Celebrating Tagore: A Collection of Essays

This volume is, as its title suggests, a tribute-A Celebration of Rabindranath Tagore. More than just a compilation of essays, it serves as an anjali, an offering of reverence to Tagore, akin to a puja. The origins of this collection can be traced to two significant events organized by my co-editor, Rama Datta. The first, the Asiatic Society-Fayetteville State University Collaborative Summer Seminar on Tagore, took place in Kolkata in 2000. Sponsored by the University Grants Commission and directed by Dr. Pratap Chandra Chunder, the seminar brought together twelve dedicated scholars of Tagore. Several of those participants have contributed essays to this volume.

The second event was the 2004 conference titled "Celebrating Tagore: Fayetteville State University," held in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where Professor Datta has served as a faculty member for many years. With tireless dedication, she organized the event-issuing calls for papers, extending invitations, and coordinating all logistical arrangements at her university. Many who presented at that conference have also contributed to this book.

In every sense, this volume is the result of Professor Datta's vision and energy. It is rooted in her summer seminar and her later conference. Ultimately, this collection stands as her offering-her devoted tribute-to the enduring legacy of Rabindranath Tagore.