Celebrating Golden Jubilee of Tagore Society of Houston

HOUSTON: Tagore Society of Houston (TSH) a cultural organization in Space City, Houston, celebrated its Golden Jubilee on the weekend of July 19-21. It was established in Houston, in 1974, with the sole purpose of disseminating the universal ideas and philosophy of Rabindranath Tagore and his humanistic ideals.

Opening ceremony at Tagore Grove with the planting of a tree as part of Earth Day.

TSH started the celebration with opening ceremony at Tagore Grove on Friday. Honorable DC Manjunath, Consul General of India in Houston, planted a tree as part of the Earth Day and Plant For Mother initiative by Government of India.

Headline for Saturday was the Tagore Peace Concert by Prasanna and his world-renowned musicians – Grammy Award winner Rodney Holmes and Steven Jenkins, who created magic of Jazz, Carnatic and Bengali music fusion. Talented Houstonians – second-generation Americans and established artists – did a fantastic job with Tagore dance drama – Chitrangada. The literary session was headlined by a Keynote speech titled “The Essence of Tagore” by distinguished thought leader Dr. Partha Sarathi Ghosh, which was followed by a roundtable – “Examining the Infinite Genius of Tagore” – where experts talked about the versatile genius of Tagore and how we can carry his legacy and spread his message forward.  An Arts exhibition presenting creative art of local Houston artists was a visual delight, showcasing immense talent of the Indian diaspora.

Musicians and dancers gathered on stage for a group photo.

On Sunday, at Houston Durgabari Society, premier partner organization, Tagore Youth Symphony demonstrated the immense talent of the local youths, who performed so admirably together. Stirring group renditions of Tagore songs were presented by the local Bangladesh organizations BAH and BASGH.  Saraswati Baul gave a soul inspiring rendition of Baul – Bengali folk music on Sunday. An energetic band of young musicians gave a modern rock version of Rabindrasangeet, which brought the crowd to their feet. An incredible display of creativity and musical ability. Noted local artist Gopal Seyn sketched a portrait was done as the music went on. The finale was a mesmerizing rendition of Rabindrasangeet by the renowned exponent – Kamalini Mukherjee.

Before the event, A commemorative book on Rabindranath Tagore was launched on the occasion by West Bengal Chief Minister, Shri Mamata Banerjee. Fruit of incredible literary effort, it is a collector’s item – perfect for the coffee table, spreading the richness of Tagore’s cultural genius and can be bought from TSH.

TSH has achieved some key milestones during its golden 50 years – hosting North American Bengali Conferences (NABC) – 1996, 2006 and 2015, celebration of Tagore 150th anniversary, installation of first full figure statue of Tagore in North America in 2013 and inauguration of unique open air Tagore Memorial in 2023 and others.

Half a world away from home, after 50 years, going forward, TSH will spread the message of universal love and borderless world, being the voice of peace and love.

The Tagore Society of Houston, through the dedication of its members, volunteers, directors, and past executives, has made the dream possible of keeping our culture and heritage intact halfway across the world. To close out the festivities, President Dhruba Ghose thanked all the members, volunteers, directors, and past executives of TSH, and partner organizations like Houston Durga Bari, BAH, BASGH, and others.