Contemplating Truth in its purest form gave him inner strength. This aspect of Debendranath's character attracted his son Rabindranath. His father's influence can thus be seen in Rabindranath's cultivation of the spiritual life as well as in his everyday conduct. In his father the poet found a role model, someone that was focussed and yet detached, very logical and yet very emotional. Dwarkanath Tagore was once legendary for his wealth and expensive lifestyle.
In fact, that is why he was known as 'Prince' Dwarkanath. However, in the prevailing economic depression in the country made him suffer severe financial losses.
When Dwarkanath died in he left a heavy burden of debts on his son Debendranath. The latter, however, was able to pay off his father's debts on his own although this meant that Debendranath had to practice financial austerity for a while. Indeed, Debendranath had a unique reputation for honesty, spirituality, saintliness, and liberal refinement. The father influenced the son's taste in life as well as literature.
In that age the Jorasanko Tagore family was the locus of literature and culture, liberal thinking and progressive ideas in the region. On the one hand, Debendranath's pursuit of the religious life, on the other, the family's nationalistic zeal, and an atmosphere where music, literature and the arts flourished, and the many transformations taking place in the country shaped Rabindranath's consciousness decisively. Debendranath was involved in various philanthropic ventures in his country.
He had his own educational philosophy; he also went steadily ahead in introducing religious and cultural reforms in his circle. He would often retreat from the hustle and bustle of life to the Himalayas for meditation and for pursuit of the holy life. In while on such a trip to Raipur from Bolpur he stopped in Bhubandanga village to rest there for a while.
This place was a part of the Raipur estate. At that point he suddenly felt like establishing an ashram hermitage here. In he purchased the land and established Santiniketan asram on it. In he dedicated this asram to the worship of Brahma through a trust deed. In subsequent years Rabindranath built a study centre for Brahmos here which eventually was transformed into Visva-Bharati. Rabindranath was the youngest of Debendranath Tagore's fourteen children.
Rabindranath's oldest brother Dwijendranath Tagore was a philosopher and a poet. Another brother, satyendranath tagore, was the first Indian member of the ICS. Yet another brother, jyotirindranath tagore, was a composer and a playwright. Among his sisters, swarna kumari devi earned fame as a novelist.
The Tagore family home resounded with musical, literary, and theatrical activities. Moreover, the family had close links with the world outside. Male members of this large family were brought up in an austere atmosphere under the supervision of sympathetic servants.
Rabindranath has recorded the story of his boyhood superbly in his memoirs, Jivansmrti [translated by Surendranath Tagore as My Reminiscences ]. In the palatial Tagore house in Jorasanko were water tanks, gardens, and all kinds of enchanting spots that allured the young boy.
However, the child was not allowed to stray away from the servants who had been assigned to look after him. As a result, the child's fertile imagination constantly concocted images of the outside world that he found so fascinating. In his subsequent life, his attraction for this world is reflected in innumerable ways in his verse and in the songs that he composed and the journeys he undertook.
Rabindranath's formal education began in Kolkata's Oriental Seminary. Then, for a few years, he studied in Normal School, the institution established by iswar chandra vidyasagar. Next he went to St Xavier's School, but because he was irregular as a student he was not able to continue with his studies here. However, he continued to pursue his education at home. A significant event in his life in this period was the trip to the Himalayas that he took with his father in On his way, father and son spent some time in santiniketan.
This was the first time that the poet would leave the city and experience nature's open vistas. In this trip Rabindranath was able to become intimate with his father-an important occurrence in the poet's life. His father's unique personality overwhelmed the young boy.
In his isolated lodging in the Himalayas, Debendranath taught his son sanskrit. In the evening the father taught the child about the planets of the sky.
In this way, Debendranath was able to transmit his love of nature and of creation to the budding poet. By the time Rabindranath returned from the Himalayas, he seemed to have left his childhood behind him. From this time onwards his education and study of literature became free of institutional bounds.
In addition he studied drawing, music, and gymnastics. Although he had stopped going to school, he continued to study literature. Rabindranath published his first poem, 'Abhilas' in the tattvabodhini patrika in Agrahayan , although some believe that the first poem that he was able to publish was 'Bharatbhumi' in the bangadarshan in The second poem that he could get into print was 'Prakrtir Khed' He read out both these poems before a gathering organised in the Tagore home for the literati.
It is relevant here to point out that the Tagore family used to organise literary conferences where they invited prominent writers, journalists, and thinkers which they had titled 'Bidvajjan Samagam'.
The organisers of these conferences were Dwijendranath, Satyendranath, and Jyotirindranath. At this point of time Rabindranath gave himself fully to general studies.
But he was also writing creatively regularly. Some of his literary works were published serially at this time in some periodicals. Thus in the bharati he published Kavi Kahini and in Jnanankur and Pratibimba he published Banaphul It may be mentioned here that Bharati was edited by Dwijendranath and published by the Tagores while Jnanankur was a magazine where famous writers of the period used to publish their works.
Rabindranath's poem 'Hindu Melar Upahar', read before the hindu mela, and bearing the mark of the nationalistic spirit of Debendranath's family, earned him early fame and made it possible for him to publish his work in such a distinguished magazine. Noticing Rabindranath's disdain for established methods of education in Bengal, his brother Satyendranath proposed to Debendranath that his brother be sent to England to become a barrister.
And so in Rabindranath sailed for England with his brother. At first he studied in a public school in Brighton. Later, he was admitted to London's University College. However, he did not complete his education here and left England after being in the country for over a year. Nevertheless, in the time he spent in England he was able to observe the life and culture of the country with an acute eye proof of which is his Europe-Prabasir Patra Although Rabindranath was not awarded any degree in England he was stimulated creatively by his stay in the country in important ways.
Thus his immense interest in music made him study its manifestations in England in his own way. One result of this was the musical drama Valmiki Pratibha that he composed in on his return to India. In it he set some of his lyrics to western tunes. The play was performed for 'Bidvajjan Samagam' in the Tagore home. Rabindranath himself performed the role of Valmiki.
His niece Pratibha acted the role of Saraswati. Rabindranath mentioned the performance in his autobiography. However, he had acted previously in a role in a play by his brother Jyotirindranath. From this period Rabindranath concentrated his creative energies on composing poems and songs. He soon published Sandhya Sangit and Prabhat Sangit At this time a remarkable event occurred in the poet's life that he has described vividly in his autobiography.
He was then staying with his brother Jyotirindranath in a house in Kolkata's Sudder Street. One evening as the sun was rising he suddenly felt an awakening in him that made him feel that the world, nature, and mankind had become flooded by a universal wave of joy. His celebrated poem, 'Nirjharer Svapnabhanga' [The Fountain's Awakening] is a record of that mystical moment: The poem-in an English version- begins thus:. Suddenly, Rabindranath was able to leave the hermetic world he had created in his imagination to take his place amidst humanity.
From this point on Rabindranath's creativity began to have a major impact on the literary scene. In addition to these books of verse, he published prose essays, critical pieces, fiction, etc. This was also the time when he published his first two novels, Bouthakoranir Hat and Rajarshi The couple eventually had two sons and three daughters.
Soon after his marriage Rabindranath was entrusted with the task of looking after some of his father's extensive landholdings. Among his tasks then was to act as the secretary of the original Brahma Samaj set up by his father. At this juncture, the Brahmo Samaj was going through a period of uncertainty and internal strife. The young Rabindranath discharged the duty entrusted to him of overseeing the religious movement diligently. Another chapter of Rabindranath's life began subsequently.
In September he left for England for the second time with his brother Satyendranath for a month. When he returned in October he had to take charge of some of his father's estate at his directive. In following his father's instructions, Rabindranath was led to the source of many of his literary creations. The poems, plays and novels he had written till this time were basically created out of his own mind and were thus almost entirely products of his imagination. But now he had had the opportunity to come close to the life of ordinary people and survey the life of the poor from up close.
The poet now descended from the world of the imagination to the real world. A result was the collection of short fiction titled Galpaguchchha that are considered as treasures of Bangla literature. In addition, the brilliant letters that he wrote to his niece Indira Devi, inspired by the beauty of North and East Bengal, were subsequently published as Chhinnapatra and Chinnapatrabali At this stage of his life, Rabindranath travelled throughout Bangladesh, going to places such as Gazipur, Shahzadpur, patisar, Kaligram as well as Shelidah, to manage his father's estates.
In particular, the people and the landscape of Shelidah are closely linked to the poetry he wrote then. While travelling by a boat on the padma, he was able to view the river, its sandbanks, flora and fauna, sunrises and sunsets, the poverty and simplicity of the people who lived by the banks, and the passions that swayed them closely.
All of these things find their way into his fiction and verse. Some critics have categorized Rabindranath's work of this period as compositions of his Sadhana phase, after the periodical called sadhana, edited by Dwijendranath's son Sudhindranath, where many of them appeared.
Certainly, they represent some of his finest works. He also contributed many fine poems and stories to the periodical while expressing his views in it on education and politics in some forthright essays. In one such essay, 'Shiksar Herpher' , he proposed that Bangla be made the language of education. He also emphasized the pursuit of developmental activities.
The main thrust of his prose pieces was to emphasize knowledge of one's country, society, and culture; to rectify oneself through principles derived from a humanistic outlook; to be self-reliant; and do without the alms offered by the colonial rulers.
The essays that he wrote reflected, on the one hand, his thoughts about Bengali society, and on the other, India's heritage, its spiritual aspects, and the importance of the pursuit of truth and unity. In the works of this phase are reflected the poet's grasp of reality, his ideal of beauty, his ideas about ancient and contemporary India.
He also wrote at this time about inspirational examples of the abdication of the self to be seen in present-day society and recent history. Though Rabindranath was never actively involved in politics, he never detached himself from current events either. On the contrary, he was unique in his attitude towards nationalism. He inaugurated the meeting of the Congress party that took place in Kolkata in by singing 'Bande Mataram' to his own tune.
He composed his celebrated piece 'Shivaji's Utsav' at this time, inspired by the Shivaji Festival introduced by Maharashtra's Balgangadhar Tilak. In many articles that he contributed to Sadhana, Bangadarshan, and Bharati, he commented on the contemporary political situation. During the movement against the partition of Bengal that took place in , he fiercely opposed the division of Bengal. In an essay published in Bangadarshan, he expressed his views on the subject forcefully.
He also composed on the occasion a famous song celebrating the unity of Bengal: 'Let Bengal's soil, water, air, and fruits be One and blessed, O Lord'.
This was the period when Rabindranath composed many of his well-known patriotic songs. Two of them were chosen as the national anthems of Bangladesh and India. In it he discussed different aspects of rural reconstruction, mass education, ownership in society, co-operative movements, and other schemes for social welfare.
In fact, the rural reconstruction projects that he undertook later had their roots in the time he spent in Shelidah. He also introduced a number of schemes to alleviate the sufferings of his poor tenants. Among them were innovative projects in the fields of education, health, water supply, road construction and repair, and financial schemes to free peasants from the burden of loans.
However, although Rabindranath wrote on behalf of the movement for self-rule, he never supported extreme nationalism or terrorist activities. In Rabindranath left Shelidah and settled in Santiniketan. Debendranath had established a temple here in From then on began the tradition of holding a Paus festival and fair, named after one of the winter months of Bengal.
In 7 Paus, , Rabindranath established a school in Santiniketan which would later be transformed into Visva-Bharati, one of his outstanding creations. 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,".
The comments made by the Union Minister courted controversy with educationists and politicians denouncing him. However, BJP later defended him saying his remarks were against racism and had been blown out of proportion. 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.
Rabindranath Tagore was also referred to as 'the Bard of Bengal'. 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'. In , Tagore made his debut with a short story in Bengali 'Bhikarini'.
In , 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. In , Tagore returned to Bengal without any degree and started publishing poems, stories and novels.
Although he didn't receive any recognition at the national level but became famous in Bengal. In late , Rabindranath Tagore began losing consciousness and remained in a coma for a long period.
In , Tagore again went into a coma and never recovered. After years of chronic pain and long term illness, Tagore died on August 7, , at the age of 80 years. Rabindranath Tagore took his last breath in the mansion he was brought up. It was a prayer hall with marble flooring and was named 'The Mandir'. It was also named 'Patha Bhavana' and started with only five students. Classes here were held under trees and followed the traditional Guru-Shishya method of teaching.
This trend of teaching revived the ancient method of teaching which proved beneficial when compared with the modernised method. Unfortunately, his wife and two children died and he left alone. At that time he was very disturbed. In the meantime, his works started growing and became more popular amongst the Bengali as well as foreign readers. In , he gained recognition and was awarded the prestigious Nobel Prize in Literature, and became Asia's first Nobel Laureate.
Now, Shantiniketan is a famous University town in West Bengal. Let us tell you that Rabindranath Tagore envisioned a centre of learning which would have the best of both the east and the west.
It consists of two campuses one at Shantiniketan and the other at Sriniketan. Sriniketan focuses on agriculture, adult education, village, cottage industries, and handicrafts. Rabindranath Tagore: Literary Works. Japajog: Published in , His novel is a compelling take on marital rape.
Nastanirh: Published in This novel is about relationships and love, both requited and unrequited. Ghare Baire: Published in It is a story about a married woman constricted in her household trying to find her own identity.
Gora: In the s, it is an expansive, exhaustive, and extremely relevant novel that deals with several themes like religion, gender, feminism, and also tradition against modernity. Chokher Bali: In , a novel which consists of various facets of relationships. No doubt he has changed the dimensions of Bengali literature as it was earlier viewed. Many countries have even erected their statues to pay tribute to the legendary writer. Around five museums are dedicated to Tagore out of which three are situated in India and the remaining two in Bangladesh.
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