Unesco to observe Tagore's 150th birth anniversary

The 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore will be celebrated internationally by the Unesco next year as a mark of respect to the Nobel Laureate whose literary work blends universal humanistic values and sympathy for the poor.

The Executive Board of Unesco has approved a proposal of the government in this regard.

The agency will also celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda and 100th birth anniversary of Afro-Martinican litterateur Aime Cesaire.

The Unesco will establish prizes and medals in the name of these literary giants. It will also organise a series of seminars and conferences across the world to spread awareness about their literary works.

"It is a great honour as the Unesco Executive Board has accepted our proposal. The proposal was accepted in view of the characteristic poetry of Tagore that carries the essence of universal humanistic values," a top official of the HRD Ministry said.

The Unesco has prepared a summary on celebration of the birth anniversary of these litterateurs. It says that the life and works of Tagore, Neruda and Cesaire would build up a "conception of the universal reconciled with the particular now that peace is being jeopardised nationally, regionally and internationally by identity-related and spiritual tension".

The summary said that specific proposals for such celebrations were moved by India, Argentina, Benin, Chile, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, South Africa, Togo, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia.

These countries have appealed to other countries to publish the work of these authors in their national languages for wider public knowledge.

The Executive Board of Unesco wishes all of the agency's inter-sectoral and interdisciplinary programmes and Convention of Protection and Promotion of Diversity of Cultural Expressions to be supported by specific projects, enriched by the life and work of these authors, the summary said.

Apart from being a poet, Tagore (1861-1941) had significant contribution to Indian philosophy, art, drama and novel. He had won the 1913 Nobel Prize for Literature. Tagore wrote the lyrics of the respective national anthems of both India and Bangladesh.

Chilean poet Neruda had a variety of style of poetry to his credit. He had written poems on love, despair and had composed a number of surrealistic poems. He had won Nobel prize for literature in 1971.

Cesaire, an Afro-Martinican writer, also had a huge contribution to poetry and drama.