Saturday, May 7 2005 12:21 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Kolkata: External Affairs Minister Natwar Singh and Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee left for Santiniketan this morning (May 7, 2005) to attend the handing over ceremony of the replicas of the Nobel medallion of Rabindranath Tagore and other memorabilia by Sweden's Nobel committee.

The two boarded a helicopter along with West Bengal Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi after arriving at the city airport.

Singh said that he felt honoured for being associated with such an occasion.

"I am touched. I feel very happy that Governor Gandhi is accompanying us," The External Affairs Minister said before boarding the chopper.

The original Nobel medallion besides some memorabilia of the Tagore family were stolen from the museum at Rabindra Bhavan in the Uttarayan complex on March 25, 2004.

The CBI, which is investigating the case, is yet to make a breakthrough.

Two replicas of the medallion - one made of pure gold and the other of gilt bronze - provided by the Nobel Foundation would be formally handed over to the university later today, two days ahead of the poet's 144th birthday.