NEW DELHI: The centenary of Rabindranath Tagore’s Nobel Prize in Literature for Gitanjali (“Song Offerings”) was celebrated by the United Nations Academic Impact of the Department of Public Information at the New York Headquarters of the United Nations.

Under its ongoing discussion series, “Unlearning Intolerance”, the special event was held on 30 May in Conference Room, focusing on Tagore’s message to the world and its relevance today.  It included discussion, poetry readings and interpretative presentations of the poet’s songs.

A slim volume of 103 poems translated from the original Bangla by Tagore himself, Gitanjali was described by the Nobel Committee as “profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful”. One hundred years later, the poems, conveying the message of universal harmony, continue to inspire people everywhere.

Participants included A K Abdul Momen, acting President of the General Assembly and Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations; Maria Cristina Perceval, Permanent Representative of Argentina; Asoke Kumar Mukerji, Permanent Representative of India; Rizwana Chowdhury Bonnya, singer and Associate Professor of Music at Dhaka University in Bangladesh; Aftab Seth, former Ambassador of India to Japan; and Meena Alexander, poet and Distinguished Professor of English at the City University of New York.

Readings from Tagore were performed by Madhur Jaffrey, actor and author; Guillaume Dabouis, Permanent Mission of France; Hisao Nishimaki, Permanent Mission of Japan; Sunmin Park, filmmaker from the Republic of Korea; and Kanwarjit Singh, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Washington.

“Unlearning Intolerance” is an ongoing series of the United Nations Academic Impact that examines manifestations of intolerance and explores means to promote respect and understanding among peoples.