Rabindranath Tagore Jayanti is a very special literary event which is being held for the first time in Derby to commemorate the 165th birthday anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore.  Surtal Community Choir will celebrate this iconic day through a presentation of Rabindra Sangeet, poetry and dance. Afternoon will conclude with sharing of light refreshment of Bengali cuisine.

The event is FREE to all to attend.  However, we have limited capacity in this venue, so please reserve your seat by booking online as quickly as you can.

About Tagore

Tagore (1861–1941) was a Bengali polymath - a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter. He reshaped Bengali literature and music and became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. Known by many as "Gurudev," he is uniquely distinguished as the author of the national anthems of two countries: India ("Jana Gana Mana") and Bangladesh ("Amar Sonar Bangla"). His work also deeply inspired the national anthem of Sri Lanka.

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Rabindranath Tagore was awarded a knighthood in 1915 by King George V for his services to literature, following his 1913 Nobel Prize win. However, he renounced this honour on May 30, 1919, in protest against the brutal Jallianwala Bagh massacre (Amritsar) in Punjab. His letter to Viceroy Lord Chelmsford called the act a “symbolic protest” against British colonial brutality.

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Rabindranath Tagore’s life was a pursuit of "universal humanism," where he sought to reconcile local traditions with global modernity. His work is not just a collection of art but a philosophical bridge between the East and the West.  In India he is known as 'Shakespear of India'.

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Tagore wrote over 2,230 songs, creating a distinct genre of music known as Rabindra Sangeet, which remains a cornerstone of Bengali culture. 

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