PM Modi, Ulf Kristersson exchange gifts to celebrate legacy of Tagore

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson exchanged special commemorative gifts to celebrate the legacy of Nobel Laureate Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore on May 17.

• Kristersson gifted a box containing two replicas of hand-written epigrams by Tagore, accompanied by a small explanatory text and a photograph of Tagore taken in 1921 during his visit to Uppsala University. 

• The originals, recently discovered in the Swedish National Archives, were created by Tagore during his visits to Sweden in 1921 and 1926.

• PM Modi presented a set of collected works of Tagore, along with a specially handcrafted bag from Shantiniketan with motifs that Tagore chose to empower local artisans.

• The bag symbolises Tagore’s philosophy that art is not meant to be confined to galleries, but to breathe life into everyday objects, bridging the gap between the intellectual and the functional.

• Tagore, the first non-European Nobel Laureate, was unable to travel to Sweden in 1913 to receive the Nobel Prize. He was later received by King Gustav V during his visit to Sweden in 1921.

• The exchange of gifts also coincides with the centenary of Tagore’s historic visit to Sweden in 1926.