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Rabindranath Tagore, born May 7, 1861, in Kolkata, India—died August 7, 1941. Bengali poet, short-story writer, music composer, playwright, novelist, and painter brought new prose and verse forms and colloquial language into Bengali literature, freeing it from standard methods based on classical Sanskrit. He was a major figure in conveying Indian culture to the West and vice-versa. He is often recognised as the greatest creative person of early twentieth-century India. He was the first non-European to earn the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913.
Rabindranath Tagore's Early Life
Debendranath Tagore married Sarada Devi and welcomed their youngest child, Rabindranath Tagore, into the world on May 7, 1861, in Calcutta. Rich landowner and social reformer Dwarkanath Tagore was his grandpa. The Brahmo Samaj, a revolutionary religious movement in nineteenth-century Bengal that sought to revive the supreme monistic foundation of Hinduism outlined in the Upanishads, was led by his father, Debendranath Tagore.
The Tagore family had been a gold mine of ability in every profession. In addition to hosting literary magazine publications, they frequently presented theatre performances and presentations of Bengali and Western classical music. To educate the kid’s Indian Classical music, Tagore’s father recruited several seasoned musicians to stay at their home.
Dwijendranath, Tagore’s elder brother, was a poet and philosopher. The first Indian to be appointed to the hitherto all-European Indian Civil Service was another brother named Satyendranath. Jyotitindranath, another brother, was a writer, composer, and musician. His sister Swarnakumari went on to publish novels.
Education:
The traditional education of Rabindranath Tagore began in a public school in Brighton, East Sussex in England. His father intended him to be a barrister; therefore, he went to England in 1878. Later, he was joined by a number of his family members to help him throughout his stay in England, including his nephew, niece, and sister-in-law. Rabindranath was never interested in studying at his school since he detested conventional education. Later, he was accepted into the University College of London, where he was required to pursue a legal education. But he left class once more and picked up several Shakespearean plays on his own. He returned to India and wed Mrinalini Devi when she was ten years old after absorbing the core of English, Irish, & Scottish literature and music.
Rabindranath Tagore At Shantiniketan
Rabindranath Tagore’s students at the incredibly unique and extraordinary institution he founded at Shantiniketan, named “Visva Bharati University,” gave him the honorific epithet “Gurudev” out of reverence. The Tagore family created and built Santiniketan. Rabindranath Tagore was extremely familiar with this little town.
In this location, R.N. Tagore authored some poems and songs. “Visva Bharati” University, in contrast to other institutions, welcomed any student motivated to study. The learning opportunities at this university were just not limited to the four walls of the classrooms. Instead, classes were held outside, behind the campus’s huge banyan trees. The custom of students and teachers meeting in open areas for courses has persisted to this day.
Nationalism And Rabindranath Tagore
R.N. Tagore was both very politically astute and critical; in addition to criticising the British Raj, he was also outspoken about his fellow Bengalis & Indians’ errors. His published and written socio political satires mirrored this. R.N. Tagore rejected his knighthood when it was given to him as a protest against the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre. Regarding his country, he didn’t care about acclaim, celebrity, or money. He had a deep affection for his nation, its people, its fields, and its rivers.
Literary Works
Rabindranath Tagore wrote various poetry, novels, and short tales throughout his lifetime. Though he began writing at an early age, his ambition to produce more creative works only grew after the loss of his wife and his children. The following are a few of his literary works:
Novels:
His books are believed to be the most underappreciated of his works. His work ‘Shesher Kobita’ told its plot through poetry and the main protagonist’s rhythmic sections. He also added a sarcastic touch to it by having his characters make fun of an out-of-date poet titled Rabindranath Tagore! His other well-known books are ‘Noukadubi,’ ‘Gora,’ ‘Chaturanga,’ ‘Ghare Baire,’ and ‘Jogajog.’
Short stories:
Tagore began writing short tales as a teenager. His literary career began with ‘Bhikharini.’ During the early stages of his profession, his tales reflected his environment. He also made it a point to include social themes and poor man’s troubles in his novels. He also did write about the disadvantages of Hindu marriages and some other traditions that were common in the country At the time. Among his many famous short stories are ‘Kabuliwala,’ ‘Kshudita Pashan,’ ‘Atottju,’ ‘Haimanti,’ and ‘Musalmanir Golpo.’
Poems:
Rabindranath was inspired by old poets such as Kabir and Ramprasad Sen. Interestingly, he wrote a poem in 1893 and dedicated it to a future poet. While reading the poem, he exhorted the yet-to-be-born poet to recall Tagore and his works. Among his outstanding works are ‘Balaka,’ ‘Purobi,’ ‘Sonar Tori,’ and ‘Gitanjali.’
Nobel Prize
Tagore won many prizes. He won the Literature Nobel Prize in 1913. Just after the Jallianwala Bagh murder in 1919, he resigned the knighthood rank he had received from King George V in 1915. Eventually, in Mar 2004, the Nobel Prize was taken from Visva-Bharati, and the Swedish Academy delivered two copies of the prize—one made of gold and the other of bronze—that December. But in 2016, the robbers’ hiding place was discovered, and the treasure was retrieved.
Death:
The final four years of Rabindranath Tagore’s life, were spent in excruciating suffering, and he battled two protracted illnesses. He fell into a comatose state in 1937, which returned three years later. Tagore passed away on August 7, 1941, within the same Jorasanko home where he was raised, after enduring a protracted period of pain.
Rabindranath Tagore made an indelible mark on many people by changing how the Bengali language was seen. Aside from several of his statues and sculptures that have been constructed across the world, various yearly activities honour the great author. Many of his works have gone international owing to a slew of translations by well-known foreign authors. Tagore has five museums devoted to him. Three reside in India, while the other two reside in Bangladesh. Millions of people visit the museums that contain his iconic masterpieces each year.
