Launching the year-long celebrations to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh today announced institution of a prestigious international award in the name of the Nobel Laureate. The award will be given for promoting international brotherhood and fraternity. Dr. Singh expressed hope that first award will be conferred at the end of the year-long celebrations. He said a new Tagore fellowship for cultural research has been introduced. Under the scheme renowned scholars have been invited to take up research projects on unknown cultural resources that lie within our institutions. The Prime Minister asserted that Tagore's ideas on universal humanism resonate well in today's world and his belief in the spiritual unity of east and west is indeed a powerful message of redemption for a society beset by greed, callousness and irreverence. Dr. Singh said that his association with great minds of the time helped him to forge personnel and intellectual bonds that reinforced his ideas on international brotherhood. Expressing gratitude to the Bangladesh Prime Minister for agreeing to have joint commemorative celebrations, he recalled Tagore's association with noted Bangla poets like Qazi Nazrul Islam and others. Referring to the year-long celebrations, the Prime Minister said a number of events have been planned at the regional, national and international level. He said a wide range of projects are also being undertaken to make Tagore's work more accessible to a wider audience and to preserve his work for posterity. Reflecting on his contribution in the field of education, Dr. Singh said for a method of learning that would draw directly from the experience of life and nature led him to the charming rural ideal of Shanti Niketan which emerged as an international university. The Prime Minister said that it is the symbol of the poet Laureates' enduring faith in the learning ability and creative power of a young mind and free spirit. He said that he was personally committed to revive the Vishwa Bharti. Speaking on the occasion, the chief guest and Minister of Planning for Bangladesh (Rtd.) Air Vice Marshall A K Khandker while paying tributes to the great thinker said that he was the only poet in the world who wrote national anthems for two countries. Recalling the great bonds of friendship between India and Bangladesh, he said it was Indira Gandhi who recognized the country even before it was formally declared free. The UPA chairperson Mrs. Sonia Gandhi said that the message of Tagore is more relevant today then before as he stood above religion, caste, creed and colour barriers. Mrs. Gandhi recalled the association of Nehru Gandhi family with Shanti Niketan. In his welcome address, Finance Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee while talking about his contribution to the field of fine arts said that this is being continuously evaluated in different parts of the globe and his message of humanity will be propagated during the celebrations.