Tagore Beyond Artistic Borders: Celebrating the Life and Works of Rabindranath Tagore
VIEW EVENT DETAILS"Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them. Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it." — Rabindranath Tagore
Famed throughout much of Europe, North America, and East Asia, Rabindranath Tagore has been proclaimed "the greatest poet India has produced." Join Asia Society Washington and the Embassy of India as we commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth of Tagore with an evening of music and celebration.
Renowned musician Dr. Sudeshna Basu will sing compositions celebrating the poet, followed by a multimedia presentation on the life and times of Tagore. Hitabrata Roy and Anis Ahmed, scholars of Indian literature and Tagore admirers, will also present cross-disciplinary perspectives on Tagore's influence.
Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) was a dreamer, idealist, and practitioner of all the arts. Even though he is mainly known as a poet, his multifaceted talent reached across different branches of art, including novels, songs, dramas, essays, and paintings. In 1913, Tagore became the first Asian to receive the Nobel Prize when he was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for "his profoundly sensitive, fresh, and beautiful verse, by which, with consummate skill, he has made his poetic thought, expressed in his own English words, a part of the literature of the West." He was a social reformer, patriot, and above all, a great humanitarian whose literary and philosophical impact continues to be felt in all the continents of the globe.
Dr. Sudeshna Basu, a well-known name in the world of Rabindra Sangeet (Tagore songs in English), was trained in Hindustani classical music by the Queen of Patiala Gharana Smt. Meera Bandyopadhyay and in Rabindrasangeet by the legendary maestro Ashoketaru Bandyopadhay. Gifted with a melodious voice, Dr. Basu performs extensively in India and abroad. Her mission is to spread the universal message of Rabindranath Tagore all over the world.
Hitabrata Roy is currently the President of Tagore Society of Greater Washington and also a trustee of Santiniketan Ashramik Sangha. He was an instructor of Bengali language and culture at the U.S. Department of State's Foreign Service Institute for ten years following his retirement as Chief Political and Cultural Analyst at the U.S. Consulate General in Kolkata, West Bengal, India. As Roy's mother spent her childhood under the care of the Poet Tagore, Roy grew up with the music and culture of Santiniektan, the abode of Rabindranath Tagore.
Anis Ahmed has extensive experience in broadcast journalism and Bengali language and literature. Currently an International Broadcaster and Web Editor for VOA Bangla Service, he has previously worked for the BBC and has also lectured on English Language & Literature at the University of Dhaka, the University of Chittagong, and Notre Dame College. He writes regularly on literature, society, and politics in Bangladesh's newspapers and has presented several seminar papers on Rabindranath Tagore, with a special focus on Tagore's philosophy and religious thoughts.
This event is co-hosted with the Embassy of India.
Event Details
The Cinnabar Room, Whittemore House, 2nd Flr., 1526 New Hampshire Ave, NW