Let there be Tagore renaissance: Swedish scholar

Describing Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore as "ever inspiring", a Swedish scholar Friday called for extensive translation of the bard's literary works across the world.

"The world has so much more to learn from the ever-inspiring Tagore. It is sad not much of his works have been translated for the world to know him. Time has now come for a Tagore renaissance," Swedish Tagore scholar Olavi Hemmila said here at an event.

Speaking at "Tagore Now", a Swedish embassy organised event to celebrate the centenary of Tagore winning the Nobel prize, he rued the lack of interest among the younger generation regarding his works.

Associated with the Swedish South Asian Studies Network of Lund University, Hemmila has done extensive research on Tagore and wrote a book on the bard's visits to Sweden in 1921 and 1926.

The original text of Tagore's Nobel nomination was also put up for public display for the first time in the country.

Inaugurating the nomination papers which has been translated into English, Swedish Ambassador to India Harald Sandberg described the celebrations as an "exceptional milestone" in the history of mutual relations of the two countries.

As part of the seventh edition of The Sweden-India Nobel Memorial Week, a "Nobel Memorial Wall" was also inaugurated Friday at the Esplanade Metro Station.

The Nobel Memorial Wall has portraits of the seven Nobel Laureates from India and provides details about their contribution in three languages - English, Hindi and Bengali.

Besides Esplanade, a wall celebrating Tagore's Nobel winning feat has also been put up for a week at Gitanjali and Shyam Bazaar Metro stations.