Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore

Born: 7th May 1861
Died: 7th August 1941

Shri Rabindranath Tagore was born on 7th May 1861, Kolkata as the youngest son of Shri Debendranath Tagore, who was a leader of the Brahmo Samaj. Rabindranath was educated at home and was sent to England at the age of seventeen for certified education. During his mature years, he managed the family assets, along with his multiform literary activities. Tagore started poetry when he was just 8 years old and released his first meaningful poems under the pseudonym Bhānusiṃha (“Sun Lion”) at the age of sixteen. Later he started an exploratory school at Shantiniketan and tried his Upanishadic ideals of education there. He took part in the Indian Nationalist Movement from time to time, though in his own non-sentimental and imaginative manner. Gandhi Ji, the political father of modern India, was his loyal friend. Tagore became the first non-European and the first lyricist who won the Nobel Prize in Literature. In 1915 Tagore was knighted by the ruling British Government, but he gave up the honour within a few years and resigned as a protest against British policies in India.

Tagore got an early success as a writer in Bengal. He became rapidly known in the West with his translations of some of his poems. In fact, his fame attained a bright future, taking him over the continents on tours of friendships and lectures. He became the voice of India’s spiritual heritage and a great living institution for the world and India (especially Bengal).

Rabindranath Tagore inspiring personality

Although Tagore wrote conveniently in all literary types, he was, first of all, a poet. Amidst his fifty-odd volumes of poetry- Manasi (1890), Sonar Tari (1894), Gitanjali (1910), Gitimalya (1914), and Balaka (1916), etc. Other than these the English edition of his poetry, includes The Gardener (1913), Fruit-Gathering (1916), and The Fugitive (1921). Tagore also left several masterpieces (drawings and paintings), and songs for which he composed the music himself.

There are 8 Tagore Museums, out of which 3 are in India:

  • Rabindra Bharati Museum, at Jorasanko Thakur Bari, Kolkata, India
  • Rabindra Bhavan Museum, in Santiniketan, India
  • Rabindra Museum, in Mungpoo, near Kalimpong, India

The other 5 are situated in Bangladesh.

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