Thursday, June 2nd, 2011
On Saturday morning, 4th June, Her Excellency First Lady Ingrid Bouterse-Waldring joined His Excellency K.J.S. Sodhi, Ambassador of India at the official unveiling ceremony of the national bust of Rabindranath Tagore on the lawns of AlphaMax Academy. Over 150 persons, including local dignitaries, such as Vice President of the Republic of Suriname, H.E. Robert Ameerali and H.E. Mrs. Ameerali, ICC Director to Suriname, and scores of AlphaMax Academy teachers, school children, and parents were on hand to witness the historic moment at the Academy’s facility located on Stanvastestraat and Stierappelstraat in Zorg-en-hoop, Paramaribo.
The majestic bronze bust, which weighed 250 kilograms, was a gift from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), in New Delhi, to mark the 150th Birth Anniversary Year of India’s most internationally celebrated poet of the 20th 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 7th, 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 majestic bronze bust, which weighed 250 kilograms, was a gift from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR), in New Delhi, to mark the 150th Birth Anniversary Year of India’s most internationally celebrated poet of the 20th 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 7th, 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.
First Lady Ingrid Bouterse and Ambassador Sodhi addressed the gathering following the unveiling ceremony. The First Lady said, “While reading his biography I learned that Tagore worked hard to develop an appropriate system of national education. In 1918 he founded the Visva Bharati University, an international center of Culture and Humanistic Studies, because in his opinion the lack of education was the main obstacle for national progress. Indeed, knowledge is a fundamental need for development and growth of a nation.
“One of Tagore’s ‘fireflies’ teaches us that in every nation,” the First Lady continued, “education should be intimately associated with the life of the people. Children and Education is therefore my most important working area. In my opinion all children should have access to education. And of course culture, art, music and literature are very important in the development of our children. They bring color to our lives, inspire us to enjoy nature, and teach us to appreciate the little things that life brings to us.”
The Tagore bust on the lawn of the AlphaMax 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.
The ceremony was counterpointed by several cultural presentations which featured the work of Rabindranath Tagore. ICCR’s vocal music teacher in Suriname, Mrs. Mahhumita Bose – also a Bengali by birth – sang a deeply moving Rabindranath Sangeet, “Aloker-ei jharna dharai dhuije dao.” Students from the Academy gave two oral interpretative renditions of five Tagore poems. In order of presentation, first were selections from Tagore’s world famous ‘Gitanjali,’ followed by a Tagorean porm, ‘Earth,’ which the poet published in 1893. The AlphaMax presentations were made by Shafeek Nazir (Class of 2011), Ruth Saman (Class of 2011), Kristina Taylor (Junior), Reann Kersenhout (Sophomore), and Mr. Taylor, the Academy’s Principal & Director.
The cultural celebration of the morning came to a climax with the enthralling presentation of the “Bihu Dance” performed by visiting Indian artistes and dancers from the state of Assam in India. With hand and body gestures that were reminiscent of dance steps of indigenous peoples of Suriname, the Assam dancers received a standing ovation after their performance. It was the group’s first public appearance in Paramaribo following successful presentations in the Eastern Caribbean.
The Tagore bust-unveiling ceremony is part of a series of celebratory events organized by the Rabindranath Tagore 150th 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 in collaboration with the co-sponsors presented a week-long art and sculpture exhibition at Fort Zeelandia. This month, the Schrijversgroep and Art Vibes United are co-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 30th, 2011.
For information, please visit www.iccsuriname.com , www.indembassysuriname.com or www.schrijversgroep77.org
Starting Monday, June 7th, 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 31st, 2011.
The winners from the national schools and adult competitions will be announced by August 7th, 2011. Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore left these mortal shores on August 7th, 1941.
