Tagore’s legacy honored in Sweden, PM Modi gives unique gift along with special bag from Santiniketan

New Delhi. A special cultural moment was witnessed on Sunday between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who were on a visit to Sweden, when both the leaders exchanged special gifts dedicated to the legacy of Nobel laureate Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. This unique gift exchange gave new warmth to the decades-old cultural and intellectual relations between India and Sweden.

According to an official statement, Prime Minister Christerson presented a box containing two facsimiles of handwritten aphorisms by Tagore. It was accompanied by a brief description, a photograph of Gurudev Tagore taken during his visit to Uppsala University in 1921, and an explanatory note.

The statement said that the original documents of these aphorisms were recently found in the National Archives of Sweden and they were written by Tagore during his visits to Sweden in 1921 and 1926.

PM presented a special bag

In response, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented a set of collected works of Rabindranath Tagore to the Swedish PM. Besides, a special handmade bag prepared in Shantiniketan was also given as a gift. The designs on this bag are those which Tagore had encouraged with the aim of making the artisans self-reliant and connecting art with everyday life.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, this gift is not only a symbol of cultural exchange but also the shared intellectual heritage of the two countries. Tagore was the first non-European Nobel laureate. Although he could not go to Sweden to receive the Nobel Prize in 1913, he was welcomed by Emperor Gustav V during his visit to Sweden in 1921.

This gift exchange also holds special significance on the occasion of the centenary of Gurudev Tagore’s historic visit to Sweden in 1926. This visit of PM Modi is being considered important in the direction of further strengthening trade, technology, green energy and cultural cooperation between India and Sweden.