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Who was Rabindranath Tagore?

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Rabindranath Tagore

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• Victoria and Albert Museum - Rabindranath Tagore: Poet And Painter
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Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali poet , short-story writer, song composer, playwright, and painter. He introduced new prose and verse forms and the use of colloquial language into  Bengali literature , helped introduce Indian culture to the West and vice versa, and is generally regarded as the outstanding creative artist of early 20th-century  India .

What did Rabindranath Tagore write?

Rabindranath Tagore published several poetry collections, notably Manasi  (1890),  Sonar Tari  (1894;  The Golden Boat ), and Gitanjali  (1910); plays, notably  Chitrangada (1892;  Chitra ); and novels, including Gora  (1910) and  Ghare-Baire  (1916). He also wrote some 2,000 songs , which achieved considerable popularity among all classes of Bengali society.

What awards did Rabindranath Tagore win?

In 1913 Rabindranath Tagore became the first non-European to receive the  Nobel Prize for Literature . Tagore was awarded a knighthood in 1915, but he repudiated it in 1919 as a protest against the  Amritsar (Jallianwala Bagh) Massacre .

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Rabindranath Tagore (born May 7, 1861, Calcutta [now Kolkata], India—died August 7, 1941, Calcutta) was a Bengali poet, short-story writer, song composer, playwright, essayist, and painter who introduced new prose and verse forms and the use of colloquial language into Bengali literature , thereby freeing it from traditional models based on classical Sanskrit . He was highly influential in introducing Indian culture to the West and vice versa, and he is generally regarded as the outstanding creative artist of early 20th-century India . In 1913 he became the first non-European to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature .

The son of the religious reformer Debendranath Tagore , he early began to write verses, and, after incomplete studies in England in the late 1870s, he returned to India. There he published several books of poetry in the 1880s and completed Manasi (1890), a collection that marks the maturing of his genius. It contains some of his best-known poems, including many in verse forms new to Bengali , as well as some social and political satire that was critical of his fellow Bengalis.

In 1891 Tagore went to East Bengal (now in Bangladesh) to manage his family’s estates at Shilaidah and Shazadpur for 10 years. There he often stayed in a houseboat on the Padma River (the main channel of the Ganges River ), in close contact with village folk, and his sympathy for them became the keynote of much of his later writing. Most of his finest short stories, which examine “humble lives and their small miseries,” date from the 1890s and have a poignancy, laced with gentle irony , that is unique to him (though admirably captured by the director Satyajit Ray in later film adaptations). Tagore came to love the Bengali countryside, most of all the Padma River, an often-repeated image in his verse. During these years he published several poetry collections, notably Sonar Tari (1894; The Golden Boat ), and plays, notably Chitrangada (1892; Chitra ). Tagore’s poems are virtually untranslatable, as are his more than 2,000 songs, which achieved considerable popularity among all classes of Bengali society.

In 1901 Tagore founded an experimental school in rural West Bengal at Shantiniketan (“Abode of Peace”), where he sought to blend the best in the Indian and Western traditions. He settled permanently at the school, which became Visva-Bharati University in 1921. Years of sadness arising from the deaths of his wife and two children between 1902 and 1907 are reflected in his later poetry, which was introduced to the West in Gitanjali (Song Offerings) (1912). This book, containing Tagore’s English prose translations of religious poems from several of his Bengali verse collections, including Gitanjali (1910), was hailed by W.B. Yeats and André Gide and won him the Nobel Prize in 1913. Tagore was awarded a knighthood in 1915, but he repudiated it in 1919 as a protest against the Amritsar (Jallianwalla Bagh) Massacre .

From 1912 Tagore spent long periods out of India, lecturing and reading from his work in Europe , the Americas, and East Asia and becoming an eloquent spokesperson for the cause of Indian independence. Tagore’s novels in Bengali are less well known than his poems and short stories; they include Gora (1910) and Ghare-Baire (1916), translated into English as Gora and The Home and the World , respectively. In the late 1920s, when he was in his 60s, Tagore took up painting and produced works that won him a place among India’s foremost contemporary artists.

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• Rabindranath Tagore Biography

Introduction

Rabindranath Thakur was a man of various talents. He was recognized by people all over the globe for his literary works - poetry, philosophies, plays, and especially his songwriting. Rabindranath Tagore was the man who gave India, its National Anthem. He was one of the greatest entities of all time and the only Indian to receive a Nobel Prize.

Rabindranath Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1913, becoming the first non-European to receive the honour. He was only sixteen years old when he was to publish his first short story called “Bhanisimha”, was published. Rabindranath Tagore was born on the 07th of May, 1861 in Kolkata. Rabindranath Tagore was the son of Debendranath Tagore, one of Brahmo Samaj’s active members, a known and celebrated philosopher, and literate. R.N Tagore died after a prolonged illness on the 07th of August, 1941.

Rabindranath Tagore Childhood and Education

While growing up, R.N Tagore shared a very intimate relationship with his elder brother and his sister-in-law. Rabindranath Tagore's father's name is Debendranath Tagore, and his mother’s name is Sarada Devi. Rabindranath Tagore's birthday is on the 7th of May, 1861, and he was born in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency then. It is believed that they did everything together. Rabindranath Tagore's education didn’t seem too impressive. 

R.N Tagore did not enjoy schooling, and he was mostly found procrastinating and pondering for hours. He went to one of the most prestigious St. Xavier’s School, and later, he went to the University of London in Bridgton, England, to study law and become a barrister. Still, as we know, he did not enjoy schooling much; he returned home in two years but without a degree. Even though he did not enjoy schooling much, he was always found with books, pen, and ink. He would always be scribbling things in his notebook; however, he was shy to reveal his writings.

Growing Years and Career

R.N Tagore was only eight years old when he first wrote a poem. By the age of sixteen, his short story got published, titled “Bhanusimha”. R.N Tagore’s contribution to literature is beyond any measure. He was the one who had introduced new verses and prose and also lingua franca in his mother tongue, which is Bangla. R.N Tagore after returning to India after leaving his education, but he did not leave literature. 

R.N Tagore published several books of Rabindranath Tagore poems and short stories, plays, and songs. His most renowned work, called “Gitanjali”, was very well received all over India and England. He is the author of two National Anthems, which are “Amar Sonar Bangla” for Bangladesh and  “Jana Gana Mana” for India. He worked with very unfamiliar and different styles in Bangla Language. Some of them are heavily immersed in social and political satire. He was one of those who believed in global peace and equality. He is one of the pioneers of contemporary Bengali literature. 

After returning to India, he completed and published his book of poems called “Manasi” which was believed to contain his best poems. “Manasi” contained several verse forms which were fresh to contemporary Bengali literature, and it also contained some political and social satire that questioned and mocked R.N Tagore’s fellow Bengalis. 

Besides writing and working on literature, R.N Tagore also participated in the family business. In 1891, he went to East Bengal, which is now in Bangladesh, to look after his ancestral estates and lands at Shahzadpur and Shilaidaha for almost 10 years. He spent some time in a houseboat at Padma river, and his sympathy for village folk became the keynote of most literature later in his life. In East India, poems and other works of Rabindranath Tagore were published as a collection in the book called “Sonar Tari” and a very notable and celebrated play called “Chitrangada”. He has written over two thousand songs which are very popular in Bengal until now. When R.N Tagore was in his 60s, he tried his hand at painting, and for the talented man he was, his works won him a good name among India’s topmost contemporary artists.

Rabindranath Tagore and Shantiniketan

Rabindranath Tagore received his nickname “Gurudev”, out of respect by his pupils at his very unique and special school, which he established in Shantiniketan, called “Visva Bharati University” Santiniketan was developed and founded by the Tagore family. This little town was very close to Rabindranath Tagore. 

R.N Tagore wrote several poems and songs about this place. Unlike other universities, “Visva Bharati” University was open to each student who was eager to learn. The classrooms and the scope for learning in this university were not confined within four walls. Instead, classes took place in open space, beneath the massive banyan trees on the university grounds. To this date, this ritual of attending classes in open spaces is practiced by the students and the teachers. R.N Tagore permanently moved to the school after.

Rabindranath Tagore Death and His Encounters with Death

R.N Tagore was only fourteen years old when Sharada Devi, his mother, passed away. After his mother's sudden and heartbreaking demise, R.N Tagore was mostly seen avoiding classrooms and schooling. Instead, he would roam about his town Bolpur. He had to face the death of several of his loved ones, that too, one after the other, which left him devastated and heartbroken. After his mother, R.N Tagore lost a very close friend and a very significant influence, Kadambari Devi, his sister-in-law. It is presumed that R.N Tagore’s novella called “Nastanirh” was about Kadambari Devi.

It is also believed that she had committed suicide four months after R.N Tagore’s marriage to Mrinalini Devi. There are some serious speculations made about R.N Tagore, and his sister-in-law sharing a very intimate relationship and that maybe the two were in love; however, there has been no confirmation on the same. Later, his wife, Mrinalini Devi, too died due to an illness. He lost his two daughters, Madhurilata, who R.N Tagore adored and was fond of the most due to tuberculosis, and Renuka and his son Shamindranath due to cholera. These deaths shook him to the core, but he never failed to pick up his pen again. Even though all these encounters with death gave him shaping his personality and writing style, he kept longing for a companion who shares the same interests as he does. 

Life was a little less cruel to him at this point. When he found that companion, he had been longing for - his niece Indira Devi, who was highly educated and well-read. R.N Tagore wrote to her about some sensitive details about his life. These letters to Indira Devi witnessed the sheer vulnerability of his emotional state, sensibilities, and experiences. Since Indira Devi had copied all his letters in a notebook; it eventually got published. “Chinnapatra” can give one a glimpse of Tagore’s growth as a human and as an artist. Grief had been a constant part of R.N Tagore’s life, which is often reflected in his literary works; after losing Rabindranath Tagore's wife and daughters, he lost his father too. These years of sadness and sorrow, which were very actively reflected in his literary works, were introduced as “Gitanjali” which won him the Nobel Prize.

Rabindranath Tagore and His Nationalism

R.N Tagore was politically very aware and very critical at the same time, he not only criticized the British Raj, but he was also very vocal about the mistakes his fellow Bengalis and Indians made. These were reflected in the socio-political satires he wrote and published. When R.N Tagore had been awarded a knighthood, as a sign of protest against the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, he repudiated the award. Recognition, fame, money nothing mattered to him when it came to his country. He loved his country, the lands, rivers, and the people of his country very much. 

It is thus quite right to say that Tagore opposed European colonialism and supported Indian nationalists. He also shunned the Swadeshi Movement and urged Indians to accept that education is the way forward. A blind revolution will only lead to the loss of lives and unwanted and unnecessary loss of life.

Rabindranath Tagore and His Love For Literature, Art, and Music

Some of the most renowned works of Tagore which are highly recommended works of literature are “Noukadubi'', “Shesher Kobita”, “Chaturanga”, “Gora”, “Char Adhyay”, “Jogajog”, “Ghare Baire”. “Ghare Baire'' was also produced as a film by another precious talent Satyajit Ray. His novels were very underappreciated in his time but gained a lot of respect after film directors like Tapan Sinha, Tarun Majumdar and of course, Satyajit Ray adapted and made feature films based on his novels. In popular culture, even his songs, poems and novels are employed in Movies and as background scores. The genre of the songs by Rabindranath Tagore are known as “Rabindra Sangeet'' and movies have been adapted and made out of his novels “Noukadubi” and “Chokher Bali”. It is highly recommended to read “Gitanjali'' to appreciate Tagore's poetic style and to appreciate some very heartfelt and moving songs that he wrote, it is recommended to listen to “Tobu Mone Rekho”. 

In addition to all this, Rabindranath Tagore was a commendable artist and musician too. His paintings are celebrated both nationally and internationally and have received wide acclaim. His songs are considered to be at the heart of Bengal culture and his compilations are fondly termed Rabindra Sangeet. These songs elaborate on themes of love, worship, devotion, and so on. RN Tagore started painting at the age of 60. His brilliant artwork is displayed to this day in several museums globally.

Rabindranath Tagore And His Last Days

Rabindranath Tagore died in the place he loved the most. However, the last few years of his life were quite painful.  He was affected by chronic illness during the last 4 years of his life. In 1937, he went into a comatose condition due to this prolonged suffering he was enduring. On August 7th in 1941, this great novelist, poet, musician, and painter passed away quietly in the same Jorasanko mansion in which he was brought up.

Conclusion 

Here is everything students should know about Rabindranath Tagore, his life, his works and his achievements in life.

FAQs on Rabindranath Tagore Biography

1. What are the Famous Books Written by Rabindranath Tagore?

We all know that Rabindranath Tagore took a keen liking to write from a young age. Although he was frequently seen skipping school, you could always find him scribbling something in his notebook. This paved the way for a great future novelist who even received the Nobel Prize for Literature. His works talked about nationalism, social evils, and the need for harmony between Indians. Gitanjali is RN Tagore’s most acclaimed work. It has received critical praise internationally and is loved by all literary aficionados. Here are some famous books are written by Rabindranath Tagore: 

The Home and the world

The Post Office

2. Why is Rabindranath Tagore so Famous?

Rabindranath Tagore is famous for the Nobel Prize Award for literature and he was the first Indian to achieve such huge respect and honour. He had many talents apart from writing great poems. It should be noted that RN Tagore’s popularity in English speaking nations grew in leaps and bounds after the publication of his book Gitanjali. Later in 1913, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for this critically acclaimed book. Another huge factor contributing to Tagore’s growing popularity was the renunciation of his knighthood. He did not accept this honour conferred by the British crown on him in protest against the Jalianwala Bagh massacre. This great poet also toured extensively around Japan and the U.S., where he talked about the importance of nationalism. This helped him earn deep admiration and respect from foreigners all over the world.

3. Why Did Rabindranath Tagore Receive the Nobel Prize for Literature?

The Nobel Prize award was awarded to Rabindranath Tagore in the year 1913 because of his sensitive, impeccable, fresh, unique, and beautiful verse. He expressed his poetic thoughts in his own words that are mostly followed in the West. Rabindranath Tagore is considered responsible for the modernization of Bengali literature. He preserved the cultural heritage of this beautiful language all while breathing some new life into it. Gitanjali is a collection of song offerings that have been penned down by this legendary novelist and poet. It was this book that won him the revered Nobel Prize in Literature. In total, there were 157 poems in that book that touched upon various themes such as devotion, nationalism, worship, etc.

4. What was Tagore’s Stint as an Actor?

We all know that Rabindranath Tagore is famous for writing many dramas that have derived inspiration from Indian mythology and contemporary social issues facing society in those days. He began his drama career writing alongside his brother when he was only a young teenager. At 20 years of age, RN Tagore penned a drama named ‘Valmiki Pratibha’ and also played the lead role of the titular character in it. The drama was based on stories about the legendary dacoit named Valmiki. It is Valmiki who later changed his ways and wrote one of the two greatest Indian epics – Ramayana. This was Tagore’s short stint as an actor.

5. Did RN Tagore Receive a Formal Education?

Rabindranath Tagore’s family always wished that he became a barrister. They sent him to elite schools and universities, in the hopes that he would pursue a career in law. However, young Rabindranath always shied away from rote learning and spent most of his time scribbling down ideas in his notebook. RN Tagore was also enrolled in the University College in London but he dropped out without completing his formal education. However, his love for English, Irish, and Scottish literature soon helped him morph into the much revered and loved novelist he is known as today.

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• Rabindranath Tagore - Biographical

Rabindranath Tagore

Biographical.

R abindranath Tagore (1861-1941) was the youngest son of Debendranath Tagore, a leader of the Brahmo Samaj, which was a new religious sect in nineteenth-century Bengal and which attempted a revival of the ultimate monistic basis of Hinduism as laid down in the Upanishads . He was educated at home; and although at seventeen he was sent to England for formal schooling, he did not finish his studies there. In his mature years, in addition to his many-sided literary activities, he managed the family estates, a project which brought him into close touch with common humanity and increased his interest in social reforms. He also started an experimental school at Shantiniketan where he tried his Upanishadic ideals of education. From time to time he participated in the Indian nationalist movement, though in his own non-sentimental and visionary way; and Gandhi, the political father of modern India, was his devoted friend. Tagore was knighted by the ruling British Government in 1915, but within a few years he resigned the honour as a protest against British policies in India.

Tagore had early success as a writer in his native Bengal. With his translations of some of his poems he became rapidly known in the West. In fact his fame attained a luminous height, taking him across continents on lecture tours and tours of friendship. For the world he became the voice of India’s spiritual heritage; and for India, especially for Bengal, he became a great living institution.

Although Tagore wrote successfully in all literary genres, he was first of all a poet. Among his fifty and odd volumes of poetry are Manasi (1890) [The Ideal One], Sonar Tari (1894) [The Golden Boat], Gitanjali (1910) [Song Offerings], Gitimalya (1914) [Wreath of Songs], and Balaka (1916) [The Flight of Cranes]. The English renderings of his poetry, which include The Gardener (1913), Fruit-Gathering (1916), and The Fugitive (1921), do not generally correspond to particular volumes in the original Bengali; and in spite of its title, Gitanjali: Song Offerings (1912), the most acclaimed of them, contains poems from other works besides its namesake. Tagore’s major plays are Raja (1910) [ The King of the Dark Chamber ], Dakghar (1912) [ The Post Office ], Achalayatan (1912) [The Immovable], Muktadhara (1922) [The Waterfall], and Raktakaravi (1926) [ Red Oleanders ]. He is the author of several volumes of short stories and a number of novels, among them Gora (1910), Ghare-Baire (1916) [ The Home and the World ], and Yogayog (1929) [Crosscurrents]. Besides these, he wrote musical dramas, dance dramas, essays of all types, travel diaries, and two autobiographies, one in his middle years and the other shortly before his death in 1941. Tagore also left numerous drawings and paintings, and songs for which he wrote the music himself.

Rabindranath Tagore died on August 7, 1941.

This autobiography/biography was written at the time of the award and first published in the book series Les Prix Nobel . It was later edited and republished in Nobel Lectures . To cite this document, always state the source as shown above.

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Rabindranath Tagore

Date of Birth: May 7, 1861

Place of Birth: Calcutta, British India

Date of Death: August 7, 1941

Place of Death: Calcutta, British India

Profession: Writer, song composer, playwright, essayist, painter

Spouse: Mrinalini Devi

Children: Renuka Tagore, Shamindranath Tagore, Meera Tagore, Rathindranath Tagore and Madhurilata Tagore

Father: Debendranath Tagore

Mother: Sarada Devi

Award: Nobel Prize in Literature (1913)

Rabindranath Tagore, who composed the National Anthem of India and won the Nobel Prize for Literature, was a multitalented personality in every sense. He was a Bengali poet, Brahmo Samaj philosopher, visual artist, playwright, novelist, painter and a composer. He was also a cultural reformer who modified Bengali art by rebuffing the strictures that confined it within the sphere of classical Indian forms. Though he was a polymath, his literary works alone are enough to place him in the elite list of all-time greats. Even today, Rabindranath Tagore is often remembered for his poetic songs, which are both spiritual and mercurial. He was one of those great minds, ahead of his time, and that is exactly why his meeting with Albert Einstein is considered as a clash between science and spirituality. Tagore was keen in spreading his ideologies to the rest of the world and hence embarked on a world tour, lecturing in countries like Japan and the United States. Soon, his works were admired by people of various countries and he eventually became the first non-European to win a Nobel Prize. Apart from Jana Gana Mana (the National Anthem of India), his composition ‘Amar Shonar Bangla’ was adopted as the National Anthem of Bangladesh and the National Anthem of Sri Lanka was inspired by one of his works.

Childhood and Early Life

Rabindranath Tagore was born on 7th May 1861 to Debendranath Tagore and Sarada Devi in the Jorasanko mansion (the ancestral home of the Tagore family) in Calcutta. He was the youngest son among thirteen children. Though the Tagore family had many members, he was mostly raised by servants and maids as he lost his mother while he was still very young and with his father being an extensive traveler. At a very young age, Rabindranath Tagore was part of the Bengal renaissance, which his family took active participation in. He was also a child prodigy as he started penning down poems at the age of 8. He also started composing art works at a tender age and by the age of sixteen he had started publishing poems under the pseudonym Bhanusimha. He also wrote the short story, ‘Bhikharini’ in 1877 and the poem collection, ‘Sandhya Sangit’ in 1882.

He drew inspiration by reading the classical poetry of Kalidasa and started coming up with classical poems of his own. Some of his other influences and inspirations came from his brothers and sisters. While Dwijendranath, his elder brother, was a poet and philosopher, Satyendranath, another brother of his, was in a highly respectable position. His sister Swarnakumari was a well-known novelist. Tagore was largely home-schooled and was trained by his siblings in the field of gymnastics, martial arts, art, anatomy, literature, history and mathematics among various other subjects. In 1873, he accompanied his father and toured the country for many months. During this journey, he accumulated knowledge on several subjects. His stay at Amritsar paved the way for him to learn about Sikhism, an experience which he would later on use to pen down as many as six poems and many articles on the religion.

Rabindranath Tagore’s traditional education began in Brighton, East Sussex, England, at a public school. He was sent to England in the year 1878 as his father wanted him to become a barrister. He was later joined by some of his relatives like his nephew, niece and sister-in-law in order to support him during his stay in England. Rabindranath had always despised formal education and thus showed no interest in learning from his school. He was later on enrolled at the University College in London, where he was asked to learn law. But he once again dropped out and learned several works of Shakespeare on his own. After learning the essence of English, Irish and Scottish literature and music, he returned to India and married Mrinalini Devi when she was just 10 years old.

Establishment of Santiniketan

Rabindranath’s father had bought a huge stretch of land in Santiniketan. With an idea of establishing an experimental school in his father’s property, he shifted base to Santiniketan in 1901 and founded an ashram there. It was a prayer hall with marble flooring and was named ‘The Mandir.’ The classes there were held under trees and followed the traditional Guru-Shishya method of teaching. Rabindranath Tagore hoped that the revival of this ancient method of teaching would prove beneficial when compared to the modernized method. Unfortunately, his wife and two of his children died during their stay in Santiniketan and this left Rabindranath distraught. In the meantime, his works started growing more and more popular amongst the Bengali as well as the foreign readers. This eventually gained him recognition all over the world and in 1913 Rabindranath Tagore was awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming Asia's first Nobel laureate.

The World Tour

Since Rabindranath Tagore believed in the concept of one world, he set out on a world tour, in an attempt to spread his ideologies. He also took along with him, his translated works, which caught the attention of many legendary poets. He also lectured in countries like the United States and Japan. Soon after, Tagore found himself visiting places like Mexico, Singapore and Rome, where he met national leaders and important personalities including the likes of Einstein and Mussolini. In 1927, he embarked on a Southeast Asian tour and inspired many with his wisdom and literary works. Tagore also used this opportunity to discuss with many world leaders, the issues between Indians and the English. Though his initial aim was to put an end to nationalism, Rabindranath over a period of time realized that nationalism was mightier than his ideology, and hence developed further hatred towards it. By the end of it all, he had visited as many as thirty countries spread over five continents. 

Literary Works

During his lifetime, Rabindranath Tagore wrote several poems, novels and short stories. Though he started writing at a very young age, his desire to produce more number of literary works only enhanced post the death of his wife and children. Some of his literary works are mentioned below:

• Short stories – Tagore began to write short stories when he was only a teen. He started his writing career with ‘Bhikharini’. During the initial stage of his career, his stories reflected the surroundings in which he grew. He also made sure to incorporate social issues and problems of the poor man in his stories. He also wrote about the downside of Hindu marriages and several other customs that were part of the country’s tradition back then. Some of his famous short stories include ‘Kabuliwala’, ‘Kshudita Pashan’, ‘Atottju’, ‘Haimanti’ and ‘Musalmanir Golpo’ among many other stories.
• Novels  – It is said that among his works, his novels are mostly under-appreciated. One of the reasons for this could be his unique style of narrating a story, which is still difficult to comprehend by contemporary readers, let alone the readers of his time. His works spoke about the impending dangers of nationalism among other relevant social evils. His novel ‘Shesher Kobita’ narrated its story through poems and rhythmic passages of the main protagonist. He also gave a satirical element to it by making his characters take jibes at an outdated poet named Rabindranath Tagore! Other famous novels of his include ‘Noukadubi’, ‘Gora’, ‘Chaturanga’, ‘Ghare Baire’ and ‘Jogajog’.  
• Poems – Rabindranath drew inspiration from ancient poets like Kabir and Ramprasad Sen and thus his poetry is often compared to the 15th and 16th Century works of classical poets. By infusing his own style of writing, he made people to take note of not only his works but also the works of ancient Indian poets. Interestingly, he penned down a poem in 1893 and addressed a future poet through his work. He urged the yet to be born poet to remember Tagore and his works while reading the poem. Some of his best works include ‘Balaka’, ‘Purobi’, ‘Sonar Tori’ and ‘Gitanjali’. 

Tagore’s Stint as an Actor

Tagore wrote many dramas, based on Indian mythology and contemporary social issues. He began his drama works along with his brother when he was only a teen. When he was 20 years old, he not only did pen the drama ‘Valmiki Pratibha’, but also played the titular character. The drama was based on the legendary dacoit Valmiki, who later reforms and pens down one of the two Indian epics – Ramayana.

Tagore the Artist

Rabindranath Tagore took up drawing and painting when he was around sixty years old. His paintings were displayed at exhibitions organized throughout Europe. The style of Tagore had certain peculiarities in aesthetics and coloring schemes, which distinguished it from those of other artists. He was also influenced by the craftwork of the Malanggan people, belonging to the northern New Ireland. He was also influenced by Haida carvings from the west coast of Canada and woodcuts by Max Pechstein. The National Gallery of Modern Art in New Delhi houses as many as 102 art works of Tagore.

Political Views

Though Tagore denounced nationalism, he also vouched for the Indian independence through some of his politically charged songs. He also supported Indian nationalists and publicly criticized European imperialism. He also criticized the education system that was forced upon India by the English. In 1915, he received knighthood from the British Crown, which he later renounced citing the massacre held at Jallianwala Bagh. He said that the knighthood meant nothing to him when the British failed to even consider his fellow Indians as humans.

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Adaptations of Tagore’s Works

Many of his novels and short stories were made into films by the renowned filmmaker Satyajit Ray. Other filmmakers too, over the years, have drawn inspiration from his works and have incorporated his stories into their movies. As many as 39 stories of his were made into films by various directors and a few other stories were made into TV series. Some of the recent movie adaptations include ‘Detective’, ‘Postmaster’, ‘Jogajog’, ‘Shesher Kabita’ and ‘Tasher Desh.’  

Last Days & Death

Rabindranath Tagore spent the last four years of his life in constant pain and was bogged down by two long bouts of illness. In 1937, he went into a comatose condition, which relapsed after a period of three years. After an extended period of suffering, Tagore died on August 7, 1941 in the same Jorasanko mansion in which he was brought up.

Since Rabindranath Tagore changed the way Bengali literature was viewed, he left an everlasting impression on many. Apart from many of his busts and statues that have been erected in many countries, many yearly events pay tribute to the legendary writer. Many ofhis works were made international, thanks to a host of translations by many famous international writers. There are five museums dedicated to Tagore. While three of them are situated in India, the remaining two are in Bangladesh. The museums house his famous works, and are visited by millions every year.

Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali poet, novelist and painter best known for being the first non-European to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913 with his book Gitanjali, Song Offerings . He was highly influential in introducing Indian culture to the West and is generally regarded as the outstanding creative artist of modern India. He was hailed by W.B Yeats and André Gide.

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• Article Title: Rabindranath Tagore Biography
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• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014

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Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) was the youngest son of Debendranath Tagore, a leader of the Brahmo Samaj, which was a new religious sect in nineteenth-century Bengal and which attempted a revival of the ultimate monistic basis of Hinduism as laid down in the Upanishads. He was educated at home; and although at seventeen he was sent to England for formal schooling, he did not finish his studies there. In his mature years, in addition to his many-sided literary activities, he managed the family estates, a project which brought him into close touch with common humanity and increased his interest in social reforms. He also started an experimental school at Shantiniketan where he tried his Upanishadic ideals of education. From time to time he participated in the Indian nationalist movement, though in his own non-sentimental and visionary way; and Gandhi, the political father of modern India, was his devoted friend. Tagore was knighted by the ruling British Government in 1915, but within a few years he resigned the honour as a protest against British policies in India.

Tagore had early success as a writer in his native Bengal. With his translations of some of his poems he became rapidly known in the West. In fact his fame attained a luminous height, taking him across continents on lecture tours and tours of friendship. For the world he became the voice of India's spiritual heritage; and for India, especially for Bengal, he became a great living institution.

Although Tagore wrote successfully in all literary genres, he was first of all a poet. Among his fifty and odd volumes of poetry are Manasi (1890) [The Ideal One], Sonar Tari (1894) [The Golden Boat], Gitanjali (1910) [Song Offerings], Gitimalya (1914) [Wreath of Songs], and Balaka (1916) [The Flight of Cranes]. The English renderings of his poetry, which include The Gardener (1913), Fruit-Gathering (1916), and The Fugitive (1921), do not generally correspond to particular volumes in the original Bengali; and in spite of its title, Gitanjali: Song Offerings (1912), the most acclaimed of them, contains poems from other works besides its namesake. Tagore's major plays are Raja (1910) [The King of the Dark Chamber], Dakghar (1912) [The Post Office], Achalayatan (1912) [The Immovable], Muktadhara (1922) [The Waterfall], and Raktakaravi (1926) [Red Oleanders]. He is the author of several volumes of short stories and a number of novels, among them Gora (1910), Ghare-Baire (1916) [The Home and the World], and Yogayog (1929) [Crosscurrents]. Besides these, he wrote musical dramas, dance dramas, essays of all types, travel diaries, and two autobiographies, one in his middle years and the other shortly before his death in 1941. Tagore also left numerous drawings and paintings, and songs for which he wrote the music himself.

Rabindranath Tagore died on August 7, 1941.

From Nobel Lectures, Literature 1901-1967, Editor Horst Frenz, Elsevier Publishing Company, Amsterdam, 1969

Acknowledgement: This autobiography/biography was written at the time of the award and first published in the book series Les Prix Nobel. It was later edited and republished in Nobel Lectures. For more details, visit the Tagore's biography page in Nobelprize.Org.

Biography Online

Rabindranath Tagore

Poet, writer and humanitarian, Rabindranath Tagore was the first Indian to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature and he played a key role in the renaissance of modern India. Tagore is most widely known for his poetry, but he was also an accomplished author of novels, short stories, plays and articles. He took an active interest in a widespread range of social, cultural and artistic endeavours. He has been described as one of the first Twentieth Century’s global man.

“So I repeat we never can have a true view of man unless we have a love for him. Civilisation must be judged and prized, not by the amount of power it has developed, but by how much it has evolved and given expression to, by its laws and institutions, the love of humanity.”

— Sadhana: The Realisation of Life, (1916)

Short Biography Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath began writing from an early age and impressed with his free-flowing style and spontaneous compositions. He mostly rejected formal schooling; he spent much time being taught at home. In 1878 he travelled to England and sought to study law at University College, London, but he left before finishing the degree.

After returning to India, in 1901, Tagore moved to Shantiniketan to found an ashram which became his focal point for writing and his view on schooling. He chose the name for the ashram – Shantiniketan meaning ‘Abode of Peace.’

“Love is the ultimate meaning of everything around us. It is not a mere sentiment; it is truth; it is the joy that is at the root of all creation.”

– Tagore, Sādhanā : The Realisation of Life (1916)

Friendship with Gandhi

Tagore was firm friends with Gandhi and admired him very much. But, despite this friendship, he could be critical of his views. For example, he disagreed with Gandhi’s views on Swaraj protests and upbraided Gandhi when Gandhi claimed an earthquake was ‘divine retribution for the mistreatment of Dalits in India.’ Yet despite the frequent divergence of opinions, they could admire each other. When Gandhi went on a fast unto death, it was Tagor who was able to persuade Gandhi to give up his fast and look after his health.

Nobel Prize for Literature 1913

In 1913, Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature for his work ‘ Gitanjali ‘ This made his writings internationally known and his fame spread throughout the world.

“My debts are large, my failures great, my shame secret and heavy; yet I come to ask for my good, I quake in fear lest my prayer be granted.” – Gitanjali

Rabindranath Tagore with Einstein

This gave Tagore the opportunity to travel extensively giving lectures and recitals in many different countries. He also became acquainted with many of the leading cultural contemporaries of the day; this included W.B.Yeats, George Bernard Shaw , Romain Rolland, Robert Frost and Albert Einstein .

Tagore had a great love for nature and many of his poems invoke the simple beauties of the natural world. For Tagore, his religion could be found in the wonders and mysteries of nature – as much as in temples and sacred books.

Tagore was a prolific composer of music. He composed over 2,000 songs which have been popularised and sung widely across Bengal. Like his literature, he broke away from classical constraints to offer a great emotive and spiritual appeal. Tagore is unique for being the official composer for the national anthem of two countries – India’s Jana Gana Mana and Bangladesh’s Amar Shonar Bangla .

Tagore was an opponent of British imperialism, though he also felt Indians had a duty to improve their self-education; he said that British rule was partly due to the state India had fallen into. In particular, he was very denigrating about India’s obsession with caste.

‘the ultimate truth in man is not in his intellect or his possessions; it is in his illumination of mind, in his extension of sympathy across all barriers of caste and colour, in his recognition of the world, not merely as a storehouse of power, but as a habitation of man’s spirit, with its eternal music of beauty and its inner light of the divine presence.’ – Tagore, The Poet’s Religion’ in Creative Unity (1922) [ 1 ]

In 1919, Tagore returned his knighthood in protest at the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, in which many peaceful Indian protesters were killed.

Tagore was a polymath, and towards the end of his life he took up art and also pursued an interest in science. Tagore was also very much an internationalist, criticising nationalism, though also writing songs and articles in support of the general principle of the Indian independence movement.

“Patriotism cannot be our final spiritual shelter; my refuge is humanity. I will not buy glass for the price of diamonds, and I will never allow patriotism to triumph over humanity as long as I live. “

– Rabindranath Tagore

Tagore view on Religion

Tagore had mixed views on religion. He was brought up in a traditional Hindu family and taught to pray and meditate from an early age. He remembers the peace of mind he developed from chanting the Gayatri Mantra, but at the same time was detached from the more formalistic aspects of religion. He tended to see religion as not scriptures and places of worship but the life we lead. As he explained:

“My religion is my life – it is growing with my growth – it has never been grafted on me from outside.” ~ Tagore to Robert Bridges, 8 July 1914.

He was keen to avoid any fanaticism and saw the strength of his own Hindu religion as its ability to see more than one path to the goal. His life-long aspiration was to see a harmony of religions flourish in India – not from mere tolerance but an appreciation of the different merits other religions had.

‘The Idea of freedom to which India aspired was based upon realization of spiritual unity…India’s great achievement, which is still stored deep within her heart, is waiting to unite within itself Hindu, Moslem, Buddhist and Christian, not by force, not by the apathy of resignation, but in the harmony of active cooperation.’ ~ Tagore in Berlin, 1921.

However, he was also critical of the Hindu caste system.

Tagore’s poetry frequently hint at a mystical view of the world.

“In this playhouse of infinite forms I have had my play, and here have I caught sight of him that is formless.” – Gitanjali “The human soul is on its journey from the law to love, from discipline to liberation, from the moral plane to the spiritual.” Sādhanā : The Realisation of Life (1916)

Tagore died on 7th August 1941, after a long and painful illness, aged 80. He died in his family home.

Citation: Pettinger, Tejvan . “ Rabindranath Tagore ”, Oxford, UK www.biographyonline.net , 1st Jun. 2009. Last updated 1 March 2019.

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Rabindranath Tagore Biography

Birthday: May 7 , 1861 ( Taurus )

Born In: Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Rabindranath Tagore was an Indian polymath, poet, artist, musician, and ayurveda-researcher. One of the most respected poets of India, Tagore inspired many at a time when the country was going through a tumultuous period during the British rule. One of the most widely acclaimed wordsmiths of India, Tagore was often hailed as ‘Gurudev’ or the poet of poets. Thanks to the sheer brilliance of his narratives and incommensurable poetic flair, he etched an ineffaceable impression on the minds of his readers. A child prodigy, Tagore showed a penchant for literature, art, and music from a very young age. In due course of time, he produced an extraordinary body of work which changed the face of Indian literature. He was not just a mere poet or writer; he was the harbinger of a new era of literature and was thus considered a cultural ambassador of India. Even today, he lives in the hearts of the people of Bengal who are forever indebted to him for enriching their heritage. He was the most admired Indian writer who introduced India’s rich cultural heritage to the West. He is also the first non-European to be honored with the prestigious ‘Nobel Prize.’

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Also Known As: Rabindranath Tagore, Bhanu Singha Thakur, Robindronath Thakur

Died At Age: 80

Spouse/Ex-: Mrinalini Devi

father: Debendranath Tagore

mother: Sarada Devi

siblings: Dwijendranath, Jyotirindranath, Satyendranath, Swarnakumari

children: Madhurilata Tagore, Meera Tagore, Rathindranath Tagore, Renuka Tagore, Shamindranath Tagore

Born Country: India

Quotes By Rabindranath Tagore Nobel Laureates In Literature

political ideology: Opposed Imperialism and supported Indian Nationalists

Died on: August 7 , 1941

place of death: Kolkata, West Bengal, India

Cause of Death: Kidney Infection

education: UCL Faculty Of Laws, St. Xavier's Collegiate School, Presidency University

awards: 1913 - Nobel Prize in Literature

You wanted to know

What is rabindranath tagore known for.

Rabindranath Tagore is known for being a prominent poet, writer, musician, and artist. He was the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913.

What is Rabindranath Tagore's contribution to literature?

Rabindranath Tagore's contribution to literature includes a vast collection of poems, songs, plays, essays, and novels. His works often explore themes of nature, love, spirituality, and social issues.

How did Rabindranath Tagore contribute to Indian independence?

Rabindranath Tagore was an influential figure in the Indian independence movement. He used his literary works to inspire and motivate people to fight against colonial rule and advocate for freedom and self-expression.

How did Rabindranath Tagore impact education in India?

Rabindranath Tagore was a pioneer in education and founded the Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan, emphasizing a holistic approach to learning that combined education with nature and creativity. His educational philosophy continues to influence schools in India and around the world.

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Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore was born in Calcutta, India, on May 7, 1861. He was the son of Debendranath Tagore, a prominent philosopher and religious reformer. Throughout his childhood, Tagore was educated by tutors and wrote extensively, despite a marked disinterest for traditional schooling. In 1877, he sailed to England to study. He remained for just fourteen months, during which he was schooled in Brighton, East Sussex and at University College, where he studied law and attended lectures on English literature. He expressed dissatisfaction with the constraints of Western educational practices in England, however, and returned to India. 

Throughout his career, Tagore not only wrote and translated poetry, but published numerous novels, short stories, plays, letters, essays, memoirs, and criticism. He was also known for his musical compositions. Tagore’s most notable work of poetry is Gitanjali: Song Offerings (Macmillan, 1912), for which he received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. He was the first non-European, as well as the first lyricist, to win the prize. Other notable poetry publications, written and published in Bengali, include Sonar Tari [The Golden Boat] (1894) and Manasi [The Ideal One] (1890). Tagore often published first in Bengali, then translated his own work to English. He wrote novels, plays, and short stories in both languages, including the plays Chitra (India Society of London, 1914) and The Post Office (Cuala Press, 1914). He is credited with pioneering the short story form in Bengali literature, with some of his best work collected in The Hungry Stones and Other Stories (Macmillan, 1916) and The Glimpses of Bengal Life (G. A. Nateson & Co., 1913). His short stories were especially famous in India, as many were based on his ten years in Shilaidah and Shazadpur, where he went to manage his family’s estates in the 1890s. During this time, he lived on a houseboat on the Padma River and socialized with the neighboring villagers. His compassion for them, and his belief in education for all, deeply influenced his short stories, as well as his later activism. Tagore’s stances on Indian independence, the caste system, education, religion, and other sociopolitical issues were expressed through his work. 

In his introduction to the English translation of Gitanjali , W. B. Yeats lauds Tagore’s poetic vision, writing: “these lyrics […] display in their thought a world I have dreamed of all my life long. The work of a supreme culture, they yet appear as much the growth of the common soil as the grass and the rushes. A tradition, where poetry and religion are the same thing, has passed through the centuries, gathering from learned and unlearned metaphor and emotion, and carried back again to the multitude the thought of the scholar and of the noble.” 

In 1901, Tagore’s work as an educator and activist led to his founding an experimental school at Shantiniketan, a retreat in rural Bengal that his father created in 1863. There, he hoped to merge Eastern and Western educational traditions. He believed there might be a more natural way for young people to learn, utilizing a method which would foster their imagination and instincts. For a time, he lived at the school, which became the international Visva-Bharati University. In 1912, Tagore left the school to read his work across Europe, America, and East Asia, and to lecture and advocate for Indian independence. In 1919, as a protest against the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, he rejected the British knighthood in 1915. Six years later, Tagore and Leonard Elmhirst founded the “Institute for Rural Reconstruction,” a feature of the Visva-Bharati University experiments. Through the institute, many of the concerns that Tagore expressed in his early short stories came to fruition: he believed rural India was barred from mainstream intellectual and urban life, and sought to facilitate a collaborative education. He requested aid from various artists, donors, and scholars across the world for this project. 

While Tagore pursued writing, teaching, and activism during much of his life, he became recognized as a painter when he was in his sixties, with many of his works enjoying success at exhibitions in Europe. 

Tagore died on August 7, 1941, in Calcutta.  

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Rabindranath Tagore Biography: Birth, Family, Education, National Anthem, Nobel Prize, Notable Works and Death

The minister of state for education, subhas sarkar, made controversial comments about nobel laureate rabindranath tagore at a programme at visva bharti university on 18 august 2021. let us have a look at the controversial remarks made by the union minister and the life of rabindranath tagore. .

Union Minister Subhas Sarkar sparked a controversy with his remarks about Rabindranath Tagore's mother that she refused to cradle him in her arms because he was dark.  

While speaking at Visva Bharti University in West Bengal on 18 August 2021, the Union Minister said, "Tagore was dark compared to other members of his family. That is why his mother and others refused to take him in their laps."  

He went on to say, "There are two types of fair-skinned people. One that is very fair with a yellowish hue and those who are fair but with a reddish tinge. Kabiguru belonged to the second category,"

He concluded his remarks by saying that the same person won the world for India. 

About Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore was a poet, musician, polymath, Ayurveda-researcher and artist who recast music, Bengali literature and Indian art in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In 1913, Rabindranath Tagore was the first non-European to win Nobel Prize in Literature. Rabindranath Tagore was also referred to as 'the Bard of Bengal'.  Today is Rabindranath Tagore's 159th Jayanti or Birth Anniversary. 

Rabindranath Tagore: Birth, Early Life, Family and Education

Rabindranath Tagore was born as Robindronath Thakur on May 7, 1861, to Debendranath Tagore and Sarada Devi in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India(present-day Kolkata, West Bengal, India). Tagore's mother Sarada Devi died when he was a child and his father  Debendranath Tagore travelled a lot. Therefore, Tagore was raised by servants. Dwijendranath, Rabindranath Tagore's oldest brother, was a philosopher and poet. Tagore's other brother Satyendranath was the first Indian to be appointed in the Indian Civil Service. His brother,  Jyotirindranath, was a musician, composer, and playwright while his sister Swarnakumari was a novelist. 

Rabindranath's brother Hemendranath taught him anatomy, geography and history, literature, mathematics, Sanskrit, and English. At the age of 11 after his Janeu, Tagore toured India with his father. Rabindranath Tagore visited his father's Santiniketan estate and stayed in Amritsar for a month before reaching the Himalayan hill station of Dalhousie where Tagore read biographies, studied history, astronomy, modern science, Sanskrit, and examined the classical poetry of 'Kalidasa'. Tagore was highly influenced by the Gurbani and Nanak Bani which were sung at Golden Temple, Amritsar. In 1882, Tagore made his debut with a short story in Bengali 'Bhikarini'. 

In 1878, Rabindra Nath Tagore enrolled himself at a public school in England because his father wanted him to be a barrister. Tagore read law at University College, London, but opted out again to study independently. He read  Shakespeare's plays Coriolanus, and Antony and Cleopatra and the Religio Medici of Thomas Browne which highly impressed him. 

Rabindranath Tagore: Death 

Rabindranath tagore: personal life and notable works.

In 1883, Tagore married Mrinalini Devi (who was 10 years old at that time) and the couple had 5 children (2 died in early childhood). In 1890, Tagore started managing his ancestral estates in Shelaidaha (present-day in Bangladesh) and his wife joined him in 1898 with their children. In 1890, Tagore released one of his best poems 'Manasi'. During 1891-1895, Tagore wrote more than half of the stories of 'Galpaguchchha'. 

In 1901, Rabindranath Tagore moved to Santiniketan where he found 'The Mandir' which was an experimental school having trees, gardens and a library. Tagore's wife and 2 children died at Santiniketan and Tagore lost his father in 1905. Tagore received monthly payments from Maharaja of Tripura (as part of his inheritance), sales of his family's jewellery, his seaside bungalow in Puri, and a derisory 2,000 rupees in book royalties. In 1901, Tagore published 'Naivedya' and in 1906, he published 'Kheya'. 

In 1913, Tagore won  Nobel Prize in Literature. King George V awarded Tagore with  1915 Birthday Honours which the later abandoned after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919 and wrote a letter for the same to  Lord Chelmsford, the then British Viceroy of India. 

In 1919, Rabindranath Tagore was invited by Syed Abdul Majid (also known as Kaptan Miah) to visit Sylhet, where over 5000 people gathered. Syed Abdul Majid was the president and chairman of Anjuman-e-Islamia. 

In 1921, Tagore along with Leonard Elmhirst (agricultural economist), set up the 'Institute for Rural Reconstruction' which was later renamed 'Shriniketan' in Surul. Tagore started receiving donations from Indians and around the world to free the Indian villages from the shackles of helplessness and ignorance by strengthening their knowledge. In 1930, Tagore lectured against 'abnormal caste consciousness' and 'untouchability'. He campaigned against these issues, penned several poems and finally managed to open the doors of Guruvayoor Temple to Dalits. 

Rabindranath Tagore: Drama

Rabindranath tagore: songs, rabindranath tagore: artistic works.

Rabindranath Tagore at the age of sixty years started drawing and painting. After the encouragement by artists of France, Tagore's work made a debut appearance in Paris. It is said that Tagore was red-green colour blind and his artworks reflect strange colour schemes. In 1900, Tagore wrote to Jagadishchandra Bose about his drawings. Tagore withdrew from painting as he was using eraser more than the pencil and was dissatisfied with his artwork. Currently, Tagore's 102 works are listed by India's National Gallery of Modern Art lists in its collections. 

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Rabindranath Tagore Biography: A Journey Through Words and Wisdom

Rabindranath Tagore, or Gurudev, occupies a towering position in Indian literature and cultural history. Born on May 7, 1861, in Calcutta (now Kolkata) , India, Tagore emerged from a family renowned for its intellectual and artistic pursuits. His father, Debendranath Tagore , was a prominent philosopher and leader of the Brahmo Samaj, a socio-religious reform movement. At the same time, his mother, Sarada Devi , provided a nurturing environment steeped in spirituality and creativity.

Rabindranath Tagore is credited with writing the national anthems of both India and Bangladesh. “ Jana Gana Mana ” serves as the national anthem of India, while “ Amar Shonar Bangla ” is the national anthem of Bangladesh. Both anthems are derived from Tagore’s Rabindra Sangeet, reflecting his profound influence on the cultural heritage of both nations.

Rabindranath Tagore Biography

Biography Highlight Table for Rabindranath Tagore

Early Life and Education

Tagore’s early years were shaped by the rich tapestry of Bengali culture, which fostered his innate talent and curiosity. He received a diverse education, blending traditional Indian learning with Western literature and philosophy exposure. This multidimensional upbringing laid the foundation for his future endeavors and shaped his inclusive worldview.

Family Background

The Tagore name originates from the anglicized version of “Thakur.” Originally, the Tagore family surname was Kushari, and they belonged to the Pirali Brahmin community. The Tagores hailed from Kush, a village in the Burdwan district of West Bengal. Prabhat Kumar Mukhopadhyaya, Rabindranath Tagore’s biographer, explained in his book “Rabindrajibani O Rabindra Sahitya Prabeshak” that the Kusharis were descendants of Deen Kushari, the son of Bhatta Narayana. Maharaja Kshitisura granted Deen a village called Kush in Burdwan district, where he became its chief and became known as Kushari.

Literary Career

Tagore’s literary career spanned various genres, each marked by unparalleled creativity and depth.

• Poetry: Tagore’s poetic genius blossomed early, with his first collection, “Kabi Kahini” (The Poet’s Tale), published when he was just 16. His poetry, characterized by its lyrical beauty and spiritual depth, explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition. Works like “Gitanjali” (Song Offerings) brought him international acclaim and earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913.
• Prose: Besides poetry, Tagore excelled in prose writing, crafting novels and short stories that reflected the complexities of Indian society. His novels, such as “Gora” and “Ghare-Baire” (The Home and the World), tackled issues of identity, nationalism, and the clash between tradition and modernity.
• Playwriting: Tagore’s contributions to the theater were equally significant. He penned numerous plays, blending poetic language with social and philosophical themes. Works like “Chitra” and “Raktakarabi” (Red Oleanders) showcased his ability to weave compelling narratives that resonated with audiences.
• Songwriting: Tagore’s musical compositions, Rabindra Sangeet, revolutionized Bengali music. With over 2,000 songs to his credit, he infused soul-stirring melodies with profound lyrics, covering many themes from patriotism to spirituality.

Tagore’s Influence on Literature and Society

Tagore’s impact on literature and society transcended geographical and cultural boundaries. His works, translated into numerous languages, continue to inspire readers and artists worldwide. Through his writings, Tagore explored the intricacies of the human experience, offering insights that remain relevant to this day.

Social and Political Activism

Beyond his literary pursuits, Tagore was deeply engaged in social and political activism. He advocated for education reform, founding the experimental school Shantiniketan, which emphasized holistic learning and artistic expression. Tagore also played a prominent role in the Indian nationalist movement, using his platform to champion the cause of freedom and social justice.

Education and Philanthropy

In 1878, Rabindranath Tagore embarked on a journey to London for his studies. Initially enrolled in law courses at University College London, he soon veered towards his true passions. Tagore opted to delve into English Literature, immersing himself in the rich literary traditions of England, Ireland, and Scotland.

Despite his legal studies, writing had always been a fervent passion for Tagore. His literary journey began at a remarkably young age, when he penned his first poem, “Abhilash,” at the tender age of 13. This poem was later published in the Tattvabodhini magazine in 1874, marking the auspicious beginning of Tagore’s illustrious literary career.

Tagore’s commitment to education extended beyond Shantiniketan. He believed in the transformative power of learning and supported various educational initiatives throughout his life. Tagore’s philanthropic endeavors aimed to uplift marginalized communities and promote cultural exchange and understanding.

Rabindranath Tagore At Shantiniketan

Tagore’s disdain for traditional schooling methods is vividly portrayed in his short story “The Parrot’s Training,” in which a bird is confined and fed textbook pages until its demise. This sentiment fueled his vision for a new kind of educational institution. During a visit to Santa Barbara in 1917, Tagore envisioned creating a university to bridge the gap between India and the world, transcending national and geographical boundaries.

The culmination of this vision was the establishment of Visva-Bharati, with its foundation stone laid on December 24, 1918, and its inauguration precisely three years later. Tagore implemented a brahmacharya system, where gurus provided personalized guidance to students on emotional, intellectual, and spiritual levels. Classes often took place outdoors under the shade of trees, fostering a close connection with nature.

Tagore was deeply involved in the school’s affairs, contributing his Nobel Prize winnings and dedicating himself to the role of steward-mentor at Santiniketan. He taught classes in the mornings and devoted afternoons and evenings to writing textbooks for the students. Between 1919 and 1921, Tagore embarked on fundraising efforts in Europe and the United States to support the school’s growth and development.

Nationalism and Patriotism

While Tagore initially supported Indian nationalism, his views evolved. He emphasized the importance of humanism and universalism, cautioning against the dangers of narrow nationalism. Tagore’s vision of patriotism was inclusive, rooted in a deep love for humanity and a commitment to universal values.

Journey Back Home: Mixing Cultures and Growing as an Artist in India

After coming back to India, Rabindranath Tagore got deeply involved in English, Irish, and Scottish literature and music, which really shaped his art. He also got married to Mrinalini Devi, who was only ten years old at that time.

List of Awards won by Rabindranath Tagore

In 1913, Tagore became the first non-European to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his profound and lyrical poetry collection, “Gitanjali.” This prestigious accolade brought global recognition to Tagore’s literary genius and cemented his place in literary history.

Tagore’s Philosophy and Ideals

At the core of Tagore’s philosophy were ideals of harmony, freedom, and the pursuit of truth. He believed in the interconnectedness of all beings and advocated for love, empathy, and understanding as the cornerstones of a harmonious society.

Personal Life and Relationships

Tagore’s personal life was marked by profound relationships that influenced his work and worldview. His marriage to Mrinalini Devi and his close bond with his sister-in-law, Kadambari Devi, deeply impacted his emotional and creative life, serving as sources of inspiration for his literary endeavors.

Rabindranath Tagore’s Travel Journey

During his lifetime, Rabindranath Tagore traveled extensively, spanning over thirty countries across five continents. His journey began in 1878 and continued until 1933, taking him to diverse destinations such as England, the United States, Japan, Southeast Asia, and Europe. Along the way, Tagore engaged with prominent figures, including Albert Einstein, Robert Frost, and George Bernard Shaw. He shared his insights on nationalism, culture, and humanity, advocating for understanding and harmony among nations. Tagore’s travels left an indelible mark on his worldview, enriching his literary and philosophical contributions and fostering cultural exchange on a global scale.

Tagore’s Last Days and Legacy

Tagore passed away on August 7, 1941, at his family estate in Calcutta. However, his legacy continues, inspiring generations of writers, artists, and activists worldwide. Tagore’s timeless works and progressive ideals testify to the enduring power of literature and the human spirit.

Career Facts

• 1961, Satyajit Ray wrote and directed the Indian documentary film “Rabindranath Tagore” to commemorate Tagore’s birth centenary. The film was produced by the Government of India’s Films Division.
• Serbian composer Darinka Simic-Mitrovic utilized Tagore’s text for her song cycle “Gradinar” in 1962.
• American composer E. Anne Schwerdtfeger was commissioned in 1969 to compose “Two Pieces,” a work for women’s chorus based on Tagore’s text.
• Sukanta Roy’s Bengali film “Chhelebela” (2002) featured Jisshu Sengupta portraying Tagore.
• Bandana Mukhopadhyay’s Bengali film “Chirosakha He” (2007) cast Sayandip Bhattacharya as Tagore.
• Rituparno Ghosh’s Bengali documentary film “Jeevan Smriti” (2011) starred Samadarshi Dutta as Tagore.
• In Suman Ghosh’s Bengali film “Kadambari” (2015), Tagore was portrayed by Parambrata Chatterjee.

Rabindranath Tagore’s life and legacy testify to the transformative power of literature, art, and humanitarianism. His profound insights, literary accomplishments, and unwavering commitment to universal values continue to inspire and enrich lives across the globe, ensuring that his legacy remains vibrant and enduring for generations to come.

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. was rabindranath tagore a nobel laureate.

Yes, Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for his collection of poems, “Gitanjali.”

2. What is Rabindra Sangeet?

Rabindra Sangeet refers to Tagore’s musical compositions, which blend poetic lyrics with soul-stirring melodies.

3. What were Tagore’s views on nationalism?

Tagore initially supported Indian nationalism but later emphasized a more inclusive and humanistic approach rooted in empathy and understanding.

4. How did Tagore’s works transcend cultural boundaries?

Tagore’s universal themes and profound insights into the human condition resonated with readers worldwide, transcending cultural and linguistic barriers.

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Rabindranath Tagore Biography

Table of Contents

Rabindranath Tagore

Introduction:

Rabindranath Tagore was a celebrated Bengali poet, musician, and artist. He was born in 1861 in Kolkata, India and went on to become a Nobel Prize winner. Tagore has had a profound impact on Bengali culture and on India as a whole. His poems and songs are still sung around the world and many of his short stories and novels have been adapted into movies.

Tagore and His Early Years

Rabindranath Tagore was born on May 6, 1861, in the Jorasanko mansion in Kolkata, India. For the first eight years of his life, he lived a sheltered life within the confines of his family’s estate. It was only after his older brother Jyotirindranath Tagore, a noted writer and artist in his own right, introduced young Rabindranath to the outside world that he began to develop his own interests and talents.

A Legend’s Endeavors in Art and Film

Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali polymath who worked in poetry, fiction, drama, painting, philosophy, religion, education and agriculture. He was highly influential in the Bengali renaissance and is sometimes credited with creating modern Indian poetry. In addition to his literary pursuits, he also directed a few films. Unfortunately, all of his films remain incomplete.

Tagore and His Contribution to Music and Literature

Rabindranath Tagore was born in Calcutta, in what was then British India, on 7 May 1861. He was a Bengali polymath who wrote poetry, novels, short stories, essays, and plays. He was also a painter and musician. Tagore’s poetry was highly spiritual and often dealt with themes of love, nature, and death. He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. He is considered one of the most important figures in Bengali literature, and his poems have been set to music and sung all over the world.

Rabindranath Tagore and His Views on Spirituality

Tagore was born in Calcutta, British India on May 7, 1861. From a young age, he showed exceptional talent in poetry, music and painting. As he grew older, his views on spirituality began to change and develop. In fact, spirituality played a big role in his life and work. For Tagore, it wasn’t about dogma or rituals, but more about the connection between humans and the divine. “The spiritual life does not lie in going away from the world, but in going deeper into it,” he said.

Tagore and India’s Independence

Rabindranath Tagore was born in 1861, a time when British colonialism was at its peak in India. He witnessed, firsthand, the abuses and injustices that the British inflicted on his countrymen. This fueled his passion for India’s freedom and, later in life, he became a key figure in the struggle for independence. He wrote poems, essays and plays that urged his countrymen to unite and stand up against British rule. In 1921, Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature—the first Indian to ever receive the award. He is considered one of the most important figures in Indian history and his legacy still inspires people to this day.

Conclusion:

There’s a reason why Rabindranath Tagore is still celebrated as one of the greatest poets and authors in India – his work brings to life everything from history to philosophy, all with an unparalleled amount of depth. His poems are not only powerful because they’re relatable but also because they encourage readers to question their own values and ideas on life, spirituality, art and more. As you’ve probably noticed by now, Tagore wasn’t just known for his writing; he was heavily involved in films too.

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Rabindranath Tagore | Biography of the Famous Indian Polymath

Rabindranath Tagore was an Indian Bengali polymath who contributed to numerous fields including poetry, drama, art, music and education . Born in a culturally-rich family, Tagore despised formal education and was thus mostly home schooled . After dropping out from college, he began his literary career and started managing his family’s estates in Shilaidaha. In 1883, Rabindranath Tagore married Mrinalini Devi . Unfortunately his wife and two children died in 1902 leaving him devastated. This period of tragedy in his life from 1902 to 1907 is reflected in his later poetry that was introduced to the world as Gitanjali in 1912 . It was this book that won him the Nobel Prize in 1913 , making him the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature . Tagore died on 7th August 1941 at the age of 80 . He remains an influential figure in Indian as well as world literature. Know more about the family, life, education, marriage, career and death of Rabindranath Tagore through his biography.

Family And Education

Rabindranath Tagore was born on 7th May 1861 in Jorasanko Thakur Bari , the ancestral home of the Tagore’s , in Kolkata . He was the youngest of 13 surviving children born to Debendranath Tagore and his wife Sarada Devi . Rabindranath was born in a prosperous and culturally-rich family. Among other things, the Tagore family was at the forefront of the Bengal renaissance , an influential cultural movement in Bengal, India. Rabindranath’s father, Debendranath Tagore, was a renowned Hindu philosopher and one of the founders of the reformist socio-religious movement, Brahmo Samaj . On March 8, 1875 , when Rabindranath was only 14 years old , his mother Sarada Devi passed away . And as his father was an avid traveler and mostly away from home, Rabindranath was mostly raised by domestic helps.

Rabindranath hated formal schooling and he was mostly home schooled by his siblings. Though he didn’t attend school, Rabindranath learned various subjects including drawing, anatomy, geography, history, literature, mathematics, Sanskrit and English. At the age of 11, Rabindranath accompanied his father on a tour across India. On this journey, that included halts in Amritsar and Dalhousie , he read biographies and was exposed for the first time to the works of famous writers, including the great Kalidasa , who inspired him deeply.

After returning to Jorosanko, Rabindranath completed a set of major works by 1877. These included a long poem in the Maithili style . As a joke, Rabindranath wrote under the pseudonym Bhanusimha and claimed that these poems were the lost works of newly discovered 17th-century Vaisnava poet Bhanusimha. The early works of Tagore also include the short story, Bhikharini , published in 1877, which is the first short story written in Bengali language .

In 1878, at the age of seventeen, Tagore was sent to England for formal schooling. He enrolled at a public school in Brighton, East Sussex and later he briefly studied law at University College London as his father wanted him to be a barrister. However, Rabindranath despised formal education and instead studied works of William Shakespeare; and learned the essence of English, Irish and Scottish literature and music. He soon dropped out of college and returned to India.

In 1883, Rabindranath Tagore married Mrinalini Devi , who was 10 years old at the time . 19 years after their marriage, in 1902, Mrinalini Devi died and Tagore never remarried . The couple had five children , two of whom died in childhood. Apart from his wife, Tagore had a close relationship with his elder brother Jyotirindranath’s wife Kadambari. Kadambari committed suicide for unknown reasons at the age of 25 , exactly 4 months after Tagore’s wedding. She shared with Tagore a love for literature and Tagore dedicated poems and books to her before his marriage, and after she passed away .

Tagore published several books of poetry in the 1880s. In 1890, his poetry collection Manasi was published which marked the maturing of his genius and is regarded as one of his best works . In addition to his many literary activities, Rabindranath Tagore started managing his family’s estates in Shilaidaha from 1890. Here, his acute observation of the daily activities of the Bengali peasants, as well as close interaction with the rural countryside, provided Tagore with the subject matter for his poems and essays of the period. The period from 1891 to 1895 is known as the Sadhana period of Tagore . It is named after a journal of the same name which he started in 1891.

Rabindranath had always despised formal education . Deeply inspired to restructure the education system in India, he decided to establish an experimental school in a vast stretch of land owned by his father in Santiniketan , a small town near Bolpur in the Birbhum district of West Bengal , India. In 1901, Tagore shifted base to Santiniketan and founded an ashram there . It included a prayer hall with marble flooring, named The Mandir (The Temple) . Tagore introduced a curriculum that revolved around nature with classes held under the canopies of lush trees. He aimed to revive the ancient method of Indian teaching and spread it across the nation .

In 1902, Tagore was heartbroken as he lost his wife and two children during their stay at Santiniketan. This period of tragedy in his life from 1902 to 1907 is reflected in his later poetry that was introduced to the world as Gitanjali in 1912 . It was this book that won him the Nobel Prize in 1913 , making him the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature . Tagore was also Asia’s first Nobel laureate and the second non-European after Theodore Roosevelt to receive a Nobel Prize .

As his fame spread, Tagore seized the opportunity and started travelling extensively, giving lectures and recitals in several countries including the United States and Japan. During this period of extensive travels, he interacted with numerous personalities including Albert Einstein, Robert Frost, George Bernard Shaw and H.G. Wells . In 1927, Tagore embarked on a Southeast Asian tour to inspire the people in these areas with his literary works. He used his travels to spread wisdom and also to discuss the issues between India and Britain with world leaders. Tagore was an opponent of British imperialism . But he blamed Indians for their condition to an extent and called upon them to improve their situation through self-education .

Later Years And Death

Tagore was knighted by the British in 1915 but returned his knighthood in 1919 in protest of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre , in which many innocent Indians were brutally murdered by the British . Tagore criticized the Swadeshi movement led by famous Indian activist Mahatma Gandhi in his essay, The Cult of the Chakra in 1925 . Tagore’s views on British rule in India were complex. He considered the presence of British in India as a “political symptom of our social disease” . His vision of freedom for India was not limited to freedom from foreign rule but also freedom from ignorance and social ills . However, he did oppose imperialism and support the Indian nationalists .

In 1921, Tagore and agricultural economist Leonard Elmhirst set up the Institute for Rural Reconstruction (Shriniketan or Abode for Welfare) in a village near his ashram at Santiniketan. Through it, Tagore sought to free the villages from the shackles of ignorance by spreading knowledge. By the 1930s, he became very concerned with India’s rigid caste system and started lecturing on its evils as well as creating dramas and plays showcasing its ills.

In 1934, a massive earthquake hit Bihar, leading to rampant destruction and loss of lives. On this sad occasion, Mahatma Gandhi stated that the earthquake in Bihar was divine retribution for the subjugation of Dalits . Tagore publicly denounced this statement by Gandhi . He was also pained by the socio-economic decline of Bengal and the growing poverty in Calcutta. Moved by these unfortunate incidents, he compiled several moving works.

The last four years of the life of Tagore were marked by chronic pain and two long periods of illness . His ill health began in 1937 when he fell unconscious and remained in coma for an extended period . In 1940, he again suffered from a similar attack from which he never could recover . He also suffered from a disease of the Prostate Gland that led to much suffering in his later years. Rabindranath Tagore breathed his last on 7th August 1941 in the Jorasanko mansion in which he was raised. He was 80 years old .

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Rabindranath Tagore: Biography

Last updated on April 8, 2024 by ClearIAS Team

Rabindranath Tagore was an iconic figure in the Indian cultural renaissance. He was a polymath poet, philosopher, musician, writer, and educationist.

Rabindranath Tagore became the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in 1913 for his collection of poems, Gitanjali.

He was called Gurudev, Kabiguru, and Biswakabi affectionately and his songs are popularly known as Rabindrasangeet.

The national anthems of India and Bangladesh – the Jana Gana Mana and the Amar Shonar Bangla respectively are from the Rabindrasangeet.

Table of Contents

The early life of Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore was born on 7 th May 1861 in Calcutta as the youngest son of Debendranath Tagore and Sarada Devi.

His grandfather Dwarkanath Tagore was a rich landlord and social reformer. His father, Debendranath Tagore was a leader of the Brahmo Samaj , a new religious sect in nineteenth-century Bengal which attempted a revival of the ultimate monistic basis of Hinduism as laid down in the Upanishads.

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The Tagore family was a treasure trove of talent in every field. They hosted the publication of literary magazines; theatre and recitals of Bengali and Western classical music featured there regularly. Tagore’s father invited several professional musicians to stay in the house and teach Indian Classical music to the children.

Tagore’s oldest brother Dwijendranath was a philosopher and poet. Another brother, Satyendranath, was the first Indian appointed to the formerly all-European Indian Civil Service. Another brother, Jyotitindranath, was a musician, composer, and playwright. His sister Swarnakumari became a novelist.

Also read: Modern Indian Sculpture

Rabindra Nath Tagore had his initial education in Oriental Seminary School. But he did not like the conventional education and started studying at home under several teachers. He was mostly trained by his siblings both in literary as well as physical activities like gymnastics and martial arts.

Tagore was a child prodigy when it comes to writing as he has started writing and publishing poetry by the age of eight.

In 1873, at the age of eleven, Tagore and his father left Calcutta to tour India for several months. He visited his father’s Santiniketan estate and Amritsar before reaching the Himalayan hill station of Dalhousie where he read biographies, studied history, astronomy, modern science, and Sanskrit, and examined the classical poetry of Kalidasa.

At the age of seventeen, he was sent to England for formal law schooling but he did not finish his studies there. He rather took up independent studies of Shakespeare.

He returned from England in 1880 and regularly published poems, stories, and novels in Bengali, slowly starting to transform Bengali literature.

In 1883, he married Mrinalini Devi, a child bride as was the tradition in those times.

Rabindranath Tagore in Santiniketan

Tagore moved to Santiniketan ashram in 1901, where he started an experimental school based on traditional guru-shishya teaching methods from the Upanishads. He hoped that the revival of the ancient methods of teaching will be more beneficial than the British imparted modern education system.

His wife and two of their children died during this time which left him distraught.

After his return from England and during his stay in Santiniketan, Tagore wrote several literary works of poetry, stories, and novels. His works had started gaining immense popularity in India as well as abroad.

In 1909, Rabindranath Tagore started writing Gitanjali. In 1912, Tagore went to Europe for the second time. On the journey to London, he translated some of his poems/songs from Gitanjali to English. He met William Rothenstein, a noted British painter, in London who was impressed by the poems, made copies, and gave to Yeats and other English poets. Yeats was enthralled and later wrote the introduction to Gitanjali when it was published in September 1912 in a limited edition by the India Society in London. And in 1913, this collection of poems won the Nobel Prize in Literature. He was the first non-European to receive the prestigious award.

In 1915, he was awarded a knighthood by King George V.

Rabindranath Tagore in Independence movement

Tagore participated in the Indian nationalist movement from time to time, though in his own non-sentimental and visionary way; and Gandhi, the political father of modern India , was his devoted friend. Tagore came to be recognized as one of the architects of modern India.

India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru , wrote in  Discovery of India , “Tagore and Gandhi have undoubtedly been the two outstanding and dominating figures in the first half of the twentieth century. Tagore’s influence over the mind of India, and especially of successive rising generations has been tremendous. Not Bengali only, the language in which he wrote, but all the modern languages of India have been molded partly by his writings. More than any other Indian, he has helped to bring into harmony the ideals of the East and the West, and broadened the bases of Indian nationalism.”

In 1905, Viceroy Curzon decided to divide Bengal into two parts. Rabindranath Tagore strongly protested against this decision. Tagore wrote many national songs and attended protest meetings. He initiated the Rakhibandhan ceremony, symbolizing the underlying unity of undivided Bengal.

In 1919, following the Jallianwala Bagh massacre , Tagore renounced his knighthood condemning the act. He was a supporter of Gandhiji but he stayed out of politics. He was opposed to nationalism and militarism as a matter of principle, and instead promoted spiritual values and the creation of a new world culture founded in multi-culturalism, diversity, and tolerance.

Tagore the educationalist

1n 1921, Rabindranath Tagore established Viswabharati University and gave all his money from Nobel Prize and royalty money from his books to this University.

Tagore was quite knowledgeable of Western culture, especially Western poetry and sciences. Tagore had a good grasp of modern – post-Newtonian – physics and was well able to hold his own in a debate with Einstein in 1930 on the newly emerging principles of quantum mechanics and chaos. His meetings and tape-recorded conversations with his contemporaries such as Albert Einstein and H.G. Wells, epitomize his brilliance.

In 1940 Oxford University arranged a special ceremony in Santiniketan and awarded Rabindranath Tagore with a Doctorate of Literature.

Literary works of Rabindranath Tagore

Although Tagore wrote successfully in all literary genres, he was, first of all, a poet. Among his fifty and odd volumes of poetry are:

Manasi  (1890) (The Ideal One),  Sonar Tari  (1894) (The Golden Boat),  Gitanjali (1910) (Song Offerings), Gitimalya  (1914) (Wreath of Songs), and  Balaka  (1916) (The Flight of Cranes).

The English renderings of his poetry, which include  The Gardener  (1913),  Fruit-Gathering  (1916), and  The Fugitive  (1921), do not generally correspond to particular volumes in the original Bengali.

Tagore’s major plays are  Raja  (1910) [The King of the Dark Chamber],  Dakghar  (1912) [The Post Office] ,   Achalayatan  (1912) [The Immovable],  Muktadhara  (1922) [The Waterfall], and  Raktakaravi  (1926) [Red Oleanders].

He is the author of several volumes of short stories and many novels, among them Gora  (1910),  Ghare-Baire  (1916) [ The Home and the World ], and  Yogayog  (1929) [Crosscurrents].

Besides these, he wrote musical dramas, dance dramas, essays of all types, travel diaries, and two autobiographies, one in his middle years and the other shortly before his death in 1941. Tagore also left numerous drawings and paintings, and songs for which he wrote the music himself.

He also played the title role in his first original dramatic piece- Valmiki Pratibha.

After an extended period of suffering, Tagore died on August 7, 1941, in the same mansion in which he was brought up.

Legacy of Rabindranath Tagore:

Rabindranath Tagore changed the way Bengali literature was perceived as he left an everlasting impression on the readers.

Many countries have his statues erected and host many yearly events to pay tribute to the legendary writer.

Many of his works have been made global, thanks to a host of translations by many famous international writers.

There are five museums dedicated to Tagore. While three of them are situated in India, the remaining two are in Bangladesh. The museums’ house his famous works, and are visited by millions every year.

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17 Rabindranatha Tagore

Dr. Shanthi. G

Rabindranath’s poetic career culminated in his book Gitanjali , for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize. Actually his fame as a poet has eclipsed his great contributions to education. Although Tagore’s literary versatility as a poet, dramatist, short-story writer, essayist, and novelist has received wide attention in his home country, his educational theory and practice have been neglected for the most part. Tagore did not have any academic degree in education, but he was a great educator of his time. He not only advocated changes in education but practiced them in his school at Shantiniketan . The school started in 1901, was later expanded and named Visva-Bharati , the International University. Visva-Bharati  introduced the Department of Rural Welfare with the name Sriniketan. Sriniketan emerged as a centre of rural reconstruction and village education. Tagore is a pioneering educational thinker who could put into practice the principles of a holistic and realistic education. Today it is considered as a very revolutionary and progressive educational theory, even though not practiced by many. At present, when India is trying to find appropriate educational direction for its development, Tagore’s treatise on education needs to be revisited.

Philosophy of Education

Tagore, laid great stress and emphasis on the aesthetic development of the senses in his philosophy of education. He argued that development of the senses was as important as intellectual development. He therefore gave prominence to music, literature, art, dance, and drama in the daily life of the school. Tagore believed in an all round development of personality and in his institution education continues to address the all round development of the students.

Tagore’s theory of education is marked by naturalistic & aesthetic values. He had a belief that “The widest road leading to the solution of all our problems is education.” Education can develop a new pattern of life which culminates in the realisation of Universal man. Tagore’s system of education emphasises the intellectual, physical, social, moral economic and spiritual aspects of human life by which a man can develop an integrated personality (https://www.academia.edu/4659110/Rabindranath_Tagore_on_Education).

Tagore believed that along with education, economic upliftment is also necessary. Since economic life covers the whole width of the fundamental basis of society because its necessities are the simplest and the most universal, he suggested that educational institutions, in order to obtain their fullness of truth, must have close associations with this economic life. “Our university must not only instruct, but live; not only think, but produce” (https://archive.org/stream/tagorehiseducati00jala/tagorehiseducati00jala_djvu.txt).

(http://quotesgram.com/rabindranath-tagore-quotes-life/)

Aims of Education

Tagoer’s views on education and its aims are reflected in the goals of Shantiniketan an educational institution founded by him. The aims of education according to him are as follows:

Self Realisation

Spiritualism is the essence of humanism, this concept has been reflected in Tagore’s educational philosophy. Self-realisation is an important aim of education. Manifestation of personality depends upon the self-realisation and spiritual knowledge of an individual.

Intellectual Development

Tagore also greatly emphasised the intellectual development of the child. By intellectual development he means development of imagination, creative free thinking, constant curiosity and alertness of the mind. Children must be free to adopt their own ways of learning which would lead to all round development.

Physical Development

Tagore’s educational philosophy also aims at the physical development of the child. He gave much importance to a sound and healthy physique. There were different kinds of exercises, such as Yoga, games and sports prescribed in Shantiniketan as an integral part of the education system.

Love for Humanity

Tagore held that the entire universe is one family. Education can teach people to realize the oneness of the globe. Education for international understanding and universal brotherhood is another important aim of his educational philosophy. The feeling of oneness can be developed through concepts like fatherhood of God and brotherhood of human beings. In other words all beings are equal.

Establishment of Relationship between Man and God

Tagore noted that human beings possess different qualities and potentialities that are bestowed by God. These qualities are inborn and innate. Hence, the relationship between human beings and God is strong and permanent. However the dedication to spiritualism and sacredness will lead to a harmonious relationship between man, nature and God.

Freedom according to Tagore is an integral aspect of human development. Education is a personality building process; it explores the innate power that exists within all human beings. It is not an imposition, but a liberal process that provides utmost freedom to  individuals for their all round development. He says, “Education has learning only when it is imparted through the path of freedom”(https://archive.org/stream/ tagorehiseducati00jala/ tagorehiseducati00jala_djvu.txt).

Co-relation of Objects

Tagore noted that there exists a co-relation between God, man and nature. A peaceful world is only possible only when this co-relation is established between man and nature. Mother tongue as the Medium of Instruction

Tagore very strongly believed that the language is the true vehicle of self-expression. People can freely express their thoughts in their mother-tongues. Tagore has emphasised that mother tongue must serve as medium of instruction for a child’s education.

Moral and Spiritual Development

Tagore emphasised moral and spiritual training in his educational thought. Moral and spiritual education is more important than bookish knowledge for an integral development of human personality. There must be an adequate provision for the development of selfless activities, co-operation and love, fellow feeling and sharing among the students in educational institutions.

Social Development

According to Tagore, “ Brahma ” the supreme soul manifests himself through human beings and other creatures. Since ‘He’ is the source of all human-beings and creatures, all are equal. Rabindranath Tagore therefore said, “service to man is service to god”. Every human being must develop social relationship and fellow-feeling from the beginnings of one’s life. Education aims at developing the individual personality as well as social characters which enables them to live as worthy beings (https://www. academia.edu/ 4659110/Rabindranath _Tagore_ on_ Education).

It emerges from an understanding of the goals of education as enunciated by Tagore that he stressed on the emancipation of the soul more than the ‘body’ or ‘mind’. “For us to maintain our self- respect which we owe to ourselves and to our Creator, we must make the purpose of our education. . .the fullest growth and freedom of soul”. For the attainment of this aim, he emphasized on intellectual, physical, moral and social development of an individual (http://www.redbrickseducation.org/Pdf/Bo-Tree/people/People_ Vol.03_P03_ 2012_web.pdf ; Mondal et al, 2014.)

Ideal Education

In many works of Tagore, he has discussed what according to him ideal education is. He references to ideal education as one that covers an ideal atmosphere, institution, teacher, and method. While discussing Tagore’s educational ideals, Alex Aronson (1978) noted that the perfect education given to a child should, therefore, be like the perfect poem: self contained, unified, and controlled by the ever-recurring rhythm of natural growth from childhood to adulthood.

To Tagore it was not the formal method of teaching, which was the most important part of an ideal education, but it was the environment which surrounded the educational pattern. He believed that it is absolutely necessary to cater to the mental health and overall growth of children rather than merely teaching within four walls. Tagore noted that what is more important is a world whose guiding spirit is personal love. It must be an ashram where men have gathered for the highest end of life, in the peace of nature, where life is not merely meditative, but fully awake in its activities. It is due to this that any description of such a school would be inadequate. It is not some place which can be described in terms of fixed rules and regulations or curriculum. Here children live in an atmosphere of culture, and do not feel that the school is an imposition. Education is no longer instruction, but it is a process of inspiration and a joyous but slow absorption (Tagore. 1929).

Similarly, an ideal institution, in Tagore’s view, should provide children with the first important lesson of “improvisation” and with “constant occasions to explore one’s capacity through surprises of achievement.” There is no place for constant imposition of ready-made ideas and knowledge. Tagore advocated a creative middle path between work and asceticism. This middle path is the path of self-realization or Sadhana and this part has been emphasised most in Tagore’s ideal institution (https://www. academia.edu/ 4659110/Rabindranath_Tagore_on_Education, Tagore.1929,https://archive.org/stream/tagor ehiseducati00jala/tagorehiseducati00jala_djvu.txt).

Tagore noted that ‘Ideal education can be imparted only by ideal teachers’. According to Tagore the greater part of our learning in schools has been wasted because, for most of our teachers, their subjects are like dead specimens of once-living things with which they have a learned acquaintance, but no communication of life and love. The teacher who merely repeats bookish knowledge mechanically can never teach anything and can never inspire, and without proper inspiration independent creative faculties can never develop (Tagore. 1929).

Thus, true education, he asserts, develops the power of self-reliance, the ability to do without materials and the machine. The ideal of the Ashram education, which he advocated was education for life at its fullest. His idea was to train young men and women in freedom and strength, in courage and service. According to Tagore, books make the mind lazy. The child should be exposed to an atmosphere of creativity and learning, to a world of experiences. For the first twelve years we must educate the child’s mind along the line of its own natural tendencies and instincts and only then, at twelve years old, introduce the books” (Tagore. 1929). He never believed in compulsion, but tried to give the best side of human nature a chance to show itself. Everything in the school he left to the initiative of the pupils, though they were always in close touch with their elders. The primary object of an institution should not be merely to educate one’s limbs and mind to be in efficient readiness for all emergencies (Tagore. 1929).

Tagore’s Experiments with Educational Theory and Practice

Tagore’s educational theory was found practical expressions in his school at Shantiniketan . In December 1901, an experimental school known as Brahmacharyashram was started by Rabindranath with only five students on roll. The founding of the school was part of the education in fullness. Beginning with his own unhappy memory of school, which he described as a blend of hospital and gaol, he concentrated on children and emphasized creativity, the need for atmosphere and natural surroundings. The aim was neither ascetic nor revivalistic but integrative. Tagore notes that his initial efforts drew comments such as “an outcome of his poetic fancy”, “something outrageously new being the product of daring experience” (Tagore, 1917q, p. 137). Nevertheless, he succeeded in gathering around him a band of selfless workers and the management of the school was carried on along simple democratic lines through a committee almost entirely elected by the staff. Education was entirely free. The curriculum included English, Bengali, Sanskrit, Arithmetic, History, Geography, and Science. All work like housekeeping, gardening, except cooking, had to be done by the pupils themselves. Life was simple, regular and austere and was inspired by the ideals of hospitality, self-help and respect for the elders (https://archive.org/stream/tagore hiseducati00jala/tagorehiseducati00jala_djvu.txt). Life in the midst of nature he believed, equips each pupil to imbibe the values of appreciation of the nature its sustenance, co-living and respect for multi-cultural components of human society. The learning was based on self experiencing of the universe around us and drawing intensely from it. In the play hours in the evenings in his schooling method, each student has to spend in story-telling, watching the  stars, singing, and performing plays. These songs and plays most of the time were encouraged to be written by students themselves. Learning was made fun and the choice of the child. This approach to learning helped many students to come to his experimental school rather than discontinue. A school which began with less than 10 students had 150 on rolls in a short span of time. This increase in student population necessitated immediate extension of school buildings and expansion of grounds and facilities. In 1908 the girls’ section was added. Although according to the syllabus prescribed textbooks had to be studied in the matriculation classes, stereotyped textbooks were discarded and general reading was encouraged. Thorough attention was paid to the health of the students. Games and gardening were compulsory. Though the school unfairly enough enjoyed the unenviable reputation of being an exile for problem children, corporal punishment was prohibited on principle and very seldom actually resorted to.

From 1919, arrangements were made for providing courses of higher studies in Buddhist literature, Vedic and Classical Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit and later on Tibetan, Chinese, Jain, Zoroastrian and Islamic studies. Tagore had already introduced the teaching of art and music, and now, Kala Bhavan (School of Art and Music) was established at Visva- Bharati (https://archive.org/stream/tagorehiseducati00jala/tagorehiseducati00jala_djvu.txt, https://www. academia.edu/ 4659110/Rabindranath_Tagore_ on_ Education). Viswa-Bharati

The idea of establishing a center of learning where not only the East but the whole world would meet in cultural communion took a more definite shape during his tour of foreign countries immediately after World War I. The name Visva-Bharati came into existence in 1921. Since then Shantiniketan has been the seat of Visva-Bharati – an international university, seeking to develop a basis on which the cultures of the East and the West may meet in common fellowship with a motto “ Yatra Visvam Bhavatyekanidam ”, ie., “where the world makes its home in a single nest”. Visva-Bharati as a whole, aimed at establishing a living relationship between the East and the West, promoting inter-racial amity and inter-cultural understanding and fulfilling the highest mission of the present age – the unification of mankind.

The school went through innumerable experimental changes and finally emerged in two parts namely, Vidya Bhavan , which concentrated mainly on research work and studies of different eastern cultures, and Siksha-Bhavan , which imparted collegiate education up to the graduation level. The music and art sections were separated in 1934 and the music section became the Sangeet Bhavana , while the art section retained its old name, Kala Bhavana . In  the late thirties, two more departments, Cheena-Bhavana and Hindi Bhavana were established with endowments for Chinese and Hindi studies. After Rabindranath Tagore’s death in 1941, Rabindra- Bhavana was established in July 1942, as a Research Academy and Memorial Museum. In 1948, another department, Vinaya-Bhavana , was established under the basic education training scheme. In May 1951, four years after independence of India, Visva-Bharati was declared to be an institution of national importance and was incorporated as a unitary teaching and residential university by Act XXIX of 1951 of the Indian Parliament (https://archive.org/stream/tagorehiseducati00jala/tagorehiseducati00jala_djvu.txt, https:// www.academia.edu/4659110/Rabindranath_Tagore_on_Education).

Any description of Visva-Bharati is incomplete without Sriniketan . Tagore believed that an important part of the work of a university should be to gather accurate knowledge about rural conditions, their practices related to various aspects of life in general and agriculture and economy and social issues in particular and also their tribulations related to the life situations. He wanted the knowledge acquired by the students and research groups be used to solve the issues and problems faced by rural communities. To Tagore, the word “ Sri ” in Sriniketan stood for prosperity. The name Sriniketan therefore reveals Tagore’s hope to make it a center where rural development related knowledge would be developed based on the inputs at grass-roots level and also to bring more authentic scientific knowledge to rural communities so that the lives of these people could be more meaningful, thus leading to prosperity and welfare of villages.

Sriniketan was started with two main objectives. First, to understand the economic and social needs of the cultivators and second, to extend the scientific knowledge available in areas like health, education, agricultural practices, animal husbandry and craft. Accordingly, the activities of Sriniketan were organized under four departments: (1) Agriculture, including Animal Husbandry, (2) Industries, (3) Village Welfare, and (4) Education, and the unified program was given the name of Institute of Rural Reconstruction “Palli Samgathan Vibhaga ” (https://www. academia.edu/ 4659110/Rabindranath _Tagore_ on_ Education, Tagore.1929, https://archive.org/stream/ tagorehiseducati00jala/ tagorehiseducati00jala _djvu .txt).

Siksha-Satra

Tagore’s philosophy further translated into action when he established a high school, Siksha-Satra , mainly for rural children in Sriniketan . This is apart the educational activities of the Village Welfare Department. The school is organised as a miniature community and students do everything that a village householder is expected to do, on a  small scale but with greater efficiency and understanding. The literary education is not ignored but more attention is given to building up of the complete human being. The extra-curricular activities of the Siksha-Satra included: (1) Industry (weaving, carpentry, book-binding and leather works), (2) Gardening, (3) Health and sanitation, (4) Housecraft and general management, (5) Sports, games and Brati-Balaka activities, (6) Educational trips to places of interest, (7) Literary society, (8) A monthly manuscript magazine – Chesta (Effort). Siksha-Charcha Bhavana – Educational activities at Sriniketan also included a training school for teachers of village primary school which is known as Siksha-Charcha . It provides instruction in both theory and practice for teachers. Practical training in one village craft is considered essential.

After Tagore’s death a new department was added in Sriniketan . This was the Palli Siksha Sadana , a College of Agriculture. It was designed primarily to equip rural youth with the knowledge of modern methods of farming. Besides, instruction in basic sciences like Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics, Botany and Zoology, it also provides specialised courses in Agronomy, Goat Keeping, Agricultural Economics, Agricultural Chemistry, Horticulture, Entomology, Agricultural Engineering, Plant Pathology, Genetics, Plant Breeding and Farm Management. Practical training in agriculture and dairy farms and field work are integral elements of the course (https://archive.org/stream/tagorehiseducati00jala/tagorehis educat i00jala_djvu.txt, https://www.academia.edu/4659110/Rabindranath _Tagore_ on_Education). Educational Contributions of Tagore

To understand Tagore’s contributions to education one must glean through his various writings and educational experiments at Santiniketan. This is mainly due to the fact that Tagore did not write an educational treatise. We understand his thoughts on education evolved gradually with many experiments and his exposure to different schooling methods across the globe. He envisioned an education that was deeply rooted in one’s immediate surroundings but connected to the cultures of the wider world, predicated upon pleasurable learning, individualised to the personality of the child. He felt that a curriculum should revolve organically around nature with classes held in the open air under the trees to provide for a spontaneous appreciation of the fluidity of the plant and animal kingdoms, and seasonal changes. Children sat on hand-woven mats beneath the trees, which they were allowed to climb and run beneath between classes. Nature walks and excursions were a part of the curriculum and students were encouraged to follow the life cycles of insects, birds and plants. Class schedules were made flexible to allow for shifts in the weather or special  attention to natural phenomena, and seasonal festivals were created for the children by Tagore (https://archive.org/stream/ tagorehiseducati00jala/ tagorehiseducati00jala _djvu.txt).

Tagore’s philosophy of education placed equal importance on the aesthetic development of the senses along with the intellectual. To him music, literature, art, dance and drama were very important aspects of daily school life. Without music and the fine arts, he wrote, a nation lacks its highest means of national self-expression and the people remain inarticulate. Tagore was one of the first to support and bring together different forms of Indian dance. He helped revive folk dances and introduced dance forms from other parts of India, such as Manipuri, Kathak and Kathakali . He also supported modern dance.

In keeping with his theory of subconscious learning, Tagore engaged the students in whatever he was writing or composing. The students were allowed access to the room where he read his new writings to teachers and critics, and they were encouraged to read out their own writings in special literary evenings. In teaching also he believed in presenting difficult levels of literature, which the students might not fully grasp, but which would stimulate them. The students at Shantiniketan were encouraged to create their own publications and put out several illustrated magazines. The children were encouraged to follow their ideas in painting and drawing and to draw inspiration from the many visiting artists and writers (https://www. academia.edu/ 4659110/Rabindranath _Tagore_ on_ Education).

The melting point of cultures, as Tagore had envisioned it at Visva-Bharati , a learning centre where conflicting interests are minimized , where individuals work together in a common pursuit of truth and realise ‘that artists in all parts of the world have created forms of beauty, scientists discovered secrets of the universe, philosophers solved the problems of existence, saints made the truth of the spiritual world organic in their own lives, not merely for some particular race to which they belonged, but for all mankind.’

To encourage mutuality, Tagore invited artists and scholars from other parts of India and the world to live together at Shantiniketan on a daily basis to share their cultures with Visva-Bharati . The Constitution designated Visva-Bharati as an Indian, Eastern and Global cultural centre whose goals were to:

• Study the mind of Man in its realisation of different aspects of truth from diverse points of view.
• Bring into more intimate relation with one another through patient study and research, the different cultures of the East on the basis of their underlying unity.
• Approach the West from the standpoint of such a unity of the life and thought of Asia.
• Seek to realise in a common fellowship of study the meeting of East and West and thus ultimately strengthen the fundamental conditions of world peace through the free communication of ideas between the two hemispheres.
• And with such Ideals in view to provide at Shantiniketan a centre of culture where research into the study of the religion, literature, history, science and art of Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Zoroastrian, Islamic, Sikh, Christian and other civilisations may be pursued along with the culture of the West, with that simplicity of externals which is necessary for true spiritual realisation, in amity, good-fellowship and co-operation between the thinkers and scholars of both Eastern and Western countries, free from all antagonisms of race, nationality, creed or caste and in the name of the One Supreme Being who is Shantam, Shivam, Advaitam (O’Connell, K. M. (2003).

In terms of curriculum, Tagore advocated a different methodology of teaching. Rather than studying national cultures for the wars won and cultural dominance imposed, he advocated a teaching system that analysed history and culture for the progress that had been made in breaking down social and religious barriers. Rabindranath Tagore is acknowledged as a living icon of the type of mutuality and creative exchange that he advocated.

Tagore’s educational efforts were ground-breaking in many areas. He was one of the first in India to argue for a humane educational system that was in touch with the environment and aimed at overall development of the personality. Shantiniketan became a model for vernacular instruction and the development of Bengali textbooks; as well, it offered one of the earliest coeducational programs in South Asia. The establishment of Visva-Bharati and Sriniketan led to pioneering efforts in many directions, including models for distinctively Indian higher education and mass education, as well as pan-Asian and global cultural exchange.

One characteristic that sets Rabindranath Tagore’s educational theory apart is his approach to education as a poet. At Shantiniketan , he stated, his goal was to create a poem ‘in a medium other than words.’ It was this poetic vision that enabled him to fashion a scheme of education which was all inclusive, and to devise a unique program for education in nature and creative self-expression in a learning climate congenial to global cultural exchange.

Rabindranath Tagore, stands with the pioneering educators, like, Rousseau, Pestalozzi, Froebel, Montessori and Dewey Malcolm Knowles, who have striven to create non-authoritarian learning systems appropriate to the surroundings(O’Connell, K. M. (2003).  Tagore’s ideas of non-authoritarian learning and goals for international education is best understood through his poem he writes:

“Where the mind is without fear

and the head is held high,

where knowledge is free.

Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls.

Where words come out from the depth of truth,

where tireless striving stretches its arms toward perfection. Where the clear stream of reason has not lost it’s way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit.

Where the mind is led forward by thee

into ever widening thought and action.

In to that heaven of freedom, my father,

LET MY COUNTRY AWAKE!”

―  Rabindranath Tagore, Gitanjali: Song Offerings

“The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence.”

“he who has the knowledge has the responsibility to impart it to the students.”

―  Rabindranath Tagore, Gitanjali

• Alex Aronson. Rabindranath Through Western Eyes. 1978. Rddhi-India; 2nd edition
• Mondal et al, 2014. Foundations and Development of Education, Rita Publications, Kolkata
• O’Connell, K. M. (2003). ‘Rabindranath Tagore on education’, the encyclopaedia of informal education. [http://infed.org/mobi/rabindranath-tagore-on-education/. Retrieved:24.03.2016].
• Pushpanathan. T. 2013. Rabindranath Tagore s philosophy of education and its influence on Indian education. International Journal of Current Research and Academic Review 2013;1(4):42-45
• Tagore, Rabindranath. 1917. My Reminiscences . New York: The Macmillan Company.
• Tagore, Rabindranath. 1917 Personality . London: Macmillan & Co.
• Tagore Rabindranath. 1922. Creative Unity. London: Macmillan & Co.
• Tagore, Rabindranath. 1929. “ Ideals of Education ”, The Visva-Bharati Quarterly (April-July), 73-4.
• Tagore, Rabindranath (1961) Towards Universal Man . New York: Asia Publishing House.
• (https://archive.org/stream/tagorehiseducati00jala/tagorehiseducati00jala_djvu.txt)
• (https://www.academia.edu/4659110/Rabindranath_Tagore_on_Education http://quotesgram.com/rabindranath-tagore-quotes-life/
• http://www.redbrickseducation.org/Pdf/Bo-Tree/people/People_ Vol.03_P03_ 2012_web.pdf http://infed.org/mobi/rabindranath-tagore-on-education/

the encyclopaedia of pedagogy and informal education

Rabindranath Tagore on education

Rabindranath Tagore on education. As one of the earliest educators to think in terms of the global village, Rabindranath Tagore’s educational model has a unique sensitivity and aptness for education within multi-racial, multi-lingual and multi-cultural situations, amidst conditions of acknowledged economic discrepancy and political imbalance. Kathleen M. O’Connell explores Rabindranath Tagore’s contribution.

contents: background · key ideas · conclusion · bibliography · links · how to cite this article

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) , Asia’s first Nobel Laureate, was born into a prominent Calcutta family known for its socio-religious and cultural innovations during the 19th Bengal Renaissance. The profound social and cultural involvement of his family would later play a strong role in the formulation of Rabindranath’s educational priorities. His grandfather Dwarkanath was involved in supporting medical facilities, educational institutions and the arts, and he fought for religious and social reform and the establishment of a free press. His father was also a leader in social and religious reform, who encouraged a multi-cultural exchange in the family mansion Jorasanko. Within the joint family, Rabindranath’s thirteen brothers and sisters were mathematicians, journalists, novelists, musicians, artists. His cousins, who shared the family mansion, were leaders in theatre, science and a new art movement.

The tremendous excitement and cultural richness of his extended family permitted young Rabindranath to absorb and learn subconsciously at his own pace, giving him a dynamic open model of education, which he later tried to recreate in his school at Santiniketan. Not surprisingly, he found his outside formal schooling to be inferior and boring and, after a brief exposure to several schools, he refused to attend school. The only degrees he ever received were honorary ones bestowed late in life.

His experiences at Jorasanko provided him with a lifelong conviction concerning the importance of freedom in education. He also realized in a profound manner the importance of the arts for developing empathy and sensitivity, and the necessity for an intimate relationship with one’s cultural and natural environment. In participating in the cosmopolitan activities of the family, he came to reject narrowness in general, and in particular, any form of narrowness that separated human being from human being. He saw education as a vehicle for appreciating the richest aspects of other cultures, while maintaining one’s own cultural specificity. As he wrote:

I was brought up in an atmosphere of aspiration, aspiration for the expansion of the human spirit. We in our home sought freedom of power in our language, freedom of imagination in our literature, freedom of soul in our religious creeds and that of mind in our social environment. Such an opportunity has given me confidence in the power of education which is one with life and only which can give us real freedom, the highest that is claimed for man, his freedom of moral communion in the human world…. I try to assert in my words and works that education has its only meaning and object in freedom–freedom from ignorance about the laws of the universe, and freedom from passion and prejudice in our communication with the human world. In my institution I have attempted to create an atmosphere of naturalness in our relationship with strangers, and the spirit of hospitality which is the first virtue in men that made civilization possible. I invited thinkers and scholars from foreign lands to let our boys know how easy it is to realise our common fellowship, when we deal with those who are great, and that it is the puny who with their petty vanities set up barriers between man and man. (Rabindranath Tagore 1929: 73-74)

As well as growing up in a household that was the meeting place for leading artists and intellectuals from India and the West, Rabindranath had a further experience which was unusual for someone of his upbringing. In the 1890s, he was put in charge of the family’s rural properties in East Bengal. His first experiments in adult education were carried out there as he gradually became aware of the acute material and cultural poverty that permeated the villages, as well as the great divide between the uneducated rural areas and the city elites. His experiences made him determined to do something about rural uplift, and later at Santiniketan, students and teachers were involved with literacy training and social work and the promotion of cooperative schemes. As an alternative to the existing forms of education, he started a small school at Santiniketan in 1901 that developed into a university and rural reconstruction centre, where he tried to develop an alternative model of education that stemmed from his own learning experiences.

Rabindranath composed his first poem at age eight, and by the end of his life, had written over twenty-five volumes of poetry, fifteen plays, ninety short stories, eleven novels, thirteen volumes of essays, initiated and edited various journals, prepared Bengali textbooks, kept up a correspondence involving thousands of letters, composed over two thousand songs; and – after the age of seventy – created more than two thousand pictures and sketches. He dedicated forty years of his life to his educational institution at Santiniketan, West Bengal. Rabindranath’s school contained a children’s school as well as a university known as Visva-Bharati and a rural education Centre known as Sriniketan.

Rabindranath did not write a central educational treatise, and his ideas must be gleaned through his various writings and educational experiments at Santiniketan In general, he envisioned an education that was deeply rooted in one’s immediate surroundings but connected to the cultures of the wider world, predicated upon pleasurable learning and individualized to the personality of the child. He felt that a curriculum should revolve organically around nature with classes held in the open air under the trees to provide for a spontaneous appreciation of the fluidity of the plant and animal kingdoms, and seasonal changes. Children sat on hand-woven mats beneath the trees, which they were allowed to climb and run beneath between classes. Nature walks and excursions were a part of the curriculum and students were encouraged to follow the life cycles of insects, birds and plants. Class schedules were made flexible to allow for shifts in the weather or special attention to natural phenomena, and seasonal festivals were created for the children by Tagore. In an essay entitled “A Poet’s School,” he emphasizes the importance of an empathetic sense of interconnectedness with the surrounding world:

We have come to this world to accept it, not merely to know it. We may become powerful by knowledge, but we attain fullness by sympathy. The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence. But we find that this education of sympathy is not only systematically ignored in schools, but it is severely repressed. From our very childhood habits are formed and knowledge is imparted in such a manner that our life is weaned away from nature and our mind and the world are set in opposition from the beginning of our days. Thus the greatest of educations for which we came prepared is neglected, and we are made to lose our world to find a bagful of information instead. We rob the child of his earth to teach him geography, of language to teach him grammar. His hunger is for the Epic, but he is supplied with chronicles of facts and dates…Child-nature protests against such calamity with all its power of suffering, subdued at last into silence by punishment. (Rabindranath Tagore, Personality ,1917: 116-17)

In Tagore’s philosophy of education, the aesthetic development of the senses was as important as the intellectual–if not more so–and music, literature, art, dance and drama were given great prominence in the daily life of the school. This was particularly so after the first decade of the school. Drawing on his home life at Jorasanko, Rabindranath tried to create an atmosphere in which the arts would become instinctive. One of the first areas to be emphasized was music. Rabindranath writes that in his adolescence, a ‘cascade of musical emotion’ gushed forth day after day at Jorasanko. ‘We felt we would try to test everything,’ he writes, ‘and no achievement seemed impossible…We wrote, we sang, we acted, we poured ourselves out on every side.’ (Rabindranath Tagore, My Reminiscences 1917: 141)

In keeping with his theory of subconscious learning, Rabindranath never talked or wrote down to the students, but rather involved them with whatever he was writing or composing. The students were allowed access to the room where he read his new writings to teachers and critics, and they were encouraged to read out their own writings in special literary evenings. In teaching also he believed in presenting difficult levels of literature, which the students might not fully grasp, but which would stimulate them. The writing and publishing of periodicals had always been an important aspect of Jorasanko life, and students at Santiniketan were encouraged to create their own publications and put out several illustrated magazines. The children were encouraged to follow their ideas in painting and drawing and to draw inspiration from the many visiting artists and writers.

Most of Rabindranath’s dramas were written at Santiniketan and the students took part in both the performing and production sides. He writes how well the students were able to enter into the spirit of the dramas and perform their roles, which required subtle understanding and sympathy without special training.

As Rabindranath began conceiving of Visva-Bharati as a national centre for the arts, he encouraged artists such as Nandalal Bose to take up residence at Santiniketan and to devote themselves full-time to promoting a national form of art. Without music and the fine arts, he wrote, a nation lacks its highest means of national self-expression and the people remain inarticulate. Tagore was one of the first to support and bring together different forms of Indian dance. He helped revive folk dances and introduced dance forms from other parts of India, such as Manipuri, Kathak and Kathakali. He also supported modern dance and was one of the first to recognize the talents of Uday Sankar, who was invited to perform at Santiniketan.

The meeting-ground of cultures, as Rabindranath envisioned it at Visva-Bharati, should be a learning centre where conflicting interests are minimized , where individuals work together in a common pursuit of truth and realise ‘that artists in all parts of the world have created forms of beauty, scientists discovered secrets of the universe, philosophers solved the problems of existence, saints made the truth of the spiritual world organic in their own lives, not merely for some particular race to which they belonged, but for all mankind.’ (Tagore 1922:171-2)

To encourage mutuality, Rabindranath invited artists and scholars from other parts of India and the world to live together at Santiniketan on a daily basis to share their cultures with Visva-Bharati. The Constitution designated Visva-Bharati as an Indian, Eastern and Global cultural centre whose goals were:

• To study the mind of Man in its realisation of different aspects of truth from diverse points of view.
• To bring into more intimate relation with one another through patient study and research, the different cultures of the East on the basis of their underlying unity.
• To approach the West from the standpoint of such a unity of the life and thought of Asia.
• To seek to realise in a common fellowship of study the meeting of East and West and thus ultimately to strengthen the fundamental conditions of world peace through the free communication of ideas between the two hemispheres.
• And with such Ideals in view to provide at Santiniketan a centre of culture where research into the study of the religion, literature, history, science and art of Hindu, Buddhist, Jain, Zoroastrian, Islamic, Sikh, Christian and other civilizations may be pursued along with the culture of the West, with that simplicity of externals which is necessary for true spiritual realisation, in amity, good-fellowship and co-operation between the thinkers and scholars of both Eastern and Western countries, free from all antagonisms of race, nationality, creed or caste and in the name of the One Supreme Being who is Shantam, Shivam, Advaitam.

In terms of curriculum, he advocated a different emphasis in teaching. Rather than studying national cultures for the wars won and cultural dominance imposed, he advocated a teaching system that analysed history and culture for the progress that had been made in breaking down social and religious barriers. Such an approach emphasized the innovations that had been made in integrating individuals of diverse backgrounds into a larger framework, and in devising the economic policies which emphasized social justice and narrowed the gap between rich and poor. Art would be studied for its role in furthering the aesthetic imagination and expressing universal themes.

It should be noted that Rabindranath in his own person was a living icon of the type of mutuality and creative exchange that he advocated. His vision of culture was not a static one, but one that advocated new cultural fusions, and he fought for a world where multiple voices were encouraged to interact with one another and to reconcile differences within an overriding commitment to peace and mutual interconnectedness. His generous personality and his striving to break down barriers of all sorts gives us a model for the way multiculturalism can exist within a single human personality, and the type of individual which the educational process should be aspiring towards.

Tagore’s educational efforts were ground-breaking in many areas. He was one of the first in India to argue for a humane educational system that was in touch with the environment and aimed at overall development of the personality. Santiniketan became a model for vernacular instruction and the development of Bengali textbooks; as well, it offered one of the earliest coeducational programs in South Asia. The establishment of Visva-Bharati and Sriniketan led to pioneering efforts in many directions, including models for distinctively Indian higher education and mass education, as well as pan-Asian and global cultural exchange.

One characteristic that sets Rabindranath’s educational theory apart is his approach to education as a poet. At Santiniketan, he stated, his goal was to create a poem ‘in a medium other than words.’ It was this poetic vision that enabled him to fashion a scheme of education which was all inclusive, and to devise a unique program for education in nature and creative self-expression in a learning climate congenial to global cultural exchange.

Rabindranath Tagore, by his efforts and achievements, is part of a global network of pioneering educators, such as Rousseau, Pestalozzi, Froebel, Montessori and Dewey–and in the contemporary context, Malcolm Knowles–who have striven to create non-authoritarian learning systems appropriate to their respective surroundings. In a poem that expresses Tagore’s goals for international education, he writes:

Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high, Where knowledge is free; Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls; Where words come out from the depth of truth; Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection; Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way into the dreary desert sand of dead habit; Where the mind is led forward by thee into ever-widening thought and action– into that heaven of freedom, my Father, Let my country awake.

Further reading and references

Dutta, Krishna & Andrew Robinson (1995) Rabindranath Tagore:The Myriad-Minded Man , London: Bloomsbury.

Kripalani, Krishna, Rabindranath Tagore (1980) Calcutta: Visva-Bharati.

O’Connell, Kathleen(2002) Rabindranath Tagore: The Poet as Educator, Calcutta:Visva-Bharati, 2002.

Tagore, Rabindranath (1980) Our Universe . Translated by Indu Dutt. Bombay: Jaico Publishing House

Tagore, Rabindranath (1961) The Religion of Man . Boston: Beacon Press.

Tagore, Rabindranath (1985) Rabindranath Tagore:Selected Poems . Translated by William Radice. Harmondsworth, Middlesex: Penguin Books.

Tagore, Rabindranath (1966) A Tagore Reader . Edited by Amiya Chakravarty. Boston: Beacon Press.

Selected letters of Rabindranath Tagore (1997) edited by Krishna Dutta and Andrew Robinson.

Tagore Rabindranath. (1922) Creative Unity. London: Macmillan & Co.

Tagore, Rabindranath (1961) Towards Universal Man . New York: Asia Publishing House. Tagore, Rabindranath. (1917) My Reminiscences . New York: The Macmillan Company.

Tagore, Rabindranath (1917) Personality . London: Macmillan & Co.

Tagore, Rabindranath (1929) “Ideals of Education”, The Visva-Bharati Quarterly (April-July), 73-4.

To learn more about Tagore’s educational institutions:

http://www.globalsolidarity.org/articles/nonformal.html

http://www.itihaas.com/modern/tagore-profile.html

http://www.visva.bharati.com

Acknowledgements: The picture of Rabindranath Tagore’s statue is by Eugene Kim. Sourced from Flickr and reproduced under a Creative Commons  Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0) licence. https://www.flickr.com/photos/eekim/10255499135/

How to cite this article : O’Connell, K. M. (2003). ‘Rabindranath Tagore on education’, The encyclopedia of pedagogy and informal education. [https://infed.org/mobi/rabindranath-tagore-on-education/. Retrieved: insert date ].

Kathleen M. O’Connell teaches courses on South Asia at New College, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario. Her research interests include Rabindranath Tagore; Satyajit Ray; and Bengali literature and cultural history.

© Kathleen M. O’Connell 2003

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Rabindranath Tagore Biography, Facts, Books, and Nobel Prize

How does one individual leave such an immense, diverse legacy that continues to inspire the world decades after? To truly understand Rabindranath Tagore biography, facts and multifaceted greatness, we must delve deeper into the fascinating life of this extraordinary soul who epitomized the Renaissance spirit. Hailed as ‘Gurudev’, Tagore was that rare polymath – a prolific writer, insightful philosopher, musical maestro, pioneering educator and vocal reformer who modernized his beloved Bengal.

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Rabindranath Tagore Biography

On a pleasant day, May 7, 1861, Calcutta welcomed a unique soul – Rabindranath Tagore. Born to prominent parents Debendranath and Sarada Devi, young Rabi was destined for great things. Rabindranath Tagore’s father, Debendranath, was renowned for establishing the progressive Brahmo Samaj society many years prior, spreading enlightened ideas far and wide.

Meanwhile, Rabindranath Tagore’s mother, Sarada Devi, descended from a prestigious family deeply immersed in Bengali culture. Surrounded by such pioneering figures, young Rabi imbibed open-minded values from an early age. This nurturing environment of spirituality, arts and progressive thought would mould his free-thinking character in the future.

Tagore received his early education at home under private tutors and freely explored literature, history, and religious scriptures. Tagore was then sent to England in 1878 by his father to study law, but he still needed to complete his studies and focused more on literature instead.

After returning to India, Tagore married Mrinalini Devi when she was ten in 1883. He started managing his large family estate and ventured into literature, composing poetry and stories. Later, in Santiniketan, Tagore established a school called “Patha Bhavana,” which developed into Visva Bharati University over time.

The difficulties migrants faced during the 20th-century famines that afflicted India deeply affected him. He arranged relief efforts and made lengthy tours to assist the general public. In addition, Tagore supported internationalism via education, opposed communalism, and engaged in political activism. He lived an extraordinary life, inspiring thousands, and achieved peace on August 7, 1941.

Rabindranath Tagore Books

Tagore was a prolific writer known for pioneering modern Bengali literature and reshaping its traditions and norms. Here are some of Rabindranath Tagore’s books across genres:

Gitanjali (Song Offerings): This collection of poems attained Tagore international fame by winning the Nobel Prize. Through simple lyrics, it beautifully expressed spiritual longings, contemplations on mortality, and devotion to the divine in a style that profoundly moves readers globally. Its mystic meditations in communion with nature were praised for enriching English poetry.

Ghare Baire (The Home and the World): In one of his celebrated novels, Tagore showcased societal dilemmas that remained all too relevant. The tale follows a couple navigating challenges emerging within their marriage, partly due to the wife joining revolutionary activities during India’s call for independence. Ahead of its time, the work highlighted Tagore’s nuanced perspective on issues still debated today – nationalism, cultural bonds and shifting identities.

Gora : This thought-provoking novel was set in the context of colonial Bengal and explores complex questions around religious identity. Its multi-layered protagonist, Gora, embarks on an emotional journey of self-discovery as he confronts societal biases regarding caste and spiritual conversion. The book’s insightful depictions of cultural collision were far ahead of its time.

Sonar Tari (Golden Boat): This charming collection of short stories provides intimate glimpses into relationships and village life in early 20th-century Bengal. Tagore uses simple prose and witty dialogues to bring his characters to life, many dealing with issues like oppressive social customs or adjusting to modern changes. Readers relate to the stories’ heartfelt commentary on human emotions.

Ghare Bou (Homecoming): This moving poetry collection reflects Tagore’s deep bond with nature and seasons through vivid imagery. Poems like ‘Aaj Surer Din’ or ‘Moner Manush’ tap into universal feelings of nostalgia, impermanence, and reconnection with nature’s rhythms. Readers have found meditative solace in its skilful portrayal of introspective moods.

Chaturanga : A story portraying Tagore’s progressive ideals, it dealt with taboo subjects like women’s education and inter-caste romance in contemporary Indian society. Readers appreciated its balanced treatment of complex social themes through well-developed characters and their emotional journeys.

Kabuliwala: This moving story highlights the common humanity that unites a young Bengali girl and an Afghan dry fruit vendor through their odd bond. Its simplicity and celebration of childhood innocence in life’s fragilities have affected generations of readers.

Rabindranath Tagore Nobel Prize

It was momentous when Tagore’s talent crystallized on the global stage. In 1913, the Nobel Committee awarded him its highest Literature honour – a first for Asia. Their choice fell upon Gitanjali, Tagore’s exquisite poetry collection expressing life’s meaning to God and nature through poignant symbols.

Thanks to translators like Yeats, Rabindranath Tagore’s Gitanjali’s simple yet profoundly stirring verses touched souls internationally. Its sincere meditations on existence exemplified how art transcends borders to connect diverse minds.

Tagore had introduced India’s literary treasures to the global consciousness well and truly. In that watershed moment, the world gained a beloved poet – and India found a timeless voice to showcase its heritage to all humanity.

Achievements and Awards of Rabindranath Tagore

Tagore’s selection demonstrated how an Indian artistic work could be appreciated globally for its universal spiritual and literary qualities. He also own many achievements and accomplishments in his cap:

National Anthem of India

• Long before India raised its tricolour flag to the world, Tagore had envisioned a united land cherishing diversity in his songs.
• One lyrical composition in particular echoed India’s spirit deeply – ‘ Jana Gana Mana ‘ was chosen as the national anthem in 1947.
• Its moving invocation of all Indians inspires patriotism to this day. Long live the nation that honours such a visionary as its voice.

Homage to the Motherland

• Bangladesh, too, found representation of its spirit in Tagore’s masterful works.
• ‘Amar Shonar Bangla’ stood as a testament to his undying love for the land, capturing its essence so profoundly that it was selected as Independent Bangladesh’s anthem in 1971.
• Through Tagore’s words, a new nation was born with an anthem acknowledging his poetic tribute to Bangladesh’s beauty and pride.
• All hail the humble bard who uplifted the spirits of not one but two lands.

Design of Indian National Flag

• Even India’s tricolour design hints at Tagore’s seminal influence – its hues reportedly drew from one of his most famous poems describing tranquil futures.
• Such was the power of Tagore’s vision that it continued informing a country’s identity long after his departure.
• Though holding no office, Tagore’s status as Bengal’s ‘Poet Laureate’ and ‘Bard’ illuminates how deeply he shaped its soul and consciousness through art for eternity. That, indeed, is the mark of an immortal genius.

Rabindranath’s Songs to India

• Tagore was also a highly gifted composer besides being a wordsmith par excellence. He composed over 2,000 songs, which are collectively known as Rabindra Sangeet.
• These exquisite songs became extremely popular not just in Bengal but across India. Two of his most renowned compositions are Amar Shonar Bangla and Jana Gana Mana, adopted as the national anthems of Bangladesh and India.
• Tagore’s melodies blended classical ragas with traditional folk tunes, bringing a uniquely soulful quality. His songs carried profoundly moving reflections on universal themes like joy, sadness, seasons, nature, and devotion.
• They represented Tagore’s philosophy that music can transcend linguistic barriers and connect people through emotional resonance.

The Lasting Legacy of Santiniketan

• Among Tagore’s most significant achievements was founding Visva-Bharati, a large university town near Santiniketan. It was built on Tagore’s vision of scientific yet liberal education, emphasizing arts, humanities, nature, and community living.
• Shantiniketan is a pioneering institution was characterized by open-air classrooms under trees, cultural performances, and seminars from scholars worldwide.
• Some key aspects that enrich Santiniketan exceptionally are its emphasis on linking education with the villages through extension work like popular education programs, including Nobel laureates, local crafts, culture within the curriculum, and Western concepts.
• Shantiniketan represented an ideal holistic learning space focused on the harmonious development of mind, body, and spirit. Visva-Bharati continues Tagore’s legacy today by being Asia’s only UNESCO World Heritage Site -recognized university.

Rabindranath Tagore Quotes

“We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility.”

“If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars.”

“You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.”

“The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.”

“Reach high, for stars lie hidden in you. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.”

“Don’t limit a child to your own learning, for she was born in another time.”

A Soulful Voice Championing Peace

Throughout his life, Rabindranath Tagore biography tells us that he was a profound humanitarian thinker who advocated his universal brotherhood philosophies through his creative works and non-violent actions. This reflects with the Indian Philosophy of Vasudhiava Kutumbakam .

Tagore staunchly opposed divisive nationalism and pushed for international cooperation and understanding between cultures. During lectures abroad, he emphasized the critical need to reconcile progressive ideas from the East and West.

Tagore rejected a knighthood in response to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919, showing his rebellious yet peaceful stance against British imperialism. His impact was such that he was invited to present India’s perspective regarding peace and disarmament at the 1925 Geneva Conference. Tagore’s ceaseless efforts helped shape India’s non-aligned stance during the Cold War as a leading voice of the Global South. Even in today’s geopolitical scenario, Tagore’s messages offer sagacious guidance for global solidarity and diplomacy.

Tagore worked tirelessly for India’s famine relief through donations and fundraising tours and managed relief camps. His holistic philosophies on education, arts, spirituality, environment, and global connectivity remain profoundly insightful.

Rabindranath Tagore is an Icon who lives forever

The magnitude of Rabindranath Tagore biography influence is evident from the widespread remembrance of this iconic person. Annual tribute conventions are held at Santiniketan on his birth anniversary. Monuments stand at Rabindra Bhavan, Kolkata, and throughout Visva-Bharati.

Many institutions worldwide are also named after Tagore. His invaluable contributions paved the way for modern Indian cultural assertiveness while pushing humanity toward universal brotherhood, even during the most challenging times. Rabindranath Tagore was indeed one of India’s most honourable sons.

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Rabindranath Tagore Biography: Early Life, Education, Literary Work, Achievements & More

Rabindranath Tagore Biography along with all details like Rabindranath Tagore Family, Education, Birth and Death are all given here. Check out the complete Rabindranath Tagore Biography.

Rabindranath Tagore Biography is one of the most important topics for understanding the scenario and role of Indian Literary work in Indian Independence. Rabindranath Tagore, a Nobel laureate poet, writer, and philosopher from India, is renowned for his contributions to literature, music, and art. 

Tagore’s impact extends globally, shaping cultural understanding and inspiring generations with his profound insights and creativity. Rabindranath Tagore voiced nationalist sentiments through his writings, promoting Indian independence and cultural pride, contributing to the freedom movement’s intellectual and emotional landscape.

Let us have a look at the Rabindranath Tagore Biography along with other details related to Rabindranath Tagore Early Life, Education and Awards. The literary works of Rabindranath Tagore and his involvement in the Indian Freedom Struggle is also given.

Rabindranath Tagore Biography

Rabindranath Tagore was a popular figure in the Indian cultural renaissance. Rabindranath  Tagore was a polymath poet, philosopher , musician, writer, painter and educationist. Rabindranath Tagore was the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in 1913 for his collection of poems, Gitanjali.

Rabindranath Tagore had introduced the fresh prose and verse styles along with colloquial language, liberating Bengali literature from the confines of classical Sanskrit norms. Rabindranath Tagore bridged the gap between Indian and Western cultures, enriching both sides through his contributions.

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Rabindrath Tagore Brief Overview

Rabindranath Tagore was called Gurudev, Kabiguru , and Biswakabi affectionately and his songs are popularly known as Rabindrasangeet. Rabindranath Tagore penned down the national anthems of India and Bangladesh – the Jana Gana Mana and the Amar Shonar Bangla respectively are from the Rabindrasangeet.

The table below contains the overview of life of Rabindrath Tagore from his birth to death, Family and other details:

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Rabindranath Tagore Biography: Early Life

Rabindranath Tagore, born on May 7, 1861, in Kolkata, India. He was born into a distinguished family in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), West Bengal, India. 

• He was the youngest of thirteen children born to Debendranath Tagore and Sarada Devi. Debendranath Tagore was a prominent philosopher, religious leader, and reformer, while Sarada Devi was deeply engaged in cultural and social activities.

Rabindranath Tagore’s childhood and upbringing were greatly influenced by the cultural and literary environment of his family. He showed an early interest in literature, music, and art, and his talents were nurtured in a nurturing and intellectually stimulating household.

• By the age of sixteen, Tagore had already written his first collection of poems, “Kabi Kahini” (Tales of a Poet). This marked the beginning of his journey as a poet, and he soon began experimenting with various literary forms, infusing his work with his unique insights into human emotions and nature.

Rabindranath Tagore Biography: Early Education 

His early education began at home under the guidance of private tutors. He also attended various schools in Kolkata, where his unconventional approach to learning set him apart. Tagore was more interested in exploring his own interests and curiosities than adhering to traditional educational methods.

Rabindranath Tagore Family

.Rabindranath Tagore came from a distinguished and culturally rich family. His father, Debendranath Tagore, was a prominent philosopher and social reformer in Bengal, India. His mother was Sarada Devi. Rabindranath Tagore was the youngest of thirteen children.

1. Rabindranath Tagore Father – Debendranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore’s father was Debendranath Tagore. He was a prominent figure in the Bengali Renaissance and a leader of the Brahmo Samaj, a reformist Hindu movement. Debendranath Tagore was not only a philosopher and religious reformer but also a writer and composer of devotional songs. He played a significant role in shaping Rabindranath Tagore’s upbringing and education, fostering his creativity and intellectual development.

2. Rabindranath Tagore Mother – Sarada Devi

Rabindranath Tagore’s mother was Sarada Devi. She was a significant influence on Tagore’s life, particularly in his formative years. Sarada Devi was a devout and compassionate woman who played a crucial role in shaping her son’s values, spirituality, and worldview. Tagore had deep respect and admiration for his mother, and her teachings and affection profoundly impacted his literary and philosophical works.

3. Rabindranath Tagore Brothers

Rabindranath Tagore, the renowned poet, novelist, playwright, and composer, had several siblings. His brothers were significant figures in their own right, though their accomplishments might not be as widely recognized as Rabindranath’s.

• Dwijendranath Tagore: He was Rabindranath’s eldest brother, born in 1840. Dwijendranath was a philosopher, poet, and social worker. He was actively involved in social reforms and played a crucial role in the Brahmo Samaj movement, advocating for religious and social reforms in India.
• Satyendranath Tagore: Born in 1842, Satyendranath was another of Rabindranath’s older brothers. He was a distinguished civil servant in the Indian Civil Service under the British Raj. He was also a writer and the first Indian to join the Indian Civil Service (ICS).
• Jyotirindranath Tagore: Jyotirindranath was born in 1849 and was Rabindranath’s younger brother. He was a playwright, musician, painter, and theatre director. He collaborated closely with Rabindranath on various creative projects and was also involved in the Brahmo Samaj movement.

4. Rabindranath Tagore Wife – Mrinalini Devi

Rabindranath Tagore’s wife was Mrinalini Devi. They were married in 1883 when Tagore was just 22 years old. Mrinalini Devi was the daughter of Beni Madhab Sil, a wealthy landlord. Their marriage was arranged by Tagore’s father, Debendranath Tagore, who was a prominent figure in the Brahmo Samaj, a socio-religious reform movement in India.

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Rabindranath Tagore Biography Education at University College London

In 1878, Rabindranath traveled to London for studies. He began studying law at University College London but left before completing it. Instead, he delved into English Literature and explored the music of England, Ireland, and Scotland. Writing had been a passion for Rabindranath since childhood. His first poem, “Abhilash,” was written at the age of 13 and was published in Tattvabodhini magazine in 1874.

Rabindranath Tagore Biography: Return to India & Artistic Fusion in India

Following his time abroad, Rabindranath returned to India. It was during this period that he immersed himself in the essence of English, Irish, and Scottish literature and music. His exposure to these cultural facets significantly influenced his artistic development. It was also around this time that he entered into matrimony with Mrinalini Devi, who was merely ten years old at the time.

Rabindranath Tagore Biography: A Literary Journey Through Nature, Music, and Storytelling

Rabindranath Tagore’s educational journey was a blend of both conventional schooling and his own passionate pursuit of literature and the arts, ultimately shaping his unique and creative perspective that would go on to influence his remarkable contributions to the world of culture and literature. 

His relationship with nature also played a significant role in shaping his worldview and artistic expressions. Tagore’s close connection to the natural world is often reflected in his poetry, where he seamlessly weaved elements of nature with human emotions.

Rabindranath also wrote songs and the biggest admirer of his songs was Swami Vivekananda himself. His music was influenced by classical music, Carnatic music, Gurbani, and Irish music. He also started writing stories from a young age.

Rabindranath Tagore At Shantiniketan

Rabindranath Tagore’s association with Shantiniketan marked a significant chapter in his life. Shantiniketan, located in Birbhum district of West Bengal, India, became a hub of learning, creativity, and cultural exchange under his guidance.

In 1901, Tagore established an experimental school named “Patha Bhavana” in Shantiniketan, which later grew into Visva-Bharati University. His vision for education was unconventional, emphasizing a holistic approach that harmonized nature, arts, and intellectual pursuits. He aimed to break away from rote learning and cultivate a sense of free thought and creativity among students.

The open-air classrooms at Shantiniketan showcased Tagore’s belief in the symbiotic relationship between education and nature. Underneath the trees, students engaged in discussions, imbibing knowledge in a serene environment. The curriculum encompassed a fusion of Western and Indian educational philosophies, encouraging students to explore a wide spectrum of disciplines.

Tagore invited scholars, artists, and thinkers from around the world to Shantiniketan, fostering a global exchange of ideas and cultural influences. This unique approach enriched the educational experience, exposing students to diverse perspectives.

Integral to Shantiniketan was Tagore’s concept of “Gurudev” or the teacher-student relationship based on mutual respect and learning. He considered education a lifelong journey and envisioned Shantiniketan as a center for the cultivation of the mind, spirit, and character.

Tagore’s own contributions to literature, music, and art deeply influenced the atmosphere at Shantiniketan. His compositions, known as Rabindrasangeet, were taught and performed with zeal, echoing his belief in the power of art to connect individuals and communities.

Recently Santiniketan became the 41st UNESCO World Heritage Site in India and the third in West Bengal, after the Sundarbans National Park and the Darjeeling Mountain Railways. Last year, the state’s Durga Puja got space in “Intangible Cultural Heritage of humanity” under UNESCO .

Rabindranath Tagore: A Nobel Prize winner

Internationally, Gitanjali Tagore’s best-known collection of poetry, for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. Tagore was the first non-European to receive a Nobel Prize in Literature and the second non-European to receive a Nobel Prize after Theodore Roosevelt.

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Rabindranath Tagore Literary works – Poetry, Prose, Novels, Plays, Short Stories, and Songs

Rabindranath Tagore’s literary works span a vast and diverse range of genres, including poetry, prose, fiction, drama, and songs. His creative output is celebrated for its profound philosophical insights, emotional depth, and innovative exploration of human experiences. Here are some of his notable literary contributions:

The table below contains the Genre wise list of notable literary contributions of Rabindranath Tagore:

Rabindranath Tagore Biography: From Literary Genius to Pioneering Painter

At the age of sixty, Rabindranath Tagore took up drawing and painting, showcasing his works in successful exhibitions across Europe after making his debut appearance in Paris, encouraged by artists he met in the south of France.

• Influenced by various styles, including scrimshaw from the Malanggan people of Papua New Guinea, Haida carvings from the Pacific Northwest, and woodcuts by the German Max Pechstein, Tagore demonstrated a diverse artistic approach.
• His keen artist’s eye extended to handwriting, evident in artistic and rhythmic leitmotifs adorning his manuscripts’ scribbles, cross-outs, and word layouts. Some of his lyrics even resonated synesthetically with specific paintings.

Despite his natural talent for writing, music, playwriting, and acting, painting proved elusive for Tagore. He expressed his desire to paint in letters and reminiscences, attempting to master the art.

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In a letter to Jagadish Chandra Bose in 1900, at nearly forty and already a celebrated writer, Tagore revealed his attempts at sketching, acknowledging that his pictures were not intended for prestigious salons in Paris. He humorously acknowledged using the eraser more than the pencil and, dissatisfied with the results, decided that becoming a painter was not his path.

The National Gallery of Modern Art in India houses 102 works by Tagore in its collections, reflecting his exploration of visual art alongside his literary and musical endeavors.

Rabindranath Tagore Biography Patriotism and Poetry

Rabindranath Tagore was very involved in politics and strongly supported Indian nationalists fighting against British rule. He created many patriotic songs to inspire people to fight for Indian independence.

His literary works were widely praised, even by Mahatma Gandhi . Rabindranath Tagore’s poems have been written in the spirit of freedom, independence, and patriotism. 

• When the British divided Bengal in 1905, he composed “Amar Shonar Bangla” which later became the national song of Bangladesh. The song “Ekla Chalo Re” written by him with the aim of continuing the struggle against injustice became very popular.

A significant moment in Tagore’s political journey was when he gave up his knighthood in protest against the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919, showing his deep dedication to Indian independence.

Besides being a famous writer, Tagore was also a patriotic Indian involved in literature, art, music, and politics. His various contributions have had a lasting impact on India’s culture and politics. “Jana Gana Mana” written by Rabindranath Tagore was played for the first time during the Congress session in Calcutta in 1911.

Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore was a fearless person who dedicated his entire life to achieving complete independence for united India before gaining freedom from the British.

He believed that true freedom depended on the proper education and self-sufficiency of the Indian people, and he devoted himself to this goal.

Rabindranath Tagore’s Vision of Nationalism

Rabindranath Tagore’s views on nationalism were complex and thought-provoking. While he was a fervent advocate for the cultural and spiritual upliftment of India, his approach to nationalism was distinct from the mainstream political notions of his time.

Tagore expressed concerns about the aggressive and narrow forms of nationalism that were emerging, both in India and around the world. 

• He believed that such nationalism could lead to divisions, conflicts, and a suppression of individual freedom. In his view, narrow nationalism often disregarded the broader human connections that transcended borders.
• “Nationalism in the West” and “Nationalism in India.” In these essays, Tagore criticized the negative aspects of nationalism while emphasizing the importance of promoting mutual understanding and preserving cultural diversity.

Tagore believed in a more inclusive and universalistic approach to nationalism. He envisioned a world where different cultures could coexist, enriching each other without succumbing to superiority or dominance. He emphasized the need for a harmonious relationship between nations, highlighting the dangers of fanaticism and aggressive patriotism.

His vision of nationalism was closely tied to humanism, emphasizing the value of human beings over the rigid lines of nationality. He cautioned against blind allegiance to the nation and stressed the importance of cultivating a sense of humanity and empathy.

Tagore’s stance on nationalism drew both praise and criticism. Some appreciated his holistic perspective, while others accused him of being detached from the pressing political struggles of the time. Regardless, his ideas remain relevant in the context of today’s global challenges, emphasizing the importance of unity, understanding, and a broader perspective beyond national boundaries.

In essence, Rabindranath Tagore’s approach to nationalism was characterized by a deep concern for humanity, cultural preservation, and the need to transcend narrow divisions for the betterment of society as a whole.

Tagore’s literary creations transcend boundaries and languages, resonating with people from various cultures and backgrounds. His ability to capture the essence of human emotions and his deep philosophical reflections continue to inspire and influence generations of readers and thinkers worldwide.

Rabindranath Tagore Awards

Rabindranath Tagore’s prolific contributions to literature, arts, and philosophy earned him numerous awards and honors throughout his life. Here is a list of some of the most notable awards won by Tagore:

These awards are just a glimpse of the recognition Rabindranath Tagore received for his exceptional literary and cultural achievements. His influence extended far beyond accolades, as his works continue to touch hearts and inspire minds worldwide.

Rabindranath Tagore Death

Rabindranath Tagore, the renowned Bengali polymath who reshaped Bengali literature and music as well as Indian art with Contextual Modernism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, passed away on August 7, 1941. 

Tagore was not only a poet, novelist, playwright, and composer but also a philosopher and social reformer. His death marked the end of an era, but his legacy continues to inspire generations across the globe.

Rabindranath Tagore: A Multifaceted Legacy – Literature, Music, Education, and Global Impact

The legacy of Rabindranath Tagore is profound and enduring, spanning literature, music, art, education, and the broader realm of culture. His contributions have left an indelible mark on India and the world, shaping the course of thought, creativity, and social change. Here are some aspects of Tagore’s legacy:

His contributions to literature, arts, philosophy, and cultural exchange remain as vibrant and impactful as ever, ensuring that his influence lives on through his works and the institutions he founded, such as Visva-Bharati University in Shantiniketan. Tagore’s departure marked the end of a remarkable life, but his ideas and creations continue to illuminate the world.

The legacy of Rabindranath Tagore is profound and enduring, spanning literature, music, art, education, and the broader realm of culture. His contributions have left an indelible mark on India and the world, shaping the course of thought, creativity, and social change. 

The table below contains some aspects of Rabindranath Tagore’s legacy:

Top 10 Memorable Quotes by Rabindranath Tagore 

The table below contains Top 10 most memorable Quotes of Rabindranath Tagore:

Frequently Asked Questions

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