Russian House in Dhaka marks 96th anniversary of Tagore’s Soviet visit

The Russian House in Dhaka, in collaboration with Songskriti, has organised a cultural programme marking the 96th anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore’s historic visit to the Soviet Union in 1930.

Titled “The World-Filling Light: Tagore’s Journey to Russia — Letters, Songs and Reflections,” the programme explored the Nobel laureate’s impressions of Soviet society, focusing on education, social progress, human dignity and the lives of ordinary people.

Director of the Russian House in Dhaka Alexandra A. Khlevnoy highlighted Tagore’s interest in and appreciation of Soviet education, describing the subject as relevant to educational cooperation between Russia and Bangladesh.

She said the quota of Russian government scholarships for Bangladeshi students continued to increase annually, creating further opportunities for young people to pursue higher education in Russia.

Poetry recitations in Bengali and Russian were among the highlights of the event. Veronika Klimchenko, a student of Saint Petersburg State University who studied Bangla as a foreign language and is currently undertaking an internship at Daffodil International University, attended the programme and recited a poem by Tagore. Students of the Russian Language Course at the Russian House also participated in the presentation.

The musical segment featured students of Moscow-based MGIMO University performing Tagore’s song Ami Chini Go Chini Tomare, while Yuliana Zhavoronkova sang Gram-Chhara Oi Ranga Matir Path. Artists from Songskriti also performed selected songs by the poet, celebrating his humanistic vision and the enduring cultural links between Bengal and Russia.

The programme included an introduction to The Soviet Union in Its Early Days: In the Eyes of the Poet Rabindranath Tagore, authored by Dr Indrajit Ray, with a review by Moshtaque Ahmed.

Guests also revisited Tagore’s experiences through readings from Letters from Russia and a screening of the 1961 documentary Tagore in Russia.

The event provided an opportunity to reflect on the poet’s observations of Russia and the continuing cultural and educational connections between the two countries.

The Russian House in Dhaka expressed appreciation to Songskriti and its chairman, Dr Moqbul Hossain, along with the participating artists, students, researchers and guests for their contributions to the programme.

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