Ambassador Kesavapany,
Ambassador Gopinath Pillai,
Prof Saranindranath Tagore,

Ladies & Gentlemen,

It is indeed an honour for me to present Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore’s bust to the India Heritage Centre on the occasion of 150th Birth Anniversary of the great poet, thinker, philosopher and educationist.

 While embarking on his voyage to Southeast Asian Countries in 1927, Gurudev Tagore had said, and I quote, “We have embarked on a pilgrimage to India beyond its modern political boundaries, to see the signs of the history of India’s entry into the universal”. Unquote.

The objective of Tagore’s voyage was to explore India’s millennia old cultural & historical links with Southeast Asia with humanistic ideas, religious values, music, philosophy and culture. The chief motive of his journey was a desire to renew Indian cultural links with Southeast Asian countries.

The Institute of Southeast Asian Studies is indeed is the most appropriate place to hold today’s event. The final destination of the bust would be the Indian Heritage Centre and I am grateful to all those associated   with it for this wonderful initiative.

Realizing the historical and cultural linkage of India with the region, Tagore had said, and I quote “India’s true history, reflected in the many stories of the Ramayana and Mahabharata, will be seen more clearly, when we are able to compare with the texts that are to found here” (that is, Southeast Asia) Unquote.

Through his tour, Tagore wanted to prepare the ground for cultural cooperation with the region through the appreciation of the ideals of Visva Bharati. And those so called ideals of Visva Bharati were “yatra vishvam bhavati ek nidam” (where the world makes its home in a single nest). If we summarize this idea, we may come to the very prominent term of present era ‘Globalization’ which gives us a glimpse of the farsightedness of this great personality who understood the need of the world way back in 1920s.

I take this opportunity to commend the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre, and Tagore Society for being actively involved in organizing events to commemorate the 150th Birth Anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore in Singapore.

I would also like to congratulate Indian Council for Cultural Relations, New Delhi for its efforts to prepare this wonderful piece of art and assist Government of India to carry forward and promote the rich cultural heritage of India. ICCR is working on the intrinsic philosophy of Gurudev Tagore to bring the world to one common platform by opening new cultural centres and to receive the vibrant cultures from other shores with open arms. 
           
At the beginning of his voyage to this region, Gurudev Tagore had written, and I quote, “We have embarked on this pilgrimage to see the signs of the history of India’s entry into the universal.”  Unquote. I am confident that Gurudev’s bust here will serve as a symbol of his universalist expression.

Thank you.