Merck-Tagore Award instituted to recognize promotion of Indo-German cultural exchange

Enlarge image (© GK Kalkutta) Merck, the global pharmaceutical and chemical company, having its headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany, announced institution of the Merck-Tagore Award to recognise special contributions for promoting cultural exchange between India and Germany. Dr. Martin Kämpchen, a writer, translator of Tagore’s works and a German teacher, was declared winner of the first award.

The Charter of the newly instituted award was signed in a cultural ceremony in the German Cultural Institute Max Mueller Bhavan in Kolkata on 17 January 2012.

The association between Merck and Tagore, the internationally renowned Indian poet, philosopher and musician, goes back a long way when one of its family members, Elisabeth Wolff-Merck, translated the play ‘Chitra’ by Rabindranath Tagore into German. Mr. Jon Baumhauer (Elisabeth Wolff-Merck’s grandson), Chairman of the Executive Board of E. Merck KG and Chairman of the Family Board, together with Dr. Karl-Ludwig Kley, Chairman of the Executive Board, Merck KGaA, were present in Kolkata to honour this relationship. They also travel to Santiniketan to further explore the roots of their Indian connections.

Kurt Wolff (husband of Elisabeth Wolff-Merck) owned the Kurt Wolff Verlag, which started publishing Tagore’s works in 1914; making the writer known in Germany. In all, Kurt Wolff brought out over twenty Tagore volumes within eleven years (1914-1925) selling more than one million copies. Kurt Wolff’s publishing house worked on an eight-volume edition which was launched in 1921 and is well stocked in the antiquarian bookshops even today. Back then, though this edition created a furore about Tagore’s works, only a fraction of the poet’s works became accessible to the public.

“Standing on this soil amongst Tagore’s people, we feel proud to pay a special tribute to this great polymath,” commented Mr. Baumhauer while reminiscing on the Merck-Tagore relationship. “My maternal grandfather, Kurt Wolff had just embarked upon a career as a publisher when his friend from London recommended Tagore to him. It was then when he heard about Tagore’s early publications in 1913 and translated Tagore’s initial poems to German. It was in the course of this association that Tagore was also awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.”

Dr. Kley stated in Kolkata, “We are privileged to institute this award in the memory of the first Asian Nobel Laureate in order to promote cultural appreciation between our two countries. Merck is proud of its heritage that spans nearly three and half centuries. Our interest and contribution to cultural and liberal arts could be best illustrated through our sponsorship of a full-fledged professional orchestra, the Deutsche Philharmonie Merck.”

Enlarge image (© GK Kalkutta) Dr. Martin Kämpchen was declared as the winner of the first Merck-Tagore award through a unanimous agreement by a jury comprising a representative each of the Goethe-Institut/Max Mueller Bhavan India, the German Federal Foreign Office and Merck Ltd., India. He has been proactive in the cultural dialogue between India and Germany especially in the area of literature and religions. In Germany Martin Kämpchen gives lectures, readings and seminars while in India, he actively guides the development of two tribal villages.

Dr. Martin Wälde, Director, Goethe-Institut Kolkata / Max Mueller Bhavan India, said “Tagore, on his visit to Germany as an Indian ambassador, had appealed for a better understanding of India and its culture. The Merck-Tagore Award is a tribute to the life and work of Gurudev Tagore by continuing his efforts of promoting cultural exchange between India and Germany. Goethe Institute/Max Mueller Bhavan India is honoured and delighted to be a part of this wonderful initiative!”

The Merck-Tagore Award is sponsored by Merck Ltd., India and granted by the Goethe Institute / Max Mueller Bhavan India. It will be granted every two years on 7 May, which is Rabindranath Tagore’s birthday.