2011 is the UNESCO-designated year of Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel Prize-winning author and artist. Tagore was a prolific poet, writer, educationalist, reformist,
painter and philosopher, whose vision and principles inspired the foundation of The Dartington Hall Trust and its work in the arts, social justice and sustainability.
To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Tagore's birth Resurgence and The Dartington Hall Trust have programmed 12 months of activity from January to December 2011. At the heart of this year of celebrations is Gitanjali, a week-long people's festival of arts, crafts and culture, exploring how Tagore’s vision resonates with our lives and times today.
During the week, a series of talks, debates, lectures, performances, demonstrations, discussions and film screenings will take place as leading politicians, policy makers, artists, activists, poets, musicians, dancers and academics present their work and ideas.
Confirmed speakers and performers include:
POETS
Andrew Motion
Robert Bly
Hossein Ghomshei
William Radice
Alice Oswald
Peter Oswald
John Moat
Penelope Shuttle
Ketaki Dyson
Matt Harvey
Coleman Barks
Martin Powell
Muhammad Anisur Rahman
John Moat
MUSICIANS
Mimlu and Paban Bauls
Chloe Goodchild
Dharambir Singh
Kartik Seshadri
Debashish Raychaudhury
Ananda Gupta
Sangeeta Datta
Sujit Bhatacharjee
Hans Vermeersch
Anna Tanvir
Jo Walton
Sharmila Roy
ARTISTS
Chris Drury
Susan Derges
Timothy Hyman
Richard Long
Shanti Panchal
Peter Randall Page
Sandy Brown
Saibal Mitra
Barbara Diethelm
Werner Schmidt
AUTHORS
Shashi Tharoor
Deepak Chopra
Amit Chaudhuri
Michael Morpurgo
Pankaj Mishra
Mark Tully
Geoff Mulgan
Richard Sennett
Leonard Lewisohn
William Dalrymple
PHILOSOPHERS AND ACTIVISTS
Vandana Shiva
Jonathon Porritt
Tim Smit
Patrick Holden
Clare Short
Lord Bhikhu Parekh
Caroline Lucas MP
Ben Bradshaw MP
Lord Meghnad Desai
Anthony Seldon
Inspired by Rabindranath Tagore’s philosophies, our speakers will address the big issues of our time: environmental sustainability and our relationship with the natural world, the global financial crisis, and our relationships with each other.
Festival visitors will be able to participate in one-off sessions with their favourite speakers, watch evening performances by world-class artists, attend a full day of activities on a particular theme with a day pass or dip in and out of the entire week’s programme with a full week pass. Residential packages are also available for a fully immersive festival experience.
Gitanjali is part of Tagore 150, a year of celebrations in 2011 that includes performances and artist residencies, festivals, exhibitions, lectures, residential courses and more.
For more information on the programme and to book tickets or accommodation: www.dartington.org/tagore150 This event will help raise money for The Resurgence Trust, an educational charity (No.1120414) registered in England and Wales.
