Birth Anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore celebrated in Sri Lanka

Nobel laureate Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore has a special place in the heart of Sri Lankans, and his legacy continues to have a lasting influence on local art and culture. In this context, special events were organised in Colombo to commemorate the 157th birth anniversary of Gurudev.

The Centre for Contemporary Indian Studies of University of Colombo organised an event at the main library of the University. Indian High Commissioner Taranjit Singh Sandhu graced the occasion as the Chief Guest and garlanded the bust of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. 

University of Colombo Vice Chancellor Senior Prof. Lakshman Dissanayake, Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies, Prof. Nayani Melegoda, academicians, students of the University of Colombo and Sri Lankan admirers of Gurudev Tagore attended the event. The bronze bust of Tagore was sculpted by Janak Jhankar Narzary of Kala Bhavana, Visva-Bharati University, and was gifted by the Government of India to the University in 2012.

Separately, the Indian Cultural Centre, Colombo, had organised a special Bharatnatyam performance by Himanshu Srivastava, an eminent dancer from Benares. The performance was based on Tagore’s compositions, and was deeply appreciated. Numerous other events in Sri Lanka were also held on the occasion.