SPEECH BY HER EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT OF INDIA, SHRIMATI PRATIBHA DEVISINGH PATIL AT THE UNVEILING OF GURUDEV RABINDRANATH TAGORE'S BUST

University of Lausanne, 4th October 2011

I am very happy to be in the historic University of Lausanne. Established as a School of Theology in 1537, it has come a long way over the centuries to emerge as one of the leading universities in Europe. It has constantly expanded and diversified its faculties, and has established active international exchange programs with universities across the world.

Today, on its campus, I will have the honour to unveil the statue of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, a personality of outstanding caliber and one deeply committed to the cause of education. He established, in the last century, Santiniketan, which is a renowned University in India. He sought to make Santiniketan, "the connecting thread between India and the world". He saw education and learning as vehicles for appreciating the rich aspects of other cultures, while respecting one's own culture. An MOU being signed today between the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and the University of Lausanne establishes the Rabindranath Tagore Chair on Indian Studies here, a pioneer venture which will begin with the teaching of Hindi. This will add a bit of India to the rich palette that this University offers.

Rabindranath Tagore became an international figure when "Gitanjali", his anthology of poems was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. It was the first time that this prize was given to an Asian. He was not only a poet, writer, scholar, painter, educationist and philosopher but also, perhaps, the most able goodwill ambassador of modern India, and did a lot to acquaint the world about its marvelous as well as its vast and rich cultural ethos. He was a great patriot and an inspiration for our freedom movement. He was the author of India's National Anthem. He visited your beautiful country at the invitation of French author and philosopher Romain Rolland, whom he counted among his close friends. Rolland was very anxious that, and I quote, "People see in Tagore only the sage, the educationist, the prophet, and they will not see the poet." Unquote. Such was the multi-faceted personality of Rabindranath Tagore.

Rabindranath Tagore was, indeed, all of these and more - and is remembered for his writings and poems as well as his wisdom and vision. He wrote extensively on many subjects, forever arguing in favour of unity, harmony and peace. He grasped the wisdom of the past, and also understood the importance of new thinking for addressing the various challenges in an ever-evolving world. We, indeed, live in a dynamic world where change is constant. The agility with which we respond to new circumstances is a measure of our preparedness for taking advantage of emerging situations. Knowledge societies will be demanding both in the search for philosophies to live meaningful lives and in the use of technologies for human development. Societies of the 21st Century will be an outcome of how this generation, and succeeding generations, will act in the overall interest of the progress of the human race.

Rabindranath Tagore wrote, "The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence." Students of institutions such as Lausanne University, with their education and intellectual capacity, can contribute much to the world by living in harmony with each other and with nature. It is only when you involve yourself with something bigger than your own personal advancements, that will you help in writing history and in shaping society. As citizens of the world you would, I am sure, work hard to realize your dreams. Dreams may not always be realized fully, but we must attempt to go out as far as we can in our efforts, for therein lies satisfaction and therein lies the strength of an individual. Before us, many amazing personalities like Rabindranath Tagore constantly strove to live noble lives.

The bronze bust of the great Nobel Laureate unveiled today in the University of Lausanne, is a tribute not only to him but is also a symbol of the close ties between India and Switzerland. This year marks the 150th Birth Centenary of this great personality and the Chair established today commemorates this. We have got from India, a collection of books written by and on Rabindranath Tagore, as well as some audio visual material which will be handed over to the University. I am sure these will be useful in studies about India.

I wish you the very best for your future.

Thank you.