Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore Biography

Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali poet, novelist, musician and playwright. His work Gitanjali won him Nobel Prize for Literature in the year 1913. He started to write poetry since he was eight years old. He published his first poetry when he was 16. He started the famous Viswa Bharathi University. He had penned the anthems of two countries, Jana Gana Mana, Indian national anthem and Amar Shonar Bangla the national anthem of Bangladesh.

He was born on 7^th May 1861 in Kolkata. His parents are Debendranath Tagore and Sarada Devi. His ancestral home was in Bangladesh. His mother died during his early childhood days and he was raised by his servants. He did not like the confined walls of the classroom and toured with his father when he was 12 years old to many parts of India.

He was taught history, modern science, astronomy and Sanskrit at home. He examined the works of Kalidasa. He joined Oriental Seminary School and St. Xavier’s Collegiate School at Kolkatta. He studied law at University College London. On 9^th December 1883, he married Mrinalini and had five children.

He founded an Ashram in Santiniketan. He got Nobel Prize for Literature in the year 1913 and Honorary Doctorate Degree by Calcutta University. Knighthood was bestowed on him by the British Crown in 1915 but he returned this in protest of Jalianwala Bagh massacre in 1919. He set up the institute for Rural Reconstruction called Shriniketan.

Some of his works are Sonar Tari, Manasi, Bhanusimha Thakurer Padavali, Balaka, Valmiki-Pratibha, Raja, Dak Ghar, Visarjan, Achalayatan, Muktadhara, Raktakaravi, Gora, Ghare Baire, Yogayog, Jivansmriti, Chhelebela, etc. His works are translated in English and many other Indian and world languages.

He had visited 30 countries on five continents. He wrote eight novels and four novellas and many non-fiction books. He composed nearly 2,230 songs. He was also a prolific painter. His songs are called as Rabindra Sangeet. His last five years were spent in chronic pain. He lost his consciousness in late 1937 and died on 7^th August 1941 at the age of 80. 

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Updated: September 22, 2017