Rabindranath Tagore

We Know Rabindranath was born on 7 May 1861 Calcutta. His,father Debendranath Tagore was a leading light in the Brahmo Samaj – a reforming Hindu organization,which sought to promote a monotheistic interpretation of the Upanishads and move away,from the rigidity of Hindu Orthodoxy which they felt was holding back India. Debendranath Tagore also,encouraged his family to learn English.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’ Tagore was firm friends with Gandhi and admired him very much. But, despite this friendship, he couldbe 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.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. 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. 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 died on 7th August 1941, after a long and
painful illness, aged 80