Dr. Rafael Reif, President of MIT calls on PM

The Prime Minister of Sweden, H.E. Mr. Ulf Kristersson and Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi exchanged special commemorative gifts to celebrate the legacy of Nobel Laureate Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore.

The gift from Prime Minister Kristersson comprised a box containing two replicas of hand-written epigrams by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, accompanied by a small explanatory text and a photograph of Gurudev Tagore taken in 1921 during his visit to Uppsala University. The originals, recently discovered in the Swedish National Archives, were created by Gurudev Tagore during his visits to Sweden in 1921 and 1926.

Prime Minister Modi presented to Prime Minster Kristersson a set of collected works of Rabindranath Tagore, along with a specially handcrafted bag from Shantiniketan with motifs that Gurudev chose to empower local artisans. The bag symbolizes 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.

Although Gurudev Tagore could not travel to Sweden in 1913 to receive the Nobel Prize, he was received by King Gustav V when he visited Sweden in 1921. These gifts symbolize the shared cultural and intellectual heritage between India and Sweden, and pay tribute to the enduring legacy of Rabindranath Tagore. The exchange of gifts also coincides with the centenary of Gurudev’s historic visit to Sweden in 1926.