A plaque was unveiled by the City Mayor today at 7 Ship Street to commemorate Rabindranath's connection with the city. Brighton & Hove was the first place he lived in outside of India. Rabindranath was born into a wealthy Bengali Brahmin family and built on and transcended these roots, embracing universalism and humanism. He became a poet, philospher, novelist, visual artist, composer and activist. In 1913 he became the first non-westerner to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature and in 1915 he was knighted by King George V for his services to literature.
Addresses were given by:-
Roger Amerena, Chairman of the Brighton & Hove Commemorative Plaque Panel.
Her Excellency the High Commissioner for Bangladesh.
Dr Kalyan Kundu, Tagore Centre UK.
Professor Shahaduz Zaman University of Sussex.
Dr Jeanne Openshaw, University of Edinburgh.
The Salvation Army Band provided welcoming music and the National Anthems.
