Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore

rABiNDrANATH Tagore was the first Indian and the first nonEuropean to win a Nobel Prize in Literature. He was a master of many vocations. He wrote poems, dramas, novels, stories, songs and composed music. He was also a painter, philosopher, educationist and social reformer.

ANCEsTrY – His family traces its descent from Bhattanarayan, an eminent Sanskrit scholar. At the invitation of King Adisur of Bengal, Bhattanarayan migrated to the king’s court from Kanauj in the eighth century.

For many centuries, movements of the family remained unknown. In eighteenth century, Panchanan, a Tagore ancestor, relocated to Govindpur village, one of villages, which was amalgamated to form Kolkata. Local residents addressed him as Thakur, Godly man. Merchants of the East India Company mispronounced his nickname as Tagore. Eventually it became the family name of his descendants.

Panchanan’s son Jayram became a surveyor under the East India Company. After the events of 1757, when the East India Company won the Battle of Plassey, the family was displaced. Jayram’s son, Nilmoni relocated to North Kolkata, and built a new family home.

Rabindranath’s grandfather

Dwarkanath was the grandson of Nilmoni. He learnt English, became very wealthy, visited England and died there.

Rabindranath’s father Debendranath was a pious man. He joined the Brahmo Samaj and got initiated into it in December 1843. Eventually, he led the section known as Adi Brahmo Samaj.

EArLY LiFE - Rabindranath

Tagore, the son of Debendranath and Sharada Devi, was born on 7 May 1861 in the ancestral home Jorasanko Thakurbari, in North Kolkata. He was the youngest of the thirteen surviving children.

Rabindranath was entrusted to the care of a nursemaid during his infancy. When he grew up a little, mostly servants raised him. They fed him, controlled his movements and were the only persons to whom he had access. Later he recalled how one servant used to force him to stay within the boundary of a circle that he drew in the room for him to stay in.

He had noted about another servant who was a good storyteller and used to recite stories from Ramayan, Mahabharat and Purans. Rabindranath remained confined within a room with no access to the outside world. Whenever he found an opportunity, he peeped through the windows to observe the outdoor area.

The family had an elaborate provision for all round training of both mind and the body. In addition to reading lessons, he practiced wrestling for physical development and music for creating a taste in fine art. He had a wonderful capacity to learn music by merely listening to the masters. He had a natural dislike for formal lessons in music or other subjects imposed on him.

After home school, Tagore was admitted to the Oriental Seminar, a school in North Kolkata. Shortly afterward he was transferred to the Normal School. In the annual examination conducted at his school, he came first in Bengali, the only distinction he achieved in his school life.

At this stage, Tagore had his first lesson in composing poems. With a natural aptitude for writing poems, he immediately found himself deeply engaged with the new hobby. He read out his poems to family elders. Soon his reputation as a poet spread to his school. Special arrangements were made to teach him English under the supervision of a teacher. Soon he was withdrawn from Normal School and admitted to the Anglo Indian School named Bengal Academy.

His father Debendranath mostly remained away from home. In 1873, he came back home for a few weeks. At this time, Tagore’s sacred thread ceremony was performed. Afterwards, Debendranath took Rabindranath with him to the Himalayas. This period of close contact with his father produced a tremendous impact on Rabindranath. It broadened his outlook and developed in him a new taste for nature.

During this journey, he stayed at Shantiniketan. Tagore fell in love with this place. After returning to Kolkata, Rabindranath withdrew from Bengal Academy and was admitted to the St Xavier’s school, but ultimately he gave up attending school altogether. Left to himself, he started seriously his own selfeducation.

When he turned seventeen, the family decided that Tagore should travel to England to study law and become a barrister. He left for the United Kingdom in September 1878. Initially he was admitted to a local school at Brighton and then moved to London. He gained admission to the University College London to study law, but left soon afterwards. He could not complete the course of studies. A directive from his father abruptly terminated it.

He independently studied Shakespeare’s plays and other literatures. English, Irish and Scottish folk tunes impressed him. During his stay in London, Tagore on the banks of River Ganga. From there he could visit his Zamindari estates by boat. He regularly visited Kolkata, where his family resided. There he participated in literally events and patronised various art clubs. In 1897, he shifted his family to Shelidah. The rural setting of the region offered an ideal environment for his literary works. the book themselves. London's India Society published the work in a limited edition. picked up a good acquaintance with western music.

Tagore found a residential school at Shantiniketan where his father had built a small settlement. The school known as a Brahmacharya Ashram was established on 22 December 1901. The first five students, including his eldest son, were enrolled in the school at its inauguration. A number of enthusiasts joined the school as teachers. One of the teachers introduced the practice of addressing Tagore as Gurudev, which became his appellation.

His wife moved to Shantiniketan. However, the family life did not continue for long. Mrinalini Devi fell ill and the disease could not be cured locally. She was removed to the family home in Kolkata where she passed away on 23 November 1902, at the age of twenty-nine.

In the meantime, Tagore left for the USA for a short tour, with his son and daughter-in-law. In the USA, he delivered lectures at universities, educational institutions and literary clubs.

He returned to London in April 1913. He was admitted to hospital for treatment in June and left for home on 4 September 1913. In November 1913, he was awarded the Nobel Laureate in Literature. His achievements were now universally recognised. He was awarded a knighthood by King George V in the 1915 Birthday Honours.

His recognition on a world stage entitled him to become the spiritual ambassador of India. Bal Gangadhar Tilak despatched a sum of fifty thousand rupees to him through a messenger, and communicated a wish that he should visit Europe to help build a case for India’s freedom.

In February 1880, he returned to Kolkata. He regularly published poems, stories, and novels. These had a profound impact within Bengal itself but he received little national attention.

LiTErArY CArEEr - Tagore started his literary career when he was in his teens. The Tatvabodhini Patrika published his earliest poem ‘Abhilash’ in December 1874. He became a regular contributor to the other family journal Sadhana. He recited his poems on India, in the prestigious Kolkata Hindu Mela program, in 1875.

His mother passed away in 1875. After his mother’s death, Kadamabari Devi, the wife of his elder brother Jyotindranath, showered affection on him, and inspired him to develop his poetic attributes. Unfortunately, she committed suicide in 1884 for an unknown reason. Rabindranath dedicated his two initial works to her - ‘Saisab Sangeet’ a collection of poems written when he was still in teens, and ‘Bhanu Sinha Thakurer Padavali’. They were published in 1877 and 1881 respectively.

His first book of play ‘Rudra Chanda’ was published in 1881. The same year he wrote Valmiki Pratibha. Tagore’s first novel Bowthakuranir Hat was published in 1883 followed by Rajarshi in 1887. His literary works continued regularly.

FAMiLY AFFAirs - Tagore was married to Mrinalini Devi on 9 December 1883. The couple gave birth to five children, three sons and two daughters. In 1890, Tagore paid a short second visit to England. Mrinalini could not accompany him, probably because of her two young children and pregnancy with a third child at that time.

Debendranath assigned Tagore the responsibility of managing the family estates in North Bengal. He took residence at Shelidah, located

Soon more tragedies followed. His second daughter Renuka had contracted tuberculosis. Despite the best available treatments, she died in September 1903. By the end of 1904, his father became seriously ill and died in January 1905. In November 1907, his youngest son died of cholera at the age thirteen. Within a span of five years Rabindranath lost four nearest and dearest one by one.

The British decided to partition Bengal into two in 1905, which led to political unrest. Tagore protested against the partition of Bengal. He drew up a program to be followed during the protest. He wrote the best collection of patriotic songs.

Later, he separated himself from the anti-partition movement due to differences with other leading members. He remained mostly untouched by the political turmoil, until shaken by the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre and subsequent events. In a protest against the Massacre, he relinquished the title of Knighthood which was conferred on him in 1916, by the king emperor.

NOBLE PrizE –His traumatic personal life and the contemporary political events seriously affected his health. He had developed a disease, which required surgery in the UK. His trip was booked but he became seriously ill and his journey was cancelled. He went to Shelidah to pass time until his next booking. There he translated a selection of 103 poems into English and named the compilation ‘Gitanjali’, Song Offering.

In due course, he boarded a ship on 27 May 1912 and reached London. There he shared his poems with his admirers including WB Yeats, CF Andrews, William Rothenstein and Ezra Pound.

On 7 July 1912, WB Yeats read out the poems from Gitanjali to a select audience. The program was a complete success. Letters of appreciation started arriving the next day.

On 10 July 1912, Yeats introduced Tagore to a group of distinguished men of letters. He also gave a reading of some of the poems from Gitanjali and concluded with favourable comments.

After the second meeting, Tagore’s friends decided to publish

Tagore visited numerous countries on invitation of their leaders and heads of institutions. Between 1912 and 1934, he undertook around 11 overseas journeys. He visited over thirty countries including UK, USA, Japan, China, Germany, Italy, Russia, Argentina, Mexico, Indonesia, Egypt, and others, on the five continents.

VisVA BHArATi - Tagore’s spiritual attainments and personality had won him the deep admiration of people around the world. He conceived the idea of transforming Shantiniketan into a link between India and the world, through a university. He named the proposed university Visva Bharati. Its foundation stone was laid on 24 December 1918 and the institution was inaugurated on 22 December 1921. It offered intellectual, emotional and spiritual education in a natural environment.

Tagore contributed his Noble Prize money towards its building and functioning. He raised funds in Europe and the USA during his travels for the project.

Tagore was a prolific composer. He composed over 2,000 songs. His songs are known as Rabindra Sangeet. The national anthems of India and Bangladesh are his compositions.

He started drawing and painting late in his sixties. Successful exhibition of his works were held in Paris and throughout Europe. He had left nearly 2,500 paintings and drawings. His artworks were modern in style.

In 1930s, Tagore became involved in politics again. Mahatma Gandhi adored him and sought his blessings.

In his old age, Tagore developed a special attraction to Kalimpong, a hill station in Darjeeling. He last visited there in May 1940. The same year, Oxford University conferred on him an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Literature at Shantiniketan.

His eightieth birthday was celebrated on 8 May 1941. Towards the end of July, he fell seriously ill and was moved to his Kolkata residence. His health did not recover and peacefully, he passed away on 7 August 1941. His physical remains were consigned to flames on the bank of River Hooghly. Awadhesh sharma