Birth Anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore celebrated in Sri Lanka

Nobel Laureate Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore has a special place in the heart of Sri Lankans, and his legacy continues to have a lasting influence on local art and culture. In this context, special events were organized in Colombo to commemorate the 157^th Birth Anniversary of Gurudev.

The Centre for Contemporary Indian Studies of University of Colombo organised an event at the Main Library of the University. H.E. Taranjit Singh Sandhu, High Commissioner of India graced the occasion as the Chief Guest and garlanded the bust of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. Senior Professor Lakshman Dissanayake, Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo, Prof. Nayani Melegoda, Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, academicians, students of the University of Colombo and Sri Lankan admirers of Gurudev Tagore, attended the event. This bronze bust of Tagore is sculpted by Janak Jhankar Narzary of Kala Bhavana, Visva-Bharati, and was gifted by Government of India to the University in 2012.

Separately, the Indian Cultural Centre, Colombo organized a special Bharatnatyam performance by Himanshu Srivastava, an eminent dancer from Benaras. The performance was based on Tagore’s compositions, and was deeply appreciated. Numerous other events in Sri Lanka were also held on the occasion.