Locations of places associated with Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
(
Bengali
:
??????????? ?????
), who is popularly called "Kabiguru", was born on 7 May 1861. His name is written as Rabindranath Tagore in many
languages of India
. He was a poet,
philosopher
, and
artist
. He wrote many stories,
novels
,
poems
, and dramas. He is also very well known for
composing
music
. He wrote the national anthems of both India and Bangladesh. His writings greatly influenced Bengali
culture
during the late 19th century and early 20th century. In 1913, he became the first Asian to win the
Nobel Prize in Literature
.
His major works include
Gitanjali
(
Song Offerings
), a world-famous poetry book;
Gora
(
Fair-Faced
);
Ghare-Baire
(
The Home and the World
); and many other works of
literature
and art. Tagore was also a cultural
reformer
and modernized Bengali art. He made it possible to make art using different forms and styles.
Tagore died on August 7, 1941 ("Baishey Shrabon" in Bengali, 22nd Shrabon).
Tagore was born on 7th May in 1861,at Jorasanko in Calcutta. He was the youngest son of his parents. His father was Debendranath Tagore. His mother was Sharada Devi.
Rabindranath Tagore was admitted to school. But he did not like the still education. So he was educated at home He wrote his first poem when he was eight years old. In 1877, at the age of 16, Tagore published his first large poetry collection and wrote his first short story and dramas.
In February 1873, at age 11, Tagore went on a tour of India with his father. They visited many places like Amritsar in Punjab, and Dalhousie in the Himalayas. Tagore also visited his father's estate at Shantiniketan. There he read biographies and studied history, astronomy, modern science, and Sanskrit. He also read works of Kalidas.
During this time, Tagore also composed many literary works. Tagore wrote a poem in the style of Vidyapati, a famous poet who wrote in Maithili.
In 1878, Tagore went to London. Because wanted to become a barrister. Later he studied at University College London. But in 1880, after Tagore did not do well in school, his father called him back from London. His father arranged a marriage for him with Mrinalini Devi, a girl of ten years. Child marriage was common during that time. They got married on December 9, 1883. Together they had five children.
In 1901, Tagore left Sheildah. He went to
Shantiniketan
(
West Bengal
) to build an
ashram
(which is like a
monastery
in
Indian religions
). In
English
, "Shantiniketan" means "an abode [place] of
peace
". He built a
prayer
hall, a school, and a
library
. He planted many trees and built a garden.
Tagore's wife and two of his children died in Shantiniketan. On January 19, 1905, Tagore's father also died.
By this time, Tagore had started receiving monthly
income
as part of his
inheritance
. He also started receiving some
royalties
for his literary works. He was very popular among readers of the Bengali language, as well as other people who knew his works through
translations
and reviews.
[2]
Rabindranath's father bought a large parcel of land in Santiniketan, intending to establish a preparatory school.
On November 13, 1913, Tagore won the Nobel Prize in Literature. The
Swedish Academy
had selected him based on a small number of his translated works, and his 1912 work of poems named
Gitanjali: Song Offerings
.
The
British Crown
gave Tagore a
knighthood
in 1915. However, he gave back the title in 1919 to protest the
Jallianwala Bagh Massacre
in Amritsar. During this
massacre
,
troops
of the
British Raj
killed people who had no weapons.
In 1921, Tagore and an
agricultural
economist
named
Leonard K. Elmhirst
set up the Institute for Rural Reconstruction in a
village
named Surul, near Tagore's ashram at Shantiniketan. Tagore recruited many
scholars
and officials from many countries to help the institute. Its goal was to use schooling to "free village[s] from ...
helplessness
and
ignorance
".
In the early 1930s, Tagore also grew more concerned about India's "abnormal
caste
consciousness" and differences based on castes. He lectured on the evils of such practices and also wrote many poems and dramas on these themes. He also became an activist.
He also founded a school named "Sriniketan" for teaching agriculture and crafts at Surul at a distance of about three kilometers from Shantiniketan.
[3]
Even during the last
decade
of his life, Tagore continued his activism. He criticized
Mohandas Gandhi
, one of India's leaders, for his comments about an
earthquake
on January 15, 1934 in
Bihar
. Gandhi had said the earthquake had happened because
God
wanted to punish people for practicing
casteism
.
Tagore also wrote a hundred-line poem about the poverty in Kolkata. Later on,
Satyajit Ray
based one of his
movies
on this poem.
During this period, Tagore wrote fifteen volumes of
prose
-poems. They covered many parts of human life. In his last years, Tagore took an interest in science and wrote a collection of
essays
. These essays explored
biology
,
physics
, and astronomy.
Tagore spent the last four years of his life in poor health. In late 1937, he lost
consciousness
. He was in a
coma
for a long time. Eventually, he woke up, but three years later, he went back into a coma. During these years, whenever he was conscious and felt well enough, he wrote poems. These poems talk about how he came close to
death
. Tagore died on August 7, 1941 at the age of 80 in his childhood home in Kolkata.
Between 1878 and 1932, Tagore visited thirty countries on five
continents
. His goal was to make his literary works known to people who did not speak Bengali. He also spread his thoughts and ideas, including his
political
ideas.
In 1912, Tagore went to England. The
Anglo
-
Irish
poet
William Butler Yeats
wrote the
preface
to the English translation of Tagore's famous book
Gitanjali
(
Song Offerings
). Tagore also met
Ezra Pound
,
Robert Bridges
,
Ernest Rhys
,
Thomas Sturge Moore
, and many others.
From May 1916 until April 1917, Tagore gave many lectures in
Japan
. Shortly after returning to India, the 63-year-old Tagore visited
Peru
at the invitation of the Peruvian
government
. At the same time, he also visited
Mexico
. Both governments pledged donations of $100,000 to Tagore's school at Shantiniketan.
On May 30, 1926, Tagore reached
Naples
,
Italy
. The next day, he met
fascist
dictator
Benito Mussolini
in
Rome
. On 20 July 1926, Tagore criticized and spoke out against Mussolini.
In July 1927, Tagore and two friends went on a four-month tour of
Southeast Asia
. They visited
Bali
,
Java (island)
,
Kuala Lumpur
,
Malacca
,
Penang
,
Siam
, and
Singapore
. Later on, Tagore wrote a book named
Jatri
(
The Traveler
) about his experiences during these trips.
In early 1930, Tagore left Bengal for a nearly year-long tour of
Europe
and the
United States
. In
Paris
and London, there were displays of his
paintings
. During this period, Tagore wrote his
Hibbert Lectures
for the
University of Oxford
. He also met
Aga Khan III
.
From June to mid-September 1930, Tagore toured
Denmark
,
Switzerland
, and
Germany
. Next, he toured the
Soviet Union
.
Tagore's travels gave him the opportunity to talk with many notable persons of his time. They included
Henri Bergson
,
Albert Einstein
,
Robert Frost
,
Mahatma Gandhi
,
Thomas Mann
,
George Bernard Shaw
,
H.G. Wells
,
Subhas Chandra Bose
, and
Romain Rolland
.
Tagore's last trips abroad were his visits to
Iran
and
Iraq
in 1932, and to
Ceylon
in 1933. He visited Iran as a personal guest of
Shah
Mohammad Reza Pahlavi
.
Tagore was mainly a poet, but his other writing includes essays, short stories, travelogues, dramas, and thousands of songs. He was also an expert painter.
Many movies also have
soundtracks
featuring selections from Tagore's songs, the
Rabindra Sangeet
.
Tagore also wrote many
non-fiction
books. These covered many subjects, including the
history of India
,
linguistics
, essays and lectures, details of his travels, and other
autobiographical
things.
One of his famous dramas is 2 plays by Tagore and Dipashri
In 1917, Tagore published a book called
My Reminiscences
. In this book, Tagore gives credit to his friend and
mentor
, Akshay Chowdhury,
[4]
for influencing him in literature since he was a child. Akshay was the youngest son of Mihir Chandra Chowdhury, whose
ancestry
was linked with the Dutta Chowdhury (Chowdhuries) family of Andul. Rabindranath used to call Akshay
Akshay Babu
.
Akshay Chowdhury, Romesh Chandra Dutt, and Jyotiridranath Tagore were classmates at Hindu School in Kolkata. Because of this, Akshay developed a strong, friendly relationship with the Tagore family.
Rabindranath wrote that he loved to discuss high-level literature in detail with "Akshay Babu". At times, Akshay and his wife, Sarat Kumari Chaudhurani,
[5]
used to participate in long talks about literature in a garden at
Thakur Bari
.
Tagore was also a musician and painter. He wrote around 2,230 songs. People call these songs "Rabindra Sangeet" (which means "Tagore Song" in English). These songs are now a part of modern Bengali culture. Tagore's many poems and songs are parts of his novels and stories.
His songs and music cover many aspects of human emotion, devotional hymns, and love songs. In most Bengali-speaking families, people sing
Rabindra Sangeet'
.
Music critic Arther Strangeways of
The Observer
first introduced Tagore's songs to non-Bengalis through his book
The Music of Hindustan
. The book describes Tagore Song as a "vehicle of a personality ... [that goes] behind this or that system of music to that beauty of sound which all systems put out their hands to seize." Rabindra Sangeet has two great works, which are now
national anthems
of two countries: India and Bangladesh. This makes Tagore the only person in the world to have written the national anthems of two nations. They are Bangladesh's
Amar Sonaar Baanglaa
and India's
Jana Gana Mana
.
Rabindrasangit
. They are also influenced by musicians like
Vilayat Khan
, Buddhadev Dasgupta, and composer
Amjad Ali Khan
.
At age 60, Tagore took an interest in drawing and painting. He used many styles from different parts of the world. His styles included craftwork by the Malanggan people of northern
New Ireland
,
Haida
carvings
from the
Pacific Northwest
region of
North America
, and woodcuts by
Max Pechstein
. Sometimes, Tagore used his
handwriting
in artistic styles on his
manuscripts
. His drawings and paintings were displayed in France and London.
When he was 16 years old, he performed in a drama organized by his brother, Jyotirindranath Tagore. When Tagore was 20 years old, he wrote a drama named
Valmiki Pratibha
(
The Genius of Valmiki
). This described the life of
Valmiki
, a man who stopped being a robber and became a learned person, his blessing from the goddess Saraswati, and his writing of the Ramayana.
Another notable play by him is
Dak Ghar
(
The Post Office
), which describes how a child tries to escape from his confinement and falls asleep. This sleeping is suggestive of death. This play received reviews in many parts of Europe. In 1890, he wrote
Visarjan
(
Sacrifice
). Many scholars believe this to be his finest drama. The Bangla-language original versions included intricate
sub-plots
and extended
monologues
. He wrote many other dramas on a variety of themes. In Tagore's own words, he wrote them as "the play of feeling and not of action".
Rabindra Nritya Natya
means dance dramas based on Tagore's plays.
Tagore wrote many stories.
Galpaguchchha
(Bunch of Stories) is a three-volume collection of eighty-four of his stories. Tagore wrote about half of these stories during the period from 1891 to 1895. This collection continues to be very popular work of Bangla literature. These stories have been used for many movies and theatrical plays.
Tagore drew inspiration and ideas for writing his stories from his surroundings, from the village life of India. He saw the poor people very closely during travels to manage his family's large landholdings. Sometimes he used different themes to test the depth of his intellect.
Tagore's poetry is very varied and covers many styles. He drew inspiration from 15th and 16th century poets and from ancient writers like Vasa. Bengal's Baul folk singers were also influenced by his style of poetry. He wrote many poems when he was at Shelidah managing his family's estates. Many of his poems have a lyrical quality. These poems tell about the "man within the heart" and the "living God within". Over the next 70 years, he repeatedly revised his style of writing poetry. In 1930s, he wrote many experimental works of poetry, and also used modernism and realism in his works.
One of his poems reads "all I had achieved was carried off on the golden boat; only I was left behind". Tagore is known around the world for his
Gitanjali
("Song Offerings"), his best-known collection, which won him his Nobel Prize. A freeverse translation by Tagore of a verse of
Gitanjali
reads as follows:
- "My song has put off her adornments. She has no pride of dress and decoration. Ornaments would mar our union; they would come between thee and me; their jingling would drown thy whispers."
- "My poet's vanity dies in shame before thy sight. O master poet, I have sat down at the feet. Only let me make my life simple and straight, like a flute of reed for thee to fill with music."
Tagore is the only person to have written anthems for three countries.
[6]
[10]
[11]
[12]
[13]
[14]
Tagore's political views were complicated. He criticized European
colonialism
and supported Indian
nationalists
. But he also criticized the
Swadeshi movement
that many nationalist leaders in India liked. He liked self-help and learning. He asked Indians to accept "there can be no question of blind revolution, but of steady and purposeful education". Many people did not like his thinking. In late 1916, some Indians plotted to kill him when he was staying in a hotel in
San Francisco
, USA. When they saw him face-to-face, however, they instead started arguing with Tagore and changed their minds about killing him. Tagore also wrote many songs praising the
Indian independence movement
. He also returned the British honor of Knighthood as a protest against the 1919
Amritsar massacre
. In Amritsar, troops of the British Raj had opened fire on unarmed civilians, killing many. Despite his unfriendly relations with Gandhi, Tagore played a key role in resolving a Gandhi-
B. R. Ambedkar
dispute which was about separate electorates for untouchables. Untouchables were people considered lowest in the social order. Rabindranath Tagore helped the freedom of India. He was first to identify the theme of
"Globalization"
.
[16]
Insert non-formatted text here
Tagore was also critical about the traditional style of education. While on a visit to
Santa Barbara, California
on October 11, 1917, he thought of a new type of education: a new type of university which he wanted to set up at Shantiniketan. On December 22, 1918, work for building the new university began. It opened on December 22, 1921. He named the university
Visva-Bharati University
. Tagore worked hard to raise funds for the university, and he toured many parts of Europe and the United States for this purpose. He gave all his Nobel Prize money to this university. The university gave personal guidance to all students. Students lived close to nature, and the teacher-student relationship followed a pattern of the gurukul system of ancient India. In his own words, he wanted this university to become "a world center for the study of humanity ... somewhere beyond the limits of nation and geography".
He also had a dream for the future India. He wanted India's freedom from the British rule. He dreamt of an India "where the mind is without fear it is ".
Even many decades after his death, people hold festivals in his honor in many parts of the world. Examples include the following:
- The annual Bengali festival/celebration of
Kabipranam
- Tagore's birthday anniversary - held in
Urbana
,
Illinois
in the United States.
- The
Rabindra Path Parikrama
is held in Shantinketan and many places in Kolkata and West Bengal. Even cultural institutions and families in private households organise programmes to celebrate his birthday.
Nobel laureate
Amartya Sen
, who is also a Bengali, once noted that even for modern Bengalis, Tagore was a "towering figure", being a "deeply relevant and many-sided contemporary thinker".
Tagore's collected 1939 Bangla-language writings (Rab?ndra Rachan?val?) are one of Bengal's greatest cultural treasures, and Tagore himself has been proclaimed "the greatest poet India has produced".
He was also famous in much of Europe, North America, and East Asia. Translations of his works are available in many languages, including Russian, English, Dutch, German, and Spanish. In the United States, Tagore gave many lectures during 1916 and 1917. Many people attended those lectures.
Between 1914 and 1922, the Jimenez-Camprubi spouses translated at least twenty-two of Tagore's books from English into Spanish. These Spanish translations influenced many leading figures of Spanish literature, including
Pablo Neruda
and
Gabriela Mistral
of
Chile
;
Octavio Paz
of
Mexico
; and
Jose Ortega y Gasset
,
Zenobia Camprubi
, and
Juan Ramon Jimenez
of
Spain
Various composers, including classical composer Arthur Shepherd’s, have set Tagore's poetry to music.
- ↑
1.0
1.1
"Rabindranath Tagore - Facts"
.
NobelPrize
.
- ↑
"In 1901 He started ashram in "santiniketan"
"
. Indore [M.P.] India. 11 February 2020. Archived from
the original
on 15 February 2020
. Retrieved
21 February
2020
.
- ↑
Staff, Basictell Editorial (7 June 2021).
"Biography of Rabindranath Tagore"
.
Basictell
. Retrieved
2022-04-16
.
- ↑
"Akshay Chowdhury"
.
MilanSagar.com
(in Bengali)
. Retrieved
5 June
2016
.
(
English translation from Google Translate
)
- ↑
"Dutta Chaudhury family of Andul"
.
duttachaudhurichronicles.com/
. Archived from
the original
on 2016-05-06
. Retrieved
2016-05-07
.
- ↑
6.0
6.1
NationalAnthems.me,
Bangladesh,
Amar Shonar Bangla
???? ????? ?????
; retrieved 2012-9-21.
- ↑
National Anthem - Know India. Nation Portal of India. Government of India.
- ↑
Bhatt, P.C., ed. (1999).
Constituent Assembly Debates
. Vol. XII. Lok Sabha Secretariat.
- ↑
"Volume XII. Tuesday, the 24th January 1950. Online Transcript, Constituent Assembly Debates"
. Archived from
the original
on 2011-07-21
. Retrieved
2009-06-07
.
- ↑
Ganpuley's Memoirs.1983. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan.p204
- ↑
Rajendra Rajan (May 4, 2002).
"A tribute to the legendary composer of National Anthem"
.
The Tribune
.
- ↑
"Controversy over Jana Gana Mana takes a new turn"
(HTML)
.
Rediff
. Retrieved
2008-06-08
.
- ↑
"Who composed the score for Jana Gana Mana? Gurudev or the Gorkha?"
(HTML)
.
Rediff
. Retrieved
2008-06-08
.
- ↑
Singh, Amardeep (2015-09-14).
"Amardeep Singh: National Anthem Throwdown: Jana Gana Mana vs. Bande Mataram"
.
- ↑
National Anthem: From "Namo Namo" to "Sri Lanka Matha" , dbsjeyaraj.com, Retreived 2012-04-09
- ↑
Bhattacharjee, Pijush Kanti (2015).
"Sir Rabindranath Tagore Struggled for Global Freedom"
. Indian Journal of Applied Research [IJAR], vol. 5, issue 7, pp. 255-258, July 2015.
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Rabindranath Tagore
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