Iran and Rabindranath Tagore: Information from files of the national archives of Iran

During the process of Iran’s modernisation, there arose much interest in modern literature outside Iran. As Rabindranath Tagore had acquired a worldwide reputation, it was inevitable that intellectuals in Iran should also be drawn towards his writings. Tagore visited Iran twice at the invitation of Reza Shah’s government (1932 and 1934). Subsequently, when India became independent and Iran wished to cement ties with India, there were ambitious plans to celebrate Tagore birth centenary, 1961–2. A severe political crisis breaking out in Iran at that time, however, led to a practical cancellation of the celebrations. The entire story of Tagore’s two visits to Iran and the abortive birth centenary celebration are reconstructed from documents in Iran’s National Archives