Oor Rabbie Vs India’s Rabi
As we raised a glass to Rabbie, people across the country were also celebrating the 150th anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore’s death. Like Burns in Scotland, Tagore was a leading figure of Indian culture.
He was a poet, philosopher, musician, writer and educationalist. Inspired by Burns, and the famous ‘Auld Lang Syne’, he composed ‘Purano shei diner kotha’ (Memories of the Good Old Days).
And, this isn’t the only connection between the two national bards. In celebration of Tagore’s anniversary and the cultural synergies between Scotland and India, we’ve taken a look at comparisons between ‘oor Rabbie’ and India’s own ‘Rabi’.
The Robert Burns Birthplace Museum is celebrating the connection between Burns and Tagore and the wider connections between Scotland and India with a dedicated exhibition – ‘Singing a Nation into Being’, running from 29 January – 10 March 2012. The exhibition will also be hosted at the Scottish Church College in Kolkata.
Find out more about the Burns and Tagore and the exhibition