PRESS RELEASE

The Consulate General of India in Shanghai and the Shanghai Writers' Association jointly celebrated the 148th birth anniversary of the Indian poet and Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore on 7 May 2009 at the Shanghai Writers Association.

Well-known poet and Vice President of the Shanghai Writers' Association, Prof. Zhao Lihong spoke about Rabindranath Tagore's visit to Shanghai and recalled his mission to build the bridge of friendship between India and China. Prof. Sun Yi Xue of Tongji University spoke on Tagore and his influence on contemporary Chinese poetry and literature. In her speech, Consul General Riva Ganguly Das said that it is a tribute to the spirit of Tagore and his philosophy that the Consulate General of India and the Shanghai Writers Association had come together to remember this great son of India whose appeal and admiration transcends globally.

Selected poems of Tagore were recited in Chinese by well known local artists Cao Lei and Chen Chun. A short documentary on Tagore, made by Mr. Bivash Mukherjee, copy editor in Shanghai Daily, was also screened. The members of the India community rendered songs by Tagore and also recited his poem in Bengali language.

More than hundred people, including those from literary circles of Shanghai, attended the event. The event draw great enthusiasm and appreciation from all those attended. A booklet on Tagore, containing a brief write-up on Tagore by Prof. Zhao Lihong, photographs of Tagore during his visit to Shanghai and poems of Tagore in Bengali, English and Chinese, was released on the occasion.