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The Journal of the Royal Institute of Thailand Volume III - 2011 17 Srisurang Poolthupya Rabindranath Tagoreûs Contributions to Thailand and the World Srisurang Poolthupya Fellow of the Royal Institute, Academy of Arts Abstract Rabindranath Tagoreûs winning the Nobel Prize in literature in 1913 boosted the morale and spirit of Asian races in the early 20 th Century. Tagoreûs creative achievements and contributions to the world, and Thailand in particular, will be discussed in the fields of literature, education, religious philosophy, and womenûs emancipation. His literary works appeal to the people internationally due to his spirituality, cosmopolitanism and universality. His words remain meaningful through translations into various languages. When requested by the Thai intelligentsia to send an Indian scholar to promote understanding between Thailand and India, he soon sent Swami Satyananda Puri, who promoted the cultural activities between Thais and Indians by setting up an association of Thais and Indians in Thailand, now known as the Thai-Bharat Cultural Lodge. Key words : Rabindranath Tagore, Gitanjali, cosmopolitanism, Swami Satyananda Puri Introduction The year 2011 is the 150 th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, the Indian poet, dramatist, writer, artist, and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. During the early decades of the 20 th Century, there were two events that had great impact in Asia: one, mostly for nationalists and freedom fighters, was Japanûs victory over Russia in 1905; the other event was, especially for lovers of culture, Rabindranath Tagore winning the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. Japan, an Asian country, could conquer a European power, while Tagore was the first Asian to win the prestigious Nobel Prize. The two events boosted the morale and spirit of Asian races who were then generally looked down upon by Westerners. While Japanûs victory over Tsarist Russia inspired 16-28_mac9 5/3/12, 11:13 PM 17