Indian-Americans got together at Anand Mandir in Somerset, New Jersey, for the unveiling of a life-size bronze statue of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore Sept. 19, 2021.
Among those present were India’s Consul General in New York Randhir Jaiswal, Congressman Tom Malinowski, D-NJ, who represents the 7th Congressional District, Assemblyman Joe Danielsen, Assemblyman Raj Mukherji, and Padma Shri Dr. Sudhir Parikh, chairman of Parikh Worldwide Media and ITV Gold, which took a video of the event.
Consul General Jaiswal hailed Tagore as an “internationalist who belonged to India, to Bangladesh and to the world, and was of the world.” Jaiswal also highlighted New Jersey as the most diverse state in the United States, and said he was proud to be part of the unveiling at the beautiful Anand Mandir.
The statue of Tagore was brought all the way from India, organizers said.
Rep. Malinowski, who is running for re-election this November 2, noted the event was a celebration of a great artist, but also the beautiful and diverse America where people come from around the world. And said he was happy Tagore’s statue would be there for generations to come.
Dr. Parikh praised Anand Mandir, and the event and assured organizers Parikh Worldwide Media was there to support their efforts. He noted Parikh Worldwide Media was opening its own office space in Edison, N.J., that includes an auditorium that can accommodate 300 people, and encouraged community members to use it for their functions.
Other speakers included Assemblyman Danielsen, Ashok Rakhit, past president of Anand Mandir, and Rajiv Prasad.
Assemblyman Mukherji, a Bengali, remembered Tagore and said this was an appropriate time to recall his contributions and the fact that he lost his son to the cholera epidemic.
Councilman Ram Anbarasan, called it a “great occasion” to celebrate Tagore for his contributions to India, including its national anthem and noted that Netflix was running a biography of Tagore.
Nina Singh said this temple and the statue were a way to educate the next generation about India’s culture and tradition and history.
One of the main organizers, Rajiv Prasad, told ITV Gold he was born and brought up in Bengal in the ethos that was Tagore’s spirit. For India, Tagore was the equivalent of Shakespeare and Benjamin Franklin, Prasad said.
Tagore’s musical compositions, including songs and tunes were performed at the event.
