Today in History | Aug 7, 1941
Death Anniversary
Rabindranath Tagore
Poet | Author | Playwright | Musician | Lyricist | Essayist | Painter
Rabindranath Tagore was one of the greatest creative minds of early 20th-century India who introduced Indian culture to the West and vice versa.
Known as “Gurudev” and the “Bard of Bengal”, Tagore was born in Calcutta in a reputable Brahmo family. He began to write verse at an early age and his works, his philosophy, and political beliefs are studied all over the world even today.
Tagore founded an experimental school in 1901, Shantiniketan in order to merge the best of Indian and Western traditions and teachings.
Tagore travelled across Europe, Americas and East Asia to deliver lectures, read his poetry and emerged as India's spokesman for independence from British rule.
Tagore was color blind, a fact people came to know when he started painting in his sixties. While many credit him for writing two national anthems, the correct count is three.
Here are some facts on this outstanding person:
1. First Non-European to Win a Nobel Prize for Literature
Tagore was also the first Asian to win a Nobel prize in 1913 for his great contribution in literature.
2. Three National Anthems were inspired by Tagore's work
Tagore is widely credited for the 2 national anthems - “Jana Gana Mana” for India and “Amar Sonar Bangla” for Bangladesh. However, not many know that he was also the inspiration behind Sri Lanka's national anthem “Sri Lanka Matha”.
3. He invested his Nobel Prize money in a School
Tagore with his Nobel Prize money, started “Visva-Bharati” school in Shantiniketan. The school had its own Shantiniketan Education System producing some of India's prominent individuals like Amartya Sen, Satyajit Ray, and Indira Gandhi.
Founded in 1901, it was an experimental school in rural West Bengal where he combined the best of both Indian and Western traditions. He permanently settled there and the school became Visva-Bharati University in 1921.
4. Gitanjali (1910) - Tagore's most acclaimed work
Tagore's famous poetry was a reflection of his years of grief from the death of his wife and two children. The preface of Tagore's Gitanjali was written by another great poet, W.B. Yeats. It was even praised by André Gide and Tagore was awarded Nobel Prize for it in 1913.
5. Tagore's Nobel Prize was Stolen
Tagore's Nobel prize medal was kept in the safety vault of Visva-Bharati University when it was stolen in a theft in 2004. The Swedish Academy then gave him two replicas of the prize, a gold and a bronze.
6. Tagore was Colour Blind
Tagore's work was successfully exhibited throughout Europe when he started drawing and painting in his sixties. The unusual colour schemes and his eccentric artistic taste can be ascribed to the fact that he was red-green colour blind.
7. Tagore Worked on All Genres
He wrote novels, stories, poems, essays, verses, plays, songs, and a lot of varied stuff and thus have worked on almost all kinds of genres.
8. Einstein invited Tagore for a chat
Another renowned thinker of the time, Albert Einstein, once invited Rabindranath Tagore at his home where they talked about Science, God, Humanity, Truth, and Beauty.
Their conversation has been transcribed in the “Note on the Nature of Reality” and can be read online.
9. Tagore was Knighted by the King of England
In 1915, King George V of England rewarded Tagore with a knighthood for his contribution in literature. However, he renounced it in protest of the tragic massacre at Jallianwala Bagh in 1919.
10. Tagore's family
Rabindranath Tagore's father was Debendranath Tagore, the religious reformer who played a key role in the Bengali Rennaisance. Following in his father's footsteps, Rabindranath Tagore played a crucial role in reviving the Bengali Art, Literature, Music, and Theatre.
His sister was Swarnakumari Devi, who was among the first women in Bengal to gain importance in poetry and novel writing. She was also known for music and social work.
11. There are 8 Tagore museums
With 3 museums in India and 5 in Bangladesh, Tagore has total 8 museums in his memory.
The three Indian museums are 'Rabindra Bharati Museum' at Jorasanko Thakur Bari in Kolkata, 'Rabindra Bhavan Museum' at Santiniketan and, 'Rabindra Museum' in Mungpoo, near Kalimpong.
12. Tagore's Mahatma
Rabindranath Tagore is also known to be the first person to address Gandhi Ji as “Mahatma”.
'Gurudev' was an exceptional person and people say that even on his death bed, he was thinking of poems in his mind and was worried that he couldn’t write them. Tagore was such a renowned thinker that many educational institutions around the world study his philosophy even today.
Death Anniversary
Rabindranath Tagore
Poet | Author | Playwright | Musician | Lyricist | Essayist | Painter
Nobel laureate Tagore has written over 2,000 songs and has scripted plenty of novels, poems, plays, and stories. His most famous works are “Gitanjali” and “Jeevan Smriti”.
He completed his schooling from Brighton, England and briefly attended London University before returning to India where he published his poetry work in the 1880s.
Tagore travelled across Europe, Americas and East Asia to deliver lectures, read his poetry and emerged as India's spokesman for independence from British rule.
Tagore was color blind, a fact people came to know when he started painting in his sixties. While many credit him for writing two national anthems, the correct count is three.
He was knighted for his contribution to literature but he renounced it in protest of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Here are some facts on this outstanding person:
1. First Non-European to Win a Nobel Prize for Literature
Tagore was also the first Asian to win a Nobel prize in 1913 for his great contribution in literature.
2. Three National Anthems were inspired by Tagore's work
Tagore is widely credited for the 2 national anthems - “Jana Gana Mana” for India and “Amar Sonar Bangla” for Bangladesh. However, not many know that he was also the inspiration behind Sri Lanka's national anthem “Sri Lanka Matha”.
3. He invested his Nobel Prize money in a School
Tagore with his Nobel Prize money, started “Visva-Bharati” school in Shantiniketan. The school had its own Shantiniketan Education System producing some of India's prominent individuals like Amartya Sen, Satyajit Ray, and Indira Gandhi.
Founded in 1901, it was an experimental school in rural West Bengal where he combined the best of both Indian and Western traditions. He permanently settled there and the school became Visva-Bharati University in 1921.
4. Gitanjali (1910) - Tagore's most acclaimed work
Tagore's famous poetry was a reflection of his years of grief from the death of his wife and two children. The preface of Tagore's Gitanjali was written by another great poet, W.B. Yeats. It was even praised by André Gide and Tagore was awarded Nobel Prize for it in 1913.
5. Tagore's Nobel Prize was Stolen
Tagore's Nobel prize medal was kept in the safety vault of Visva-Bharati University when it was stolen in a theft in 2004. The Swedish Academy then gave him two replicas of the prize, a gold and a bronze.
6. Tagore was Colour Blind
Tagore's work was successfully exhibited throughout Europe when he started drawing and painting in his sixties. The unusual colour schemes and his eccentric artistic taste can be ascribed to the fact that he was red-green colour blind.
7. Tagore Worked on All Genres
He wrote novels, stories, poems, essays, verses, plays, songs, and a lot of varied stuff and thus have worked on almost all kinds of genres.
8. Einstein invited Tagore for a chat
Another renowned thinker of the time, Albert Einstein, once invited Rabindranath Tagore at his home where they talked about Science, God, Humanity, Truth, and Beauty.
Their conversation has been transcribed in the “Note on the Nature of Reality” and can be read online.
9. Tagore was Knighted by the King of England
In 1915, King George V of England rewarded Tagore with a knighthood for his contribution in literature. However, he renounced it in protest of the tragic massacre at Jallianwala Bagh in 1919.
10. Tagore's family
Rabindranath Tagore's father was Debendranath Tagore, the religious reformer who played a key role in the Bengali Rennaisance. Following in his father's footsteps, Rabindranath Tagore played a crucial role in reviving the Bengali Art, Literature, Music, and Theatre.
His sister was Swarnakumari Devi, who was among the first women in Bengal to gain importance in poetry and novel writing. She was also known for music and social work.
11. There are 8 Tagore museums
With 3 museums in India and 5 in Bangladesh, Tagore has total 8 museums in his memory.
The three Indian museums are 'Rabindra Bharati Museum' at Jorasanko Thakur Bari in Kolkata, 'Rabindra Bhavan Museum' at Santiniketan and, 'Rabindra Museum' in Mungpoo, near Kalimpong.
12. Tagore's Mahatma
Rabindranath Tagore is also known to be the first person to address Gandhi Ji as “Mahatma”.
'Gurudev' was an exceptional person and people say that even on his death bed, he was thinking of poems in his mind and was worried that he couldn’t write them. Tagore was such a renowned thinker that many educational institutions around the world study his philosophy even today.
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