagore has had from the very first time he presented his works in the West, to his relevance and standing throughout the world today. Key scholars and academics, from the UK and abroad came to speak and, through a range of themes and topics, presented their thoughts and comments on the great man himself.
In addition to these larger events the Centre hosts regular lectures in its premises on Sundays. For example in 2012 and 2013 the talks have ranged from “Rabindranath’s engagement with The Upanisad” by Kalyan Sircar, “Hidden Treasures: Bengali Children’s Literature” by Dr Sibani Raychaudhuri, “Michael Madhusudan Dutta” by Dr Amal Chaudhuri , “Swami Vivekananda and Great Minds of India: Tagore, Aurobindo and Gandhi” by Prof Indranath Chaudhuri, “Bangalir Daladali” (Bengalees’ Squabbles) by Prof Tapan Raychaudhuri , “Tagore`s Painting” by Md Mijarul Quayes, the High Commisioner of Bangladesh, to name but a few.
Exhibitions
Photo from the exhibition A Wayfaring Poet, November 2011,
The Nehru Centre, London
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The centre has held exhibitions from their collection of photos, press cuttings and replicas. The archival materials held at The Centre have often been borrowed by other institutions to enhance exhibitions hosted by them. In 2006 The British Museum organised an exhibition on Tagore when they exhibited several items from the Tagore Centre. A photo album containing some rare photographs of Tagore aroused public interest.
“Tagore and the British Press” featuring hundreds of press cuttings provided a deep insight into the intense scrutiny with which the British media covered Tagore’s visits to the UK since 1912. The exhibition toured New Jersey in the USA, Kolkata, New Delhi, and Dhaka.
“The Wayfaring Poet”, an exhibition of photographs, opened in September 2011 and covered Tagore’s travels away from the Indian subcontinent. This exhibition was then shown at The Nehru Centre, Napier University in Scotland and The Scottish Parliament. Tagore was one of the most widely travelled persons of his age having travelled from Japan to Argentina, from Egypt to Russia. The photographs and the historical references to their context help to understand the world’s views on him.
Very recently an exhibition at the Institute of International Visual Arts, London, named “Tagore’s Universal Allegories” by artists Anna Boghiguian and Goshka Macuga centred on the work of Rabindranath Tagore. This project featured two quite unexpected responses to Tagore’s legacy and suggested how his work and ideas still resonate with the artists of today. In their displays both artists drew on artefacts including books, documents, photographs and sound recordings from the specialist library of The Tagore Centre UK, giving the audience direct access to Tagore’s works and teaching.