Odishatv Bureau
London: A bust of Rabindranath Tagore, the Indian Nobel laureate poet, writer and philosopher was on Friday unveiled by Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, in London`s Gordon Square.
   
The Tagore Centre UK, which holds the only collection of Tagore`s work in Europe, organised the campaign to install a bust in the centre of London this year to coincide with the 150th anniversary of Tagore`s birth.
   
Rabindranath Tagore, who lived from 1861 to 1941, was an ambassador of Indian culture to the rest of the world.
   
He is probably the most prominent figure in the cultural world of the Indian subcontinent and the first Asian person to be awarded the Nobel Prize. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature 1913 for his collection of poems "Gitanjali".
   
Tagore is also well remembered for composing the national anthems of both India and Bangladesh.
   
Dr Kalyan Kundu, Founder and Chairperson of the Tagore Centre UK, said: "HRH, The Prince of Wales, by unveiling the bust today, has recognised the importance of Rabindranath Tagore to the Indian diasporas in the UK and also to people throughout the world.
   
"Rabindranath Tagore is an icon of Indian culture and it is fitting that on his 150th birth anniversary such a magnificent bust has been installed in the heart of London. By being in London, people from all over the world that pass through this great city can visit the bust."
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