Established in 1985, by co-founders Sakti Bhattacharyya and Kalyan Kundu, the Tagore Centre UK exists to promote and disseminate the prodigious creativity of Rabindranath Tagore, a myriad-minded literary Colossus, an outstanding thinker of the 20th Century and the first non-European recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature.
The Tagore Centre UK was first registered as a charity on 8 September 1988. Subsequently the Constitution was updated, and we became a Charitable Incorporated Organisation on 30 April 2024 (Registration number 1208069). We have a Membership which elects a Board of Trustees. A copy of the Constitution is available on request. Our Annual Reports and Accounts are available for public view on the Charity Commission’s website.
The centre was formally housed at Alexandra Park Library from 1985 to 2020, and was a cultural hub for all communities. It also had a branch in Glasgow at the Mitchell Library.
Owing to the refurbishment of Alexandra Park Library in 2022 the premise of The Tagore Centre UK for 35 years had to close permanently. However, in 2022, the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies has given the centre a valuable space to operate.
This is the new home of The Tagore Centre UK –a beginning of a new dawn.
Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)
Tagore was a poet, philosopher, novelist, singer, lyricist, painter, playwright, educationalist and environmentalist. He was the composer of the national anthems of both India and Bangladesh. His body of literature which upholds universal humanistic values is deeply sympathetic to the dignity of women and the socioeconomically deprived common person.
As most of his works are in Bengali, which poses a barrier for those who don’t speak the language, interested readers across the world have been so moved by the sublime tone of his writings that they have opted to learn Bengali in order to access his works as well as the unique musical genre created by him Rabindrasangeet –in the original.
What we do
Seminars and events
As most of his works are in Bengali, which poses a barrier for those who don’t speak the language, interested readers across the world have been so moved by the sublime tone of his writings that they have opted to learn Bengali in order to access his works as well as the unique musical genre created by him Rabindrasangeet –in the original.
The Tagore Centre regularly runs events and seminars based on Tagore’s work as well as holding lectures given by distinguished scholars in their specialist fields with topics based on Tagore and his work. The new Constitution also allows us to explore Indian culture and heritage apart from Rabindranath Tagore. These are held at venues and all members are welcome to attend. All talks, seminars and other cultural activities are held at advertised venues.
As a publishing house, we have produced books aimed at children, students, scholars and the general public many of these are translations of ‘Tagore’s actual stories as well as information about the man himself. All of our publications, which we commission and produce, are in English.
Executive Committee
Board of Trustees
Chairperson
Mrs Modhusree Dey-Ghatak
Vice Chairperson
Mrs Sipra Adhya
Treasurer & Membership Secretary
Mrs Mimi Ray
General Trustees
Dr Kalyan Kundu (founder member and academic advisor)
Mr Atul Patel (MBE)
Mr Biddyut Saha
Mrs Soumi Sen
Administrator
Sandra Menzies
Digital
John Kundu
Contact details contactus@tagorecentre.org.uk
New Charity number 1208069
The Tagore Centre UK 