Rabindranath TAGORE

RABINDRANATH TAGORE
[ 7th May 1861 - 7th August 1941]

BIOGRAPHY
Rabindranath Tagore, born on May 7, 1861, in Calcutta, Bengal
Presidency, British India (now Kolkata, West Bengal, India),
was a renowned Indian poet, writer, musician, and artist. He
reshaped Bengali literature and music in the late 19th and early
20th centuries. His notable works include the collection of
poems "Gitanjali" (Song Offerings), which earned him the
Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913, making him the first non-
European to win a Nobel Prize in Literature. Other popular
works include "Chokher Bali" (A Grain of Sand), "Gora" (Fair-
Faced), and "Kabuliwala." Tagore's legacy extends beyond
literature; he was also a social reformer and political activist.
He played a significant role in India's independence movement
and was a key figure in the Bengal Renaissance.
Awards and Achievements
1)Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913, and he was the first Indian as
well as Asian to win Nobel Prize. He wrote eight novels, four novellas and a wide collection of
poetry.
2)The National Anthem of India was written by Rabindranath. The first time, the poem was sung
on the second day of the annual session of the Indian National Congress in Calcutta on 27
December 1911. After independence, the first stanza of the poem was adopted as the National
anthem. And, it became known as Jana Gana Mana.
3)Apart from India's national anthem, Rabindranath also panned the national anthem of
Bangladesh. In 1905, he wrote the song Amar Shonar Bangla during the British partitioning of
Bengal, a time of national unrest. In 1971, when Bangladesh won its liberation war, the first ten
lines of Amar Shonar Bangla were adopted as the National anthem in Bangladesh. Additionally,
the national anthem of Sri Lanka was inspired by one of his works.
4)Tagore introduced the short story genre to Bengali Literature. In 1877, he wrote a short story
titled Bhikharini. It was the first short story written in the Bengali language. The best known
short story of Rabindranath was Kabuliwala. In 1915, British crowned Tagore with Knight Title.
But after the Jallianwala Bagh incident, he refused to keep the title at 1919 to protest the terror.
5) Deeply inspired to restructure the education system in India, Rabindranath took the foundation
of an experimental school in Santiniketan. Here, he introduced a unique curriculum, which
revolved around nature with classes. Later, the institution was expanded into a university named
Visva Bharti University, today it is one of the most famous institutions of higher learning in the
country.
6)In 1940, he was awarded by Oxford University with a Doctorate of Literature in a special
ceremony arranged at Shantiniketan. He painted over 3,000 paintings in the last 13 years of his
life. It shows his creative power even his old age.
7) Tagore was also a prolific songwriter. He wrote approx. 2,230 songs in his whole life. And,
Tagore is considered a major force in transforming the style of Bengali music by incorporating
influences from different musical traditions.
Life and Events
Tagore was raised mostly by servants; his mother had died in his early childhood
and his father travelled widely.The Tagore family was at the forefront of the
Bengal renaissance. 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 Dhrupad 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 elite and formerly all-European Indian Civil Service. Yet another
brother, Jyotirindranath, was a musician, composer, and playwright.His sister
Swarnakumari became a novelist.Jyotirindranath's wife Kadambari Devi, slightly
older than Tagore, was a dear friend and powerful influence. Her abrupt suicide in
1884, soon after he married, left him profoundly distraught for years.

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RABINDRANATH TAGORE

[ 7th May 1861 - 7th August 1941]

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