Rabindranath Tagore (born May 7, 1861, in Calcutta, and died on August 7, 1941) was a Bengali poet, philosopher, painter, composer, musician, and Brahmo Samaj supporter, 1913 received the Nobel Prize in Literature and was the first Asian Nobel Prize winner.
From the Pirali Brahmin caste of Calcutta, Tagore composed his first poems at the age of eight. At sixteen, he published his first substantial poems under the pseudonym Bhanu Shingo (“the lion of the sun”) and wrote his first short stories and dramas in 1877.
Rabindranath Tagore did not receive formal schooling as a child, his life in Shilaidaha (where his grandfather built a country house), and his travels made Tagore a maverick and a pragmatist. He is one of the voices raised against the British Raj and he supports like Gandhi the movement for the independence of India.
His life is tragic – he loses almost all his family and is deeply afflicted by the decline of Bengal – but his works survive him, in the form of poems, novels, plays, essays, and paintings as well as the institution he founded in Shantiniketan, the University of Visva-Bharati.
Tagore has written novels, short stories, songs, dance-dramas, and essays on political and private subjects. Gitanjali (The lyric offering), Gora (Pale face), and Ghare-Baire (The house and the world) are among his best-known works.
Rabindranath Tagore verses, short stories, and novels – in which he frequently uses rhythmic lyricism, colloquialism, meditative naturalism and philosophical contemplation – have received enthusiastic reception around the world.
Tagore was also a cultural reformer and a polymath who modernized Bengali art by rejecting the restrictions which linked it to classical Indian forms. Two songs from his Rabindra sangeet cannon became respective national anthems of Bangladesh and India: Amar Shonar Bangla and Jana Gana Mana.
The Early life of Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore was born at Jorasanko Thakurbari in Calcutta. His father was the Brahma Guru Debendranath Tagore (1818–1905) and his mother was Saradasundari Devi (1826–185). Rabindranath was the fourteenth child of his parents. The Tagore family of Jorasanko was a proponent of the Brahmo Adidharma doctrine.
In 185, at the age of only fourteen, Rabindranath had a miscarriage. Father Debendranath spent most of the year outside Calcutta intoxicated by traveling. So even though he was a child of a rich family, Rabindranath spent his childhood under the discipline of his servants.
As a child, Rabindranath Tagore attended the Oriental Seminary, Normal School, Bengal Academy, and St. Xavier’s Collegiate School in Calcutta for some time. However, due to his disinterest in schooling, his tutoring was arranged at home.
As a child, he lived in Jorasanko’s house or in Bolpur and Panihati Rabindranath used to feel more comfortable walking in the natural environment in the garden house. Rabindranath’s Upanayana was held in 183 at the age of eleven. He then traveled abroad with his father for a few months.
They first came to Santiniketan. He then spent some time in Amritsar, Punjab, visiting the Sikh worship system. Finally, Debendranath went with his son to Bakrota, near the hill town of Dalhousie in Punjab (now in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh).
Sanskrit grammar, English, astronomy, from Rabindranath’s father sitting in the Bakrota bungalow here began to take regular lessons in general science and history. Devendra biography of the eminent personalities, Kalidasa ‘s classical Sanskrit poetry and drama, and the Upanishads lessons encouraged.
In 18, some important works of the young Rabindranath were published in Bharati. These are Michael Madhusudan’s “Critique of Meghnada Badha Kavya”, Vanusingh Tagore’s verses, and two stories called “Vikharini” and “Karuna”. Of these, the words of Vanusingh Tagore are particularly significant.
These poems are Radha- “Vanusingh” is written in Bhanita in imitation of Krishna ‘s verses. Rabindranath’s story “Vikharini” is the first short story in Bengali literature. In 1878, Tagore’s first book of poems was published as well as the first printed book Kabi Kahini.
He also wrote the book Sandhya Sangeet (evening song) in this episode. Rabindranath’s famous poem ” Nirjharer Swapnabhanga ” belongs to this book of poetry.
Nobel Prize for Literature
The pain at the death of his wife and two of his children, in 1902 and 1907, inspired Tagore to write his most profound and mystical volume of poetry, “Oferenda Poética” (1913-1914).
In 1915 he received the title of knight, which he resigned in 1919 in protest against the Amritsar massacre. Tagore started to develop intense activity as a lecturer in several countries. In 1921 he started to dedicate a large part of his time in promoting the international University “Visva-Bharati”, which he founded that same year in the center of Santiniketan.
Rabindranath Tagore passed away in Calcutta, India, on August 7, 1941.
Death of Rabindranath Tagore
In the last decade of his life (1932-1941) a total of fifty books of Rabindranath Tagore were published. Among his books of poetry of this period are the notable Punscha (1932), Shesh Saptak (1935), Shyamoli, and Patraput (1936) – three collections of prose poetry. During this period of his life, Rabindranath experimented in various branches of literature.
This is the fruit of his experiments and his multiple Gadya Gitika drama Chitrangada (1936; Chitrangada (1892) kabya Natya Nratyabhinay-adapted form), Shyama (1939) and Chandalika (1939) Nrtya Natya Trayi. Rabindranath also wrote his last three novels (Two Sisters (1933), Malanch (1934), and Four Chapters (1934)) in this episode.
Most of his paintings were painted during this period of his life. At the same time, Rabindranath Tagore became interested in science in the last years of his life. In 1937 he published a collection of essays on science- Bisbaparicaya. In this book, he recorded the latest conclusions of astronomy in simple Bengali prose.
The influence of his acquired knowledge of physics and astronomy is also seen in his poetry. She (1936), three companions(1940), and Galpasalpa (1941) are three collections of short stories based on his scientific character.
At this stage in his life, Rabindranath reacted strongly against religious orthodoxy and superstition. When Gandhiji called the death of hundreds of people in an earthquake in the British province of Bihar in 1934 “the wrath of God,” Rabindranath called Gandhiji’s statement unscientific and publicly criticized him.
The financial plight of the common people of Calcutta and the rapid socio-economic decline of the British Bengal province particularly disturbed him. He also illustrated this fact in a hundred-line poem composed in prose.
The last four years of his life were marked by a series of physical illnesses. Twice during this time, he had to stay in bed in critical condition. Once in 1938, Kabir became unconscious and in a critical condition. Although Seba recovered, he did not recover after falling ill in 1940.
Rabindranath’s poems written during this period were some unforgettable lines centered on death consciousness. Rabindranath Tagore was creative until seven days before his death. a long illness in 1941 Jorasanko residence of Rabindranath Tagore breathed his last.
Rabindranath Tagore quotes
- Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storm but to add color to my sunset sky.
- If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars.
- Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them. Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it.
- I slept and dreamt that life was a joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was a joy.
- The small wisdom is like water in a glass: clear, transparent, pure. The great wisdom is like the water in the sea: dark, mysterious, impenetrable.
- Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.
Tales and novels
- Gora (1910)
- Ghare-Baire (1916) [The House and the World]
- Yogayog (1929) [Countercurrents]
Poetry
- Manasi (1890) [The Ideal]
- Sonar Tari (1894) [The Golden Boat]
- Gitanjali (1910) [Music Offers]
- Raja (1910) [The King of the Dark Chamber]
- Dakghar (1912) [The Post Office]
- Gitimalya (1914) [Wreath of Songs]
- Achalayatan (1912) [The Building]
- Gardener (1913) [The Gardener]
- Balaka (1916) [Flight of the Cranes]
- Fruit-Gathering (1916) [Fruit Harvest]
- The Fugitive (1921) [The Fugitive]
- Muktadhara (1922) [The Waterfall]
- Raktakaravi (1926) [Red Oleanders]