Rabindranath Tagore

Brief Biography - Rabindranath Tagore (1861 – 1941) Rabindranath Tagore was one of India’s greatest poets, philosophers, musicians, and educators. He was born on 7 May 1861 at the Tagore family mansion in Jorasanko, Calcutta. His father, Debendranath Tagore, was a leader of the Brahmo Samaj, and his mother, Sarada Devi (Sharatsashi Devi), was a woman with a deep love for music. From childhood, Rabindranath was curious, imaginative, and creative. Though he did not attend school regularly, he was educated in the rich literary and cultural environment of his family. At an early age, he began writing poetry and soon gained fame. Rabindranath believed that education and art awaken the human soul. Guided by this belief, he founded Visva-Bharati University at Santiniketan, where he sought to unite the wisdom of the East and the West. The central ideas of his philosophy were humanism, freedom, and the pursuit of beauty. He wrote in almost every literary form, including poetry, novels, plays, essays, short stories, and songs. Among his most celebrated poetry collections are Gitanjali, Sonar Tari, and Balaka. For Gitanjali, he received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913, becoming the first Asian Nobel laureate. His novels, Ghare-Baire (The Home and the World), Gora, Chaturanga, and Yogayog, explore the depth of Bengali society and the human mind. In music, he created a unique style known as Rabindra Sangeet, blending classical and folk traditions with lyrical depth. He also wrote the national anthems of India, “Jana Gana Mana,” and Bangladesh, “Amar Sonar Bangla.” Rabindranath’s life was a blend of sorrow and creativity. Even after losing many of his loved ones, he continued to write, compose, and inspire. His works reflect pain, beauty, love, and the light of humanity. He passed away on 7 August 1941 in Calcutta, but his literature, music, and ideas remain alive. Rabindranath Tagore was a guiding light who led not only Bengal but all humankind toward knowledge, harmony, and beauty.