Dwarkanath Tagore to be honoured for role in Renaissance with statue in UK

London: Dwarkanath Tagore, best known for his significant role in the Bengal Renaissance of the 19th century, is to be memorialised with a new bust in the UK.

Dwarkanath, the grandfather of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore was among the first Indian industrialists, also known as merchant princes, investing in a range of businesses from steam engines to banking in the 1820s.

He died during a visit to the UK in August, 1846 and was buried at Kensal Green Cemetery in north-west London, where his bust will be inaugurated in August this year.

“Very few Indians are aware of Prince Dwarkanath Tagore’s tomb in London. From coal to banking to trading, he successfully set the foundation of an industrial Bengal and internationalisation of India,” said Sourav Nyogi, president of the Bengal Heritage Foundation, which is spearheading the project along with the Friends of Kensal Green group.

“Our effort is a humble tribute to this great son of Bengal and to keep his heritage alive for the future generations,” he said. Tagore died aged 52 at St George’s Hotel in London during a major thunderstorm in the city. Britain’s then Queen Victoria, and husband Prince Albert, who had welcomed him to their court like “an old friend” earlier, sent four carriages to the funeral for a so-called “princely” send-off.

“We plan to invite West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to be the chief guest at this bust inauguration,” said Anirban Mukhopadhyay, president of London Sharad Utsav, a group supporting initiative.