As the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore begins in India, some of his legacy lies unrecognised and unappreciated in neighbouring Nepal, in dire danger of theft and destruction.

"There are at least three to four paintings by Tagore hanging in public places in Nepal," says Sangeeta Thapa, art curator and director of Siddhartha Art Gallery in Kathmandu. "Very few people have any idea about their worth. I don't want to say even where they are for fear they will get stolen."