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Gurudev of Indian Culture - Rabindranath Tagore
from February 2021
Dr. TLN Swamy
Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
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Where knowledge is free
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my father Let my country awake…
Prayed the Vishwakavi
“AMI KAVI” (I AM A POET)
“I have, it is true, engaged myself in a series of activities. But the innermost me is not found in any of these. At the end of the journey, I am able to see a little more clearly the orb of my life. Looking back, the only thing of which I feel certain that I am a poet (Ami Kavi)” , proclaimed the “Bard of Bengal” Rabindra.
Though he prioritized poetry, he proved himself to be a true polymath through his extraordinary contributions as a Story Writer, Novelist, Dramatist, Composer, Musician, Painter, Educator, Philosopher, Social reformer, Philanthropist and Patriot. Fondly called “Gurudev, ” Rabindranath lived up to the expectation of being considered the Gurudev of contemporary Indian Culture.
“RABI” THE GENIUS IN MAKING
His creation in the form of our national anthem, “Jana Gana Mana, ” stands as a testimony to his genius as also the national anthem “Amar Shonar Bangla” of Bangladesh, the erstwhile East Bengal of India.
Born on 7th May 1861 in a wealthy Brahmin family in Calcutta as the ninth and youngest son of Debendranath and Sarada Devi, fondly called “Rabi, ” he lost his mother at an early age and was largely raised by servants. Though schooled primarily at Oriental Seminary School, he disliked conventional education and started studying at home under several teachers.
At the age of eleven, he toured India along with his father, finally reaching the Himalayan hill station of Dalhousie where he read extensively, History of India and the World, Biographies of great personalities, Sanskrit scriptures and Natural Sciences - all aiding to unhide a towering genius. His family was at the forefront of the Bengali renaissance, immensely influencing the Bengali Theatre and Musical Concerts. All of his brothers’ and sisters’ accomplishments in the cultural fields of Music, Art and Literature, had influenced the budding literary and artistic development of Tagore.
“RABINDRA” THE BLOOMING POET
Rabindra started penning at the tender age of eight and had his poem “Abhilash” (Desire) published as a 13-year-old. By the age of sweet sixteen, he completed a set of substantial poems under the pseudonym “Bhanusimha” (Sun Lion). He also debuted as a short story writer with “Bhikarini” (Beggar) in the Bengali language. As a blooming teenager, he had his first book of poems published titled “Kabi kahani” (Tale of a poet).
He travelled to Europe for the first time when he was Seventeen years old as his father wanted him to become a Barrister and got him into a school at Brighton in England, followed by a brief stint at University College of London studying Law but left it midway preferring independent study of English Literature and returned to Bengal degreeless.
MARRIAGE WITH MRINALINI DEVI
Tagore married Mrinialini Devi and fathered five children, two of whom died sadly in early childhood. Shortly after marriage, he wrote a collection of poems, “Kori-o-komal” (Sharp and flats), as also two dramas called “Raja-o- rani” (King and Queen) and “Visarjan” (Sacrifice). Later he moved to Shilaidaha(now in Bangladesh) to look after the family estate, during which time he wrote several volumes of Poetry, including Sonar Tari (The Golden Boat) and became the editor of the magazine called “Bangadarshan. ”
Rabindranath Tagore and Mrinalini Devi. Photo taken circa 1883.
AN OFFERING OF ODES AND A NOBEL PRIZE
In his late forties, Rabindranath started writing “Gitanjali, ” a profoundly sensitive and refreshingly beautiful verse. It was written shortly after the death of his wife, his two daughters, his youngest son and his father. “But some superhuman shakti seem to have given him the power to resist and rise above misfortunes of the most painful nature, ” as testified by his son Rathindranath. On his journey to London for the second time in 1912, he translated his poems from Gitanjali to English during the marine voyage. There, he met the noted British painter William Rothenstein who, impressed by Rabindranath's poems, introduced him to Irish poet Yeats and other English poets. Yeats mesmerized by the sheer innocent beauty incorporated within, remarked Gitanjali, as “Work of Supreme Culture” in his introduction to its first publication. Shortly thereafter few poems were also published in the American magazine “Poetry, ” helping reach audiences on both sides of the Atlantic. It became such a sensation that winter, enthralling an ever-widening audience, that by the next year itself in 1913, Rabindranath Tagore won the much-coveted Nobel prize for Literature. He was the first Asian to receive this honour.
Cover for Gitanjali, by Tagore
Author: Macmillan & Company, London
The Nobel prize committee noted that “Gitanjali is mysticism, one that with all the faculties of soul at the highest pitch, eagerly sets forth to meet the living father of all creation. ” It was an inner search for peace and a reaffirmation of his faith in his Life-giver. Its central theme was the realization of the divine through self-purification and service to humanity.
INDIA'S CULTURAL AMBASSADOR
As a distinguished Nobel laureate, he travelled extensively to more than 30 countries on five continents. He lectured and exhibited his paintings around the world and interacted with eminent personalities Robert Frost, George Bernard Shaw, and on On July 14, 1930, Albert Einstein welcomed him to his home in Berlin. The two proceeded to have one of the most stimulating, intellectually riveting conversations in history, exploring the age-old friction between science and religion. For the world, he became the voice of India’s enormous spiritual heritage and a true cultural ambassador of India.
Rabindranath Tagore and Albert Einstein in 1930
Author: UNESCO
"GURUDEV" OF INDIAN CULTURE AND EDUCATION
Tagore loathed rote classroom schooling and felt a child there was like a caged bird who was force-fed text book pages to death. He believed in the GuruShishya Ashrama system of teaching and started the “Bolpur Brahmacharyashram” at Shantinikethan in 1902. Later in 1921 he established the “Vishwabharati” University and donated all his money from his Nobel prize and royalty earnings from his books to the university. He conceived Shantinikethan to be the connecting thread between India and the rest of the world.
In the same year, he also set up the “Institute of Rural Reconstruction” to promote and support the economic and educational growth of Rural India. In 1915 he was knighted by the then British King George-V, but he renounced the Knighthood in 1919 as a protest measure against the Jalianwalabagh massacre. He stayed out of politics largely but opposed militarism, denounced the British Raj and demanded independence to India from Britain through his active participation in the freedom movement.
This cantelever bridge in Kolkata famously named as Howrah Bridge was renamed Rabindra Setu after him
Author: Manuel Menal
THE POLYMATH
Tagore was a prolific composer with more than 2,000 self-written songs to his credit, popularly known as “Rabindra Sangeet. ” Influenced by the Thumri style of Hindustani music, intoned with Bengali folk flavour, the songs emulated the tonal colours of ragas depicting human emotion and divine devotion. His songs maintained simplicity to be adored by the common folks making them immensely popular all over India. He excelled at painting, too and took it up at about the age of sixty. He exhibited his artistic skills with off-beat aesthetics and, at times, with strange colour schemes. His paintings were exhibited throughout Europe, and India’s National Gallery of Modern Art lists more than a hundred works from him.
Despite his affluent background inherited through his aristocratic ancestry, he beheld the lives of workingclass people of society from very close quarters during his days of managing the family estate. His deep insights into inequalities affecting the living conditions of people, particularly the downtrodden influenced his ideology towards social reforms getting reflected in his writings comprising enormous volumes of prose. His Poems like ‘Punashcha’ , Novels like ‘Gora’ , Short stories like ‘Kabuliwala’ , Musical dramas like ‘Chandalika’ , ‘Syama’ , etc. known collectively as “Rabindra Nritya Natya” , aided in materialization of many social reforms.
THE "VISHWAKAVI"
Tagore’s works were widely translated into English and various other languages influencing scores of people all over the world, including intellectuals and commoners alike in many countries as well as inspiring poets like the Chilean Pablo Neruda, Mexican – Octavio Paz and Spaniard – Juan Ramon to name a famous few. Srilanka’s national anthem, too was a result of inspiration from his work. In recognition of his enormous contribution to Literature, Oxford University awarded Rabindranath Tagore with ‘Doctorate of Literature’ in a special ceremony arranged at Shantinikethan in 1940.
In his last years, he suffered from illness and remained secluded in his solitude. On 7th August 1941, at the age of 80, the legend left us.
Before he ended up in a coma, his last words were:
Further Suggested Readings
When Tagore Met Einstein: Meeting Excerpts - https://www.brainpickings.org/2012/04/27/when-einstein-met-tagore/
Gitanjali Song Offerings - 35th and 95th verse - https://www.spiritualbee.com/media/gitanjali-by-tagore.pdf
