2011 is the UNESCO-designated year of Rabindranath Tagore, the Nobel Prize-winning author and artist. Tagore was a prolific poet, writer, educationalist, reformist,

painter and philosopher, whose vision and principles inspired the foundation of The Dartington Hall Trust and its work in the arts, social justice and sustainability.

To celebrate the 150th anniversary of Tagore's birth Resurgence and The Dartington Hall Trust have programmed 12 months of activity from January to December 2011. At the heart of this year of celebrations is Gitanjali, a week-long people's festival of arts, crafts and culture, exploring how Tagore’s vision resonates with our lives and times today.

During the week, a series of talks, debates, lectures, performances, demonstrations, discussions and film screenings will take place as leading politicians, policy makers, artists, activists, poets, musicians, dancers and academics present their work and ideas.

Confirmed speakers and performers include:

POETS

Andrew Motion

Robert Bly

Hossein Ghomshei

William Radice

Alice Oswald

Peter Oswald

John Moat

Penelope Shuttle

Ketaki Dyson

Matt Harvey

Coleman Barks

Martin Powell

Muhammad Anisur Rahman

John Moat

MUSICIANS

Mimlu and Paban Bauls

Chloe Goodchild

Dharambir Singh

Kartik Seshadri

Debashish Raychaudhury

Ananda Gupta

Sangeeta Datta

Sujit Bhatacharjee

Hans Vermeersch

Anna Tanvir

Jo Walton

Sharmila Roy

ARTISTS

Chris Drury

Susan Derges

Timothy Hyman

Richard Long

Shanti Panchal

Peter Randall Page

Sandy Brown

Saibal Mitra

Barbara Diethelm

Werner Schmidt

AUTHORS

Shashi Tharoor

Deepak Chopra

Amit Chaudhuri

Michael Morpurgo

Pankaj Mishra

Mark Tully

Geoff Mulgan

Richard Sennett

Leonard Lewisohn

William Dalrymple

PHILOSOPHERS AND ACTIVISTS

Vandana Shiva

Jonathon Porritt

Tim Smit

Patrick Holden

Clare Short

Lord Bhikhu Parekh

Caroline Lucas MP

Ben Bradshaw MP

Lord Meghnad Desai

Anthony Seldon

Inspired by Rabindranath Tagore’s philosophies, our speakers will address the big issues of our time: environmental sustainability and our relationship with the natural world, the global financial crisis, and our relationships with each other.

Festival visitors will be able to participate in one-off sessions with their favourite speakers, watch evening performances by world-class artists, attend a full day of activities on a particular theme with a day pass or dip in and out of the entire week’s programme with a full week pass. Residential packages are also available for a fully immersive festival experience.

Gitanjali is part of Tagore 150, a year of celebrations in 2011 that includes performances and artist residencies, festivals, exhibitions, lectures, residential courses and more.

For more information on the programme and to book tickets or accommodation: www.dartington.org/tagore150 This event will help raise money for The Resurgence Trust, an educational charity (No.1120414) registered in England and Wales.