Remembering Rabindranath Tagore in Sri Lanka

A series of online performances from Sri Lankan and Indian artists were organised by the Indian High Commission to mark the 159^th birth anniversary of Nobel Laureate Gurudeb Rabindranath Tagore. Deputy High Commissioner of India, Mr. Vinod K. Jacob, presided over an event on May 8 celebrating the occasion and offered a floral tribute to Gurudeb.

The Deputy High Commissioner read out a message from the High Commissioner Designate of India to Sri Lanka, who arrived in Colombo on that day to assume his new responsibilities. Conveying his greetings on the occasion, in the message, High Commissioner noted that the works and vision of Gurudeb constitute a rich legacy for the entire humankind. The HC-Designate observed that all Indians feel proud to be inheritors of the light which emanated from Bengal in the 19th -20th century in the form of lives and works of its great daughters and sons, who include Swami Ramakrishna Paramhans, Swami Vivekananda, and Gurudeb. He  expressed his happiness at the sustained efforts undertaken to preserve and promote the invaluable legacy.

Tagore had a lasting affiliation with Sri Lanka and its people. He visited Sri Lanka thrice in his lifetime during 1922, 1928 and 1934 had a profound impact on the socio-cultural relationship between the two countries. His last overseas visit was to Sri Lanka. The Visva Bharti University at Santiniketan, established by Gurudeb, has continued to attract many Sri Lankan artists and scholars including the great Ananda Samarakoon, who have contributed immensely to deepening the cultural ties between India and Sri Lanka. 

Commemorating Gurudeb’s deep connection with Sri Lanka, the 1500 seater auditorium built in Ruhuna University with Indian grant assistance, the largest University auditorium in Sri Lanka, was named as Rabindranath Tagore Memorial Auditorium.

Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre, the cultural arm of the High Commission, also organized documentary screenings online on its various social media sites.