CONSULATE GENERAL OF INDIA

SHANGHAI

 PRESS RELEASE

Celebration of the 163^rd Birth Anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore and 100^th Anniversary of his visit to Shanghai (11^th May 2024)

The Consulate General of India in Shanghai organized the celebration of 163^rd birth anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore and his 100^th anniversary of his visit to Shanghai on 11 May, 2024 at the Chancery. The celebrations involved talk on the rich legacy of Gurudev by Professor Tansen Sen, Professor of History, Center for Global Asia, New York University, Shanghai and Shri Bivash Mukharjee, Senior Journalist who had made a documentary on Gurudev’s visit to Shanghai of 1924. On the occasion, Indian community in Shanghai under the aegis of Shanghai Adda performed Rabindra Sangeet and musical ‘baithak’.

2. Earlier on 08 May 2024, Dr. N. Nandakumar, Consul General and India based officers/officials of this Post paid floral tribute to the two busts of Gurudev located at Maoming Road and Luxun park, Shanghai. The bust located at the Maoming Road was donated by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) and was installed during the visit of the then President of India Smt. Prathiba Patil in the year 2010.

3. During the Birth Anniversary celebrations on 11^th May, Consul General Dr.N.Nandakumar recalled the values and ideals of Gurudev and underlined the importance of the latter’s contribution as the first Asian to be decorated with Noble Prize for literature. Prof. Tansen Sen made a presentation on the cultural contributions of Gurudev Tagore. He explained how Gurudev and his work created an important ‘nexus’ between China and India similar to the cultural connect created by Buddhism. He explained the deep impact that Gurudev Tagore had in the literary sphere of China by listing numerous translations of Gurudev’s literary work in Chinese.

4. Shri Bivash Mukharjee, Senior Journalist, narrated his experiences about making the documentary on Gurudev’s visit to Shanghai in the year 1924. He explained about various places that Gurudev had visited in Shanghai in 1924. He also narrated the deep impression left by Tagore’s work on Chinese scholars and cultural personalities who had studied and interpreted them in Chinese language.

5. The Indian community in Shanghai under the aegis of Shanghai Adda paid tributes to Gurudev with soulful rendition and captivating performances of his compositions in the form of a ‘baithak’ i.e., interactive cultural session of songs, dances and information about Gurudev. The performances included ‘Anandaloke’, a brahmo sangeet of Gurudev inspired by a Bhajan from southern India; ‘Aji Jharo Jharo mukharo’, a composition on rain clouds; recitation of ‘Banshi’, a poem written by Gurudev at his tender age of 16; dance performance for the song ‘Kato baro Bhebechinu’, inspired by the Irish song ‘drink to me only’; performance of ‘Sakhi Bhabona’, a song from Gurudev’s novel ‘Chitrangada’ etc.

6. The programme witnessed enthusiastic participation from members of Indian community, friends of India in China, scholars, cultural personalities and children.

21st May, 2024

Shanghai