Tagore’s legacy bridges India-Sweden ties: PM Modi, Kristersson exchange unique gifts

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson on Sunday exhchanged special commemorative gifts to celebrate the legacy of Rabindranath Tagore.

According to a statement, Kristersson gifted a two replicas of hand-written epigrams by Tagore, accompanied by a small explanatory text and a photograph of Tagore taken in 1921 during his visit to Uppsala University.

"The originals, recently discovered in the Swedish National Archives, were created by Tagore during his visits to Sweden in 1921 and 1926," the statement read.

Meanwhile, PM Modi gifted 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 symbolises 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," the statement read.

Tagore, the first non-European Nobel Laureate, was unable to travel to Sweden in 1913 to receive the Nobel Prize. He was later received by King Gustav V during his visit to Sweden in 1921.

The exchange of gifts also coincides with the centenary of Tagore's historic visit to Sweden in 1926.

PM Modi arrived in Sweden on Sunday for a two-day visit. PM Modi was also awarded the 'Royal Order of the Polar Star, Degree Commander Grand Cross' in recognition of his exceptional contribution to India-Sweden relationship and his visionary leadership.

During the delegation-level talks, the two sides reviewed the entire gamut of bilateral relations and explored new avenues of cooperation to enhance bilateral trade, which reached USD 7.75 billion in 2025.

In their talks, the two sides focused on boosting bilateral ties in areas of green transition, artificial intelligence (AI), emerging technologies, startups, resilient supply chains, defence, space, climate action and people-to-people ties.