Balatonfüred, a small town by the lake just outside the Hungarian capital of Budapest, was the place that Rabindranath Tagore chose to stay when he was recovering from a heart-related ailment in 1926.
Ninety years later, Vice President Hamid Ansari's visit to Hungary became an occasion to recall Tagore's connection with the place and the Central European country. Ansari visted the town to pay homage to Tagore.
During the visit that coincided with the 90th anniversary of Tagore's stay in Balatonfüred, Ansari said the legendary poet's stay in Hungary led to an enrichment of cultural relations between India and Hungary. "Tagore became a representative of India in Hungary and offered a window to understanding India," he said.
He noted that many of Tagore's works have been translated into Hungarian and a number of prominent Hungarian personalities had visited him at Santiniketan in West Bengal.
Tagore had planted a tree in the town in 1926, which still exists. The lane where it is situated, just by the lake, is called Tagore Street.
Ansari paid floral tributes to Tagore's statue and planted a sapling to mark the occasion.
Mayor of Balatonfüred István Bóka, who was present on the occasion, recalled Tagore's connection with the town and with Hungary.
