Tagore's Legacy in the World: The First Tagore House Conference
জ্বলে উঠল আলো পুবে পশ্চিমে
Light Sparked in the East and the West
August 1–3, 2025 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
<জ্বলে উঠল আলো পুবে পশ্চিমে>
Light Sparked in the East and the West
The South Asian Studies Initiative at the University of Illinois is proud to co-host the inaugural Tagore House Conference, organized in collaboration with the Tagore House Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the memory of Rabindranath Tagore’s 1912–13 visit to Urbana-Champaign.
Themed “Tagore’s Legacy in the World,” and inspired by Tagore’s own words—<জ্বলে উঠল আলো পুবে পশ্চিমে>—the conference brings together scholars, artists, and community members for a weekend of seminars, performances, poetry, music, and dialogue. Events will take place at the Illini Union and other local venues, including a commemorative visit to Tagore’s former residence at 50 W. High Street.
Featured speakers and performers include:
– Syed Manzoorul Islam (University of Dhaka)
– Nigel Hughes
– Azizur Rahman Khan
– Pushpita Awasthi
– Brian Hatcher (Tufts University)
– Local and visiting poets, musicians, and dancers from the U.S. South Asian diaspora.
Additional highlights include:
– A keynote seminar on Tagore’s imagination and global vision
– A musical procession, community meals, and cultural evenings
– A presentation on computational approaches to Tagore’s songs, developed in collaboration with NCSA
– An open forum on the future of Tagore House and Bengali language instruction
Organized around Tagore’s Urbana legacy, it celebrates academic inquiry and diasporic cultural expression.
👉 Click here to register
🔗 Program and updates: Conference Page @ South Asia Illinois and tagorehouse.org
জ্বলে উঠল আলো পুবে পশ্চিমে
Seminars and Cultural Programs
Venue: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA
Dates: August 2 & 3, 2025
Registration: tagorehouse.org
Friday, August 1
Time: 7:00 – 11:00 pm
Venue: Illini Union, 1401 West Green St, Urbana, IL 61801
Event: Welcome Reception, Registration & Dinner
Saturday, August 2
8:30 – 9:30 am: Breakfast and visit to Tagore House
9:30 – 10:30 am: Cultural performances
Participants: Mohitosh Tapas, Mamata Montaz, Swapnil Sajib, Shahjahan Kamal, Sheli, Anjali, Shaibal, Shibu Kor, Ragini, Shaheen, local artists
Dance: Arno Kamalika
10:30 – 11:00 am: Musical procession to the University
11:15 – 11:20 am: Opening Song – Ikhtiar Omar
11:25 – 11:40 am: Remarks by organizers – The Story and Dream of Tagore House
11:50 – 12:50 pm: Seminar – Relevance of Tagore in the Modern World
Speakers: Azizur Rahman Khan, Nigel Hughes.
1:00 – 2:00 pm: Lunch
2:10 – 2:25 pm: Poetry – Shaibal; Songs – Shally/Nibedita
2:30 – 3:30 pm: Seminar – Brian Hatcher: Placing Rabindranath Tagore: Lineages and Landscapes of a Poet’s Imagination”
3:35 – 4:00 pm: Poetry – Pushpita; Songs – Nigel/Anjali
4:00 – 4:30 pm: Refreshments
4:30 – 5:00 pm: Film screening –
5:15 – 5:30 pm: Tagore Songs Computational Analysis – Rini Bhattacharya Mehta
5:30 – 6:00 pm: Cultural Segment
6:15 – 7:30 pm: Dinner
7:45 – 10:00 pm: Cultural Night – Mohitosh, Imtiaz, Swapnil, Arno Kamalika
Sunday, August 3
10:00 – 10:15 am: Opening Music and Recitation – Mamata, Mahfuz
10:20 – 11:20 am: Seminar – Tagore’s Influence on Bengali Language and Literature
Speakers: Syed Manzoorul Islam, Sudip Basu
11:25 – 11:35 am: Cultural performances – Tamanna, Himadri Roy, Najma Kazi
11:35 – 11:55 am: Tea Circle
12:00 – 1:00 pm: Seminar – Tagore Legacy: Memory, Forgetting, and Conflict
Speakers: Kulda Roy, Arup Sengupta
1:10 – 2:10 pm: Lunch
2:15 – 3:15 pm: Future of the Tagore Initiative
3:20 – 5:00 pm: Open Forum and Closing – Tajul Imam
5:30 – 6:00 pm: Visit to Channing Murray Foundation
6:30 – 8:00 pm: Dinner
8:00 – 9:30 pm: Cultural Evening – Mamata, Shahjahan, Ikhtiar (Baithaki Poetry & Songs)