Rabindranath Tagore also known as Gurudev, born on May 7, 1861 in Calcutta was the youngest son of the Brahmo Samaj Leader Debendranath Tagore. Rabindranath had his early education at home and was sent to England at the age of 17 for schooling.
After his return in 1870, along with literary activities he managed the estates owned by his family. In India he also published several books of poetry. While he was managing the estates he got closely acquainted with the villagers and learnt about their miseries. These stories of the common folks were the key points in his writings.
In the year 1901, Tagore started an experimental school, where he wanted to blend and teach the best of Indian and Western traditions and culture to the students, at Shantiniketan. This very school became Visva-Bharati University in the year 1912.
Rabindranath Tagore experienced personal loss between the years 1902 and 1907 wherein he lost his wife and two children. This sorrow reflected in his poetry ‘Gitanjali’. Tagore’s religious poems from several of his Bengali verse collections, including ‘Gitanjali’, was translated in English, which was welcomed by W. B. Yeats and Andre Gide, winning him the Nobel Prize in the year 1913. He was also awarded knighthood in 1915, which he rejected in 1919, to protest against the massacre in Jallianwala Bagh, Amritsar.
Tagore travelled around the globe, to lecture and read his poetry in America, Europe and East Asia, becoming the spokesperson for Indian Independence. In his 60s, Tagore became interested in painting, and the outcome was winning a place among India’s foremost contemporary artist. This huge bundle of talent breathed his last on 7th August 1941, in Calcutta.
Tagore has written in many genres. Among is 50 and more volumes of poetry are;
• Sonar Tari (The Golden Boat)
• Gitanjali (Song Offerings)
• Balaka (The Flight of Cranes)
• Gitimalya (Wreath of Songs)
• The Fugitive
Rabindranath Tagore also wrote plays, musical dramas, essays of various kinds, travel diaries, dance dramas, and two autobiographies.
“If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars.”
― Rabindranath Tagore
“It is very simple to be happy, but it is very difficult to be simple.”
― Rabindranath Tagore