**Press Release Summary: Exchange of Commemorative Gifts between the Prime Ministers of India and Sweden**
**Date of Release:** May 17, 2026, 11:18 PM
**Origin:** Prime Minister’s Office, PIB Delhi
**Participants:** Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, and the Prime Minister of Sweden, H.E. Mr. Ulf Kristersson.
**Overview**
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson exchanged special commemorative gifts to honor the shared cultural legacy of Nobel Laureate Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. The exchange marks the centenary of Tagore’s historic visit to Sweden in 1926 and highlights the enduring intellectual heritage between the two nations.
**Details of Gifts Exchanged**
* **From Sweden (H.E. Mr. Ulf Kristersson):**
* A box containing two replicas of hand-written epigrams by Rabindranath Tagore. The original documents were recently discovered in the Swedish National Archives and date back to Tagore’s visits in 1921 and 1926.
* An explanatory text accompanying the epigrams.
* A photograph of Tagore taken in 1921 during his visit to Uppsala University.
* **From India (Shri Narendra Modi):**
* A set of the collected works of Rabindranath Tagore.
* A handcrafted bag from Shantiniketan featuring specific motifs chosen by Tagore. The gift symbolizes Tagore’s philosophy of integrating art into everyday functional objects and empowering local artisans.
**Historical Context**
The exchange serves as a tribute to Tagore’s long-standing connection with Sweden. Although Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1913, he first visited the country in 1921, where he was received by King Gustav V. The current exchange specifically commemorates his subsequent 1926 visit.
**Document Identification and Metrics**
* **Release ID:** 2262093
* **Visitor Counter:** 473
* **Available Languages:** Urdu, Hindi, Manipuri, Bengali, Assamese, Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Malayalam.
* **Internal Reference:** MJPS/SS/VJ
Key Entities Referenced
Sweden: The country central to the diplomatic event and historical context, including Tagore's 1921 and 1926 visits and the Swedish National Archives.
Shantiniketan: The location of origin for the handcrafted motifs gifted to Sweden, representing Tagore’s philosophy of empowering local artisans.
Rabindranath Tagore: Nobel Laureate whose cultural legacy and historical visits to Sweden served as the central theme for the bilateral gift exchange.
Shri Narendra Modi: Prime Minister of India who presented gifts symbolizing Tagore’s philosophy of art and intellectual heritage.
Ulf Kristersson: Prime Minister of Sweden who gifted replicas of Tagore's epigrams discovered in the Swedish National Archives.
Prime Minister's Office
Prime Minister and Prime Minster of Sweden
exchange special gifts celebrating the shared
cultural legacy of Rabindranath Tagore
Posted On: 17 MAY 2026 11:18PM by PIB Delhi
The Prime Minister of Sweden, H.E. Mr. Ulf Kristersson and Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi
exchanged special commemorative gifts to celebrate the legacy of Nobel Laureate Gurudev Rabindranath
Tagore.
The gift from Prime Minister Kristersson comprised a box containing two replicas of hand-written
epigrams by Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, accompanied by a small explanatory text and a photograph of
Gurudev Tagore taken in 1921 during his visit to Uppsala University. The originals, recently discovered in
the Swedish National Archives, were created by Gurudev Tagore during his visits to Sweden in 1921 and
1926.
Prime Minister Modi presented to Prime Minster Kristersson a set of collected works of Rabindranath
Tagore, along with a specially handcrafted bag from Shantiniketan with motifs that Gurudev chose to
empower local artisans. The bag symbolizes Tagore’s philosophy that art is not meant to be confined to
galleries, but to breathe life into everyday objects, bridging the gap between the intellectual and the
functional.
Although Gurudev Tagore could not travel to Sweden in 1913 to receive the Nobel Prize, he was received
by King Gustav V when he visited Sweden in 1921. These gifts symbolize the shared cultural and
intellectual heritage between India and Sweden, and pay tribute to the enduring legacy of Rabindranath
Tagore. The exchange of gifts also coincides with the centenary of Gurudev’s historic visit to Sweden in
1926.
***
MJPS/SS/VJ
(Release ID: 2262093) Visitor Counter : 473
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