Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Tagore Awards Ceremony


The Suriname Rabindranath Tagore Creative Arts Awards Ceremony was held on Tuesday, November 22nd at 5:00 p.m. at the University Guesthouse on Leysweg.
This important event celebraedthe work of more than 30 Surinamese student- and adult-artists.
The wife of Ambassador Harvey Naarendorp  (Suriname Ambassador to the EU based in Paris)  handed out awards to over 30 creative artists from Suriname who won school and national competitions in creative art and writing (prose and poetry) competitions.
The competition, which was launched in May 2011 by the Suriname Tagore Celebrations Committee, attracted more than 135 entries from students and adults in Suriname. Judges for the national competitions included members of the Schrijvers Group'77, Art Vibes United, and the University of Suriname. There were more than 75 creative writing and art entries from students attending schools in Paramaribo, Wanica, and Commewijne.

The prestigious Tagore Art Competition was launched to mark the 150`" Birth Anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, the first non-European and person of color to win a Nobel Prize (1912). Born in 1861, Tagore was a prolific writer, dramatist, poet, artist, philosopher, and international humanist. Across the world, national and international competitions are being held to uphold values in creative excellence in celebration of Tagore.
Ten AlphaMax students were among the 40 prize winners in the first Tagore Creative Arts competition in Suriname.

AMA tutor Sylvana Dankerlui guided the packed audience through an enchanting program that celebrated Rabindranath Tagore’s influence on the world and in this special case on Surinamese young people. Mrs Dankerlui  gave a passionate and delightful account of Tagore and how his ideas influenced others.

This was followed by a song done by the ICC singing teacher. She sang one of Tagore’s compositions. Her performance held the audience’s rapt  and they gave her an enthusiastic round of applause.

The highlight of the evening was the reading presentation   of the winning entries in the writing competition. The audience was thoroughly impressed not only with the ideas and style of writing but with the confidence and poise of all the winners as they delivered their pieces. Many commented later on the kaleidoscope of Surinamese faces of all races and the range of artistic expressions.

Parents and friends commended the organizing committee for an unusually delightful evening which placed the creative work of young Surinamese at the center of national interest. All the winning art entries were placed along the walls of the auditorium and in front of the audience.
 See pictures posted on Facebook  by Indian Embassy