The Embassy of India, in collaboration with the Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre, Yangon, and the Myanmar Tagore Association, held the Inaugural Lecture of the Jayatu Bharatam Lecture Series at the India Centre at 654-666, corner of Merchant and Shwebonetha streets on 23 May.
It was attended by Indian Ambassador Mr Abhay Thakurı, Mr TK Paul, Mrs Aalo Dass and members from Tagore Society Myanmar, and Mr Marimuthu, chairman of the All Myanmar Hindu Central Council.
“I am delighted to be here and address the inaugural session of our Jayatu Bharatam Lecture Series to mark Rabindranath Tagore Jayanti or the 164th birth anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, which was celebrated earlier this month. More than a remembrance, today is an opportunity to connect on a deeper level and delve into the vast ocean of thoughts that Gurudev gifted to the world through his poetry, music and philosophy,” said Ambassador Abhay Thakur, speaking about Tagore on the occasion.
Being much more than a poet, Rabindranath Tagore is a visionary who believes in the power of culture to unite people, and he became Asia’s first Nobel laureate. Moreover, Gurudev visited Yangon three times – in 1916, 1924 and 1927 – and his unplanned visits were attempts to promote bilateral deeper cultural and spiritual dialogues.
His influence goes beyond literature, as many of his essays were translated into Myanmar, making his ideas resonate with Myanmar intellectuals. His Nobel Prize-winning poem, ‘Gitanjali,’ became the voice of the Indian spirit, echoes of which are still heard in Yangon today. Tagore’s philosophy of nature, compassion, peace, and harmony is very similar to Myanmar’s cultural observances.
The Jayatu Bharatam lecture series follows the successful Ramayan Vyakhyanmala held last year, in which five lectures were given twice in Yangon, and once each in Mandalay, Zeyawady and Kyauktaga.
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