Official unveiling ceremony of the Rabindranath Tagore bust

Thursday, June 2^nd, 2011

PRESS RELEASE

On Saturday, 4^th June, at 1000 a.m., First Lady Ingrid Bouterse-Waldring will join Indian Ambassador K.J.S. Sodhi, local dignitaries, and scores of AlphaMax Academy teachers and school children at the official unveiling ceremony of the Rabindranath Tagore bust on the lawns of AlphaMax Academy in Zorg-en-hoop.  The ceremony will take place at the Academy’s Stanvastestraat and Stierappelstraat school facility.

The occasion will be a festive one to mark the 150^th Birth Anniversary Year of Tagore, India’s internationally acclaimed and most celebrated poet in the 20^th century.  In 1913, Tagore, who was also renowned as an educator, philosopher, dramatist, choreographer, singer, songwriter, orator and publisher, was the first Asian and the first non-European to win a Nobel Prize.  Born on May 7^th, 1841, Tagore, who, following his Nobel Prize laureate conducted lecture tours in Asia, Europe and the Americas, is a cross-cultural international icon – enjoying profound respect in East and West as a supreme artist, scholar, and international humanist.

The Tagore bust that First Lady Bouterse will unveil on Saturday morning is one of 14 replicas to be unveiled worldwide, all presents of the Government & People of India through the Embassy of India and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).  The 1.20 meter bronze metal bust is a masterpiece exemplar of the work of India’s renowned sculptor, Gautam Pal, who also hails from Bengal, the home-state of Tagore. 

To date, Tagore busts have been unveiled by national leaders in Seoul, South Korea, Dhaka, Bangladesh, Havana, Cuba, Shanghai, China, and Singapore.

First Lady Ingrid Bouterse and Ambassador Sodhi will address the gathering on Saturday.   Among the cultural features to be enjoyed by those in attendance there will be a dance presentation by the visiting 14 member dance troupe from Assam, India.  It will be the visiting artists’ first public appearance in Suriname following presenting successful shows in the Eastern Caribbean.

The Tagore bust-unveiling ceremony is part of a series of celebratory events organized by the Rabindranath Tagore 150^th Birth Anniversary Celebration Committee.  The latter consists of the Embassy of India, the Indian Cultural Center, the AlphaMax Academy, ArtVibes United, and Schrijversgroep ’77.  Last month, Art Vibes United presented a week-long art and sculpture exhibition at Fort Zeelandia.  This month, the Schrijversgroep and Art Vibes United are sponsoring art and creative writing competitions for school children at the VOJ and VOS levels.  Entries for these national school competitions will close by June 15^th, 2011.  For information, please visit www.iccsuriname.com ,  www.indembassysuriname.com or www.schrijversgroep77.org

Starting Monday, June 7^th, entries will be open for an adult National Art Competition and an adult National Creative Writing and Poetry competitions.  Rules for the art, poetry, and writing competitions are available online at  www.iccsuriname.com ,  www.indembassysuriname.com and www.schrijversgroep77.org.  Entries will close on July 31^st, 2011.

  Winners from the school and adult competitions will be announced by August 7^th, 2011.  Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore left these mortal shores on August 7^th, 1941.