Inspirations 2013 - The Awards

The Awards

The Tagore Anniversary Celebrations Committee of Toronto (TACCT) announces four awards in memory of Rabindranath Tagore, Asia’s first Nobel Laureate

In 1913, Rabindranath Tagore became the world’s first Asian and non-European Nobel Laureate. Rabindranath Tagore is a leading icon of India and Bangladesh (the author of the national anthems of both countries). In China, he remains the most widely translated foreign author after Shakespeare.

Today, as part of the celebration of the centenary of Tagore’s Nobel award, the Tagore Anniversary Celebrations Committee of Toronto (TACCT) is pleased to announce four awards in his honor. These awards celebrate some of the values that inspired Tagore’s work – values we think are contemporary and relevant than ever before. Our hope is to present to Canadians a Tagore who not only excelled as a creative artist, but fought passionately for justice, equality, peace and international understanding.

The awards will be presented at a special public event Inspirations 2013, on November 9 at the George Weston Recital Hall, Toronto Centre for the Arts (5040 Yonge Street, Toronto). 

Our awardees are:

Poetry and Social Justice: Dionne Brand, multiple award-winning poet, novelist and essayist  

Dionne Brand is a highly acclaimed poet, novelist and essayist renowned for her engagement with issues of social justice. She is the winner of the Griffin Poetry Prize (2011); the City of Toronto Book Award (2006); the Pat Lowther Award (2002); the Governor-General’s Award (1997), and many other awards. Born in Trinidad and Tobago, Brand is widely known for her contribution to anti-racist writing, with focus on themes of immigration, gender justice and social justice.

Diversity and Social Inclusion: Matt Galloway, Host, Metro Morning, CBC 

Metro Morning is the leading radio show which systematically reaches out to Toronto’s different communities to bring their stories into the mainstream. Matt Galloway, as the host and producer of the show has played a leading role in creating a more diverse, inclusive forum for Toronto. Galloway is also active in raising awareness about the issue of hunger in Toronto.

Empowerment through the Arts: Inner City Angels and Jane Howard Baker, Executive Director 

Inner City Angels is one of Toronto’s beloved children’s arts charities, founded in 1969 by a group of artists, educators and activists who saw a dire need to address a growing gap in access to the arts for young people in Toronto’s inner city. Its artists incorporate storytelling, music, poetry, and the visual arts to bring transformative experiences for 10,000 children, artists and educators each year.

Building Inclusive Economies: The Ontario Co-operatives Association (On Co-op) and Mark Ventry, Executive Director 

The Ontario Co-operatives Association (On Co-op) is the apex body of the co-operative movement in Ontario. 1300 businesses and 1.4 million Ontarians are its members. Respect, justice, diversity, equity, equality and sustainability are some of the values it tries to bring to the economy.

On this occasion, we also wish to specially acknowledge the contribution of Dr. Shan Chandrasekar, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Asian Television Network (ATN) and Mrs. Jaya Chandrasekar, Executive Vice-President and Vice-President of Programming, ATN. They have contributed immensely to give visibility and voice that have become an invaluable asset for communities.

The awards will be presented at an event titled Inspirations 2013 on November 9. With 50 Canadians who represent a true microcosm of Toronto, Inspirations brings hitherto undiscovered treasures from South Asia to Toronto’s multicultural, multilingual audience as never before.