1. Commemoration of the 150th birth Anniversary of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore in Sri Lanka was marked by release of a special postal stamp in the denomination of Rupees 5 and a First Day Cover by Government of Sri Lanka and of a Commemorative Volume “Remembering Rabindranath Tagore” published by University of Colombo on Saturday, 7th May 2011.

2. Releasing the stamp at a function held at the British School Auditorium in Colombo, which was presided over by H.E. Ashok K. Kantha, High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Mr. Hemasiri Fernando, Secretary, Ministry of Postal Services of the Government of Sri Lanka said that release of the special stamp was the most appropriate manner in which Sri Lanka could have paid homage to this great personality who played an instrumental role in the cultural renaissance within Sri Lanka.

3. The first copy of the volume “Remembering Rabindranath Tagore” published by the University of Colombo with the support of India-Sri Lanka Foundation was presented by Mr. Wimal Rubasinghe, Secretary, Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Arts of the Government of Sri Lanka. to the Vice-Chancellor, University of Colombo.

4. In his message to the Commemoration Volume published to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, H.E. the President of the Socialist Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka wrote that “Tagore inspired many Sri Lankans to develop and appreciate our own traditions of music and song and that Tagore also had a great influence on Ananda Samarakoon, who wrote and composed our own National Anthem”. H.E. the President of Sri Lanka commended the initiatives of University of Colombo in collaboration with the High Commission of India and the Indian Cultural Centre for organizing series of activities to remember and honour this great Asian who reshaped and influenced thinking in our region and the world and wrote that “The programme to mark this 150th anniversary of Gurudev Tagore will help our students in schools and universities, and the general public to know more of his work in the fields of music, literature and the humanities. They will help recall the inspiration he gave to a generation seeking to free of the yoke of colonialism, and build new traditions in education and thinking that are free from fear, best expressed in these lines from Gitanjali:

“Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action

Into that heaven of freedon, my father, let my country awake.”

5. In his address at the event, High Commissioner thanked the Government of Sri Lanka for releasing a special postal stamp on this occasion. He said this was a befitting homage to a towering personality who straddled the world of literature, art, music and intellectual discourse and contributed in a very meaningful manner to the cultural renaissance of India, Sri Lanka and other countries of Asia. High Commissioner recalled Tagore’s strong association with Sri Lanka, which he had visited thrice in 1922, 1928 and 1934. He also noted Tagore\\\\\\'s association with the Sri Palee campus at Horana, whose foundation stone he had laid at the invitation of Wilmut Perera. High Commissioner announced that “Shap Mochan”, the play staged by Tagore during his 1934 visit, would be re-staged in Sri Lanka in November this year by famous Manipuri dancer Bimbavati Devi and her 21- member troupe sponsored by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations.

6. High Commissioner also highlighted the association of prominen Sri Lankan artists such as Ananda Samarakoon, Chitrasena and Sunil Shantha with Visva-Bharati University which was also founded by Tagore. He added that to re-kindle the old linkages and associations, exchange of visits between Sri Palee and Santiniketan will be facilitated by the High Commission during the year. An exhibition of Tagore’s paintings will also be organized in Sri Lanka later this year along with a photo exhibition on the life and travels of Tagore.

7. High Commissioner especially thanked His Excellency the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka for sending his message for the Commemorative Volume “Remembering Rabindranath Tagore”.

8. On 6 May, 2011, Sri Palee campus had organized an event at the Faculty of Graduate Studies auditorium, University of Colombo to pay homage to Tagore which included screening of documentaries on Tagore made by the students of Sri Palee and talks on Tagore by Prof. Walter Marasinghe and Dr. Premadasa Mudunkotuwa. H.E. Ashok K. Kantha, High Commissioner of India was the Chief Guest at the event.

9. Other events planned by the High Commission of India in association with the University of Colombo, Tagore Society of Sri Lanka, Universities of Kelaniya and Sri Jayewadenepura and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs of Sri Lanka during the year to commemorate 150th Birth Anniversary of Tagore in Sri Lanka include a festival of films based on the novels and stories of Tagore such as ‘Agantuk’, ‘Pather Panchali’, ‘Charulatha’, ‘Ghare Baire’ and ‘Teen Kanya’ and  an essay competition in Sinhala, English and Tamil on Tagore for undergraduate students in the universities in Sri Lanka. The High Commission of India and Ministry of Cultural Affairs and Arts also agreed to organize later this year research by scholars on the three visits of Tagore to Sri Lanka in 1922, 1928 and 1934 and the impact of Tagore’s visit in the cultural renaissance within Sri Lanka.

10. The special event organized to commemorate the 150th birth anniversary of Gurudev Tagore in Sri Lanka concluded with musical tribute to Gurudev Tagore in form of beautiful rendition of Rabindra Sangeet by Amar-Daya Foundation.