RABINDRANATH TAGORE
FROM SAMPATH’S DESK:
RABINDRANATH
TAGORE
(7
May 1861 – 7 August 1941)
Needless to say, Rabindranath
Tagore is synonymous with India’s national anthem ‘Jana gana mana’. Born in
Jorasanko Thakur Bari, Bengal (British India), Rabindranath Tagore was a polymath and versatile persona
viz. poet, playwright, dramatist, novelist, essayist, story-writer, composer, philosopher,
social reformer, educationist, linguist, grammarian, and painter - all rolled
into one - who received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for his
profoundly sensitive, fresh, and beautiful poetic collection called GITANJALI.
He was the first non-European to receive the accolade after Theodore Roosevelt
(26th President of the United States) who received the 1906 Nobel
Peace Prize.
Tagore
wrote the national anthem of Bangladesh also called 'Amar Sonar Bangla' in 1905.
Although Rabindranath’s father sent his son to a
public school in Brighton, England with the intention of making him a
barrister, Tagore had other ideas. Shunning the conventional British schooling,
he evinced a keen interest in exploring literature including the works of
Shakespeare. After attending the University College, London for a short time,
he returned to India to pursue his interests.
A great patriot and
freedom fighter, he, as a mark of protest against the infamous Jallianwala Bagh
Massacre (13 April 1919), repudiated the knighthood he had received in 1915
from the British King George V.
Tagore expanded Shantiniketan (Abode of Peace - already established by his father Debendranath Tagore) in Bolpur in Birbhum district of West Bengal (152 north of Calcutta, now Kolkata) and located a Centre there for ancient Indian traditions on a vision of the unity of humanity transcending religious and cultural boundaries. The school's curriculum emphasized and revolved around a holistic approach to education, with a focus on creativity, critical thinking, and a deep connection with nature. Later, the institution was expanded into a university named Visva Bharti University. And, today, it is one of the most famous institutions of higher learning in the country. This was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List by the World Heritage Committee in 2023.
Tagore introduced the short story genre in Bengali Literature. In 1877, he wrote ‘Bhikharini’ - the first-ever short story in Bengali language. Another best-known short story of Rabindranath was ‘Kabuliwala’. In 1940, he was awarded by the Oxford University, London with a Doctorate of Literature in a special ceremony arranged at Shantiniketan.
He had painted over 3000 paintings
in the last 13 years of his life. It shows his creative power even in his old
age. Tagore was also a prolific songwriter. He wrote about. 2230 songs. And, Tagore is considered a major force in transforming the style
of Bengali music by incorporating influences from different musical traditions.
Tamil Mahakavi Subramania Bharati wrote about Rabindranath Tagore. In an essay written in November 1915, Bharati referred to Tagore as one of the Mahakavis (great poets) of the time and noted the global recognition he was receiving. Bharati also translated some of Tagore’s stories into Tamil. As a multi-linguist, Bharati was influenced by Bengali literature and writers including Tagore. He also expressed his admiration for Tagore in a letter to the ‘The Hindu’. In the 1914 letter, he said, “We produce men like Tagore and Bose nowadays”.
While commenting on Tagore's global reception and his
messages, Bharati always mentioned Tagore's literary genius. He wrote
extensively on Tagore besides expressing, on one occasion, his dissatisfaction
with the way the Indian journals had covered his Japanese visit.
JAI HIND.
R.SAMPATH
21/12/2024
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