Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to Nobel laureate writer-poet Rabindranath Tagore on his birth anniversary, citing his legacy in several fields.
In his tributes to ‘Gurudev Tagore’, he said, ‘From art to music and from education to literature, he has left an indelible mark across several areas.’
Known to be the first Asian to win a Nobel prize, Tagore was also a playwright, composer, philosopher, painter and reformer. As per Bengali Calendar, ‘Rabindranath Tagore Jayanti’ is observed on the 25th day of the Bengali month of Baishakh, and this day is being celebrated today, May 9.
Among other leaders, Union Home Minister Amit Shah also paid his respects to Tagore in a tweet, saying, ‘His thoughts on justice and equality shaped India’s worldview while his timeless works provided the intellectual foundation for the freedom movement.’ Shah said that Tagore remains a visionary poet and beacon of light.
In Tagore’s home state West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also remembered him in her prayers for his contribution to literature and art that has shaped India’s cultural heritage and inspired many across the globe. ‘May his teaching and philosophy continue to guide us all,’ she tweeted.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also paid homage Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore on his Jayanti. ‘His literary genius and intellect shaped Indian Nationalism and have greatly influenced our cultural ethos’, the minister said.
The Nobel Prize Foundation on May 7th, the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore according to the Gregorian calendar, celebrated the first non-European literature laureate. The foundation tweeted: ‘Literature laureate Rabindranath Tagore dedicated his life to poetry, art and music, composing the Indian national anthem and the national anthem of Bangladesh.’ He was awarded the Nobel Prize because of his ‘profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse…’, it stated.
‘I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy,’ the foundation quoted Tagore.