Rabindranath Tagore honoured
August 30 - September 5, 2010
A CEREMONY to mark the 150th anniversary of the birth of Rabindranath Tagore, the Indian poet, playwright, author and winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, was held on August 21 at Yangon’s Central Hotel.
Organised by the Myanmar Tagore Society, the ceremony featured renditions of Gitanjali, his collection of 103 poems, accompanied by a Bengali music band.
The Gitanjali is just one of many Rabindranath Tagore works that have been translated into Myanmar language, chairman of the Myanmar Tagore Society, Saya Paragu, said in a speech at the ceremony.
The author has had a significant influence on Myanmar literature and is still popular among local readers and translators, Saya Paragu said.
In 1952, the Myanmar Tagore Society was founded by his admirers here, who included both Indians and Myanmar. Today the society’s members include former professor of Pali U Aung Than, Dr Htin Aung and writer Pantanaw U Khant.
Born in Calcutta on May 8, 1861, Rabindranath Tagore visited Myanmar twice before his death in 1941, in 1916 and 1924.
Saya Paragu said on Rabindranath Tagore’s first visit he was greeted by a crowd of locals who “welcomed him warmly and happily”.
The following day a “grand ceremony” was held at Jubilee Hall to mark his birthday, which was also a significant event in his native India.
Saya Paragu said Rabindranath Tagore took great interest in Myanmar’s religious customs, partly because of Buddhism’s links with India.
“Another thing he was interested in was the life of Myanmar women and their style of dress. He said Myanmar women’s faces and minds were beautiful because of their freedom.”
A ceremony to mark the 100th anniversary of his birth was held at City Hall in Yangon in 1962, organised by UNESCO.
