In 1912, Tagore visited Urbana, at the request of Rev. Vail, and gave his first public address in the U.S. at the Unitarian Church of Urbana, now known as the Channing-Murray Foundation. It was shortly after his first speech in Urbana, that Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature for Gitanjali. He revisited Urbana in 1916 with his friends W.W. Pearson and Mukul Chandra Dey.

In 1989, the Channing-Murray Foundation was declared a National Historical Building and was renamed Tagore Center. From that year onwards, the Channing-Murray Foundation Tagore Center, which is a non-profit organization, hosts an Annual Tagore Festival. The aim of the festival is to honor the achievements of Tagore and and to bring Tagore's intellectual vision into present day intellectual conversations at the University. The events at the festival include scholarly presentations on Tagore, a keynote speech, slide shows on the life and works of the poet, and panel discussions on various facets of his vision.

For more information about the event, click here.

This LibGuide has been designed and created by Sonal Mithal Modi, Graduate hourly, International and Area Studies Library.