Rabindranath Tagore is the only poet in the world who has written national anthems of two countries, ‘Jana Gana Mana’ of India and ‘Amar Sonar Bangla’ of Bangladesh. At the same time, his impression is also visible on the national anthem of Sri Lanka. Like Rabindranath Tagore Biography PDF, you can also read Abdul Kalam Biography here – APJ Abdul Kalam Biography PDF. By the way, the national anthem of Sri Lanka was written by Anand Samarakoon in 1939-40, when he used to be a disciple of Tagore in Visva-Bharati. ‘Jana Gana Mana’ was composed in 1911 and was sung for the first time in the 27th session of the Congress in the same year.
Poet Rabindranath Tagore Biography PDF
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When Rabindranath Tagore was born on May 7, 1861, there was no electricity, no petrol, no underground sewage system and no drinking water taps in Calcutta. Four years before his birth, Queen Victoria of England had snatched the administration of India from the East India Company through a declaration. In above PDF of Tagore Biography PDF you will read about Rabindranath Tagore Childhood and Education, Growing Years and Career etc.
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Tagore’s ancestors were originally from Jessore, which is now in Bangladesh. The people around there respected him a lot and used to call him Thakur. This Thakur later became Tagore in English language. Tagore’s early education took place at home. At the age of 17, he went to Britain to study law but returned to India without taking a degree.
By the age of twenty, Rabindranath’s fame had started spreading all around.
Tagore writes in his autobiography ‘Jeevan Smriti’, “When Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay arrived at the wedding ceremony of Ramesh Chandra Dutt’s eldest daughter, Ramesh Chandra went ahead and garlanded him. At the same time I also reached there. Bankim Chandra he immediately took out that garland from his neck and put it around my neck saying that I deserve it more.”
“Then he asked Ramesh Dutt whether he had read my book ‘Sandhya Sangeet’ or not? When Dutt said no, Bankim Chandra heaped praises on me. What could have been a bigger reward for me.”
Rabindranath Tagore Biography PDF | Got a big shock from the death of sister-in-law Kadambari
At the age of 23, Rabindranath got married to Mrinalini, a village girl of 10 years. Four months after their marriage, a tragic incident happened in their family. Kadambari, the wife of his brother Jyotirindranath, committed suicide at the age of 25.
Sunil Khilnani writes in his book ‘Incarnations India in 50 Lives’, “Decades later when Tagore crossed the age of 80, he recalled how he and Kadambari sat together on a summer afternoon reading the latest literary reviews from Calcutta. Used to read and Kadambari used to fan him slowly.”
Kadambari’s attraction to him was so great that according to Tagore’s biographer Andrew Robinson, “four months after Tagore’s marriage, she committed suicide by an overdose of opium.”
Kadambari is said to have left behind a letter at the time of her suicide, which was destroyed on the explicit instructions of the head of the family, Debendranath.
Nityapriya Ghosh writes, “To this day, speculation continues about Kadambari’s suicide that she was eccentric or insane, or that she was neglected by her husband, or that she was deeply jealous of the actress who is believed to have that she was intimate with her husband, or that she was deeply hurt by Rabindranath’s marriage, because she loved him very much and much more.”
William Butler Yeats wrote the foreword of Gitanjali
When he left for England on May 27, 1912, he took with him the English translation of the Gitanjali poems.
Rabindranath writes in his autobiography ‘My Life in My Words’, “On reaching London I gave these poems to the English painter William Rothenstein, whom I had met in Calcutta in 1911.”
“Rothenstein gave the poems to the famous poet WB Yeats to read. Yeats read them one evening among poets he knew. They decided to have this collection of poems published by the Indian Society of London. Yeats Wrote the preface to these poems.
“Thus, Gitanjali was first published in London in 1912. I received the news of receiving the Nobel Prize on November 14, 1913, at Santiniketan.”
Sarojini Naidu wrote in a souvenir published on Tagore’s birth centenary in 1961, “When Gitanjali was published, I happened to be in England. When the great Irish poet William Butler Yeats read the English translation of Gitanjali there, he went mad – absolutely. Mad.”
“When Tagore came to England in 1913 with a handsome beard, long waxed hair and a long robe, the sun of his songs came to life in cold England. I also saw a scene where five old men sitting side by side in a bus The women had Gitanjali in their hands and they were reading it.”
Reuters had published the news of the Nobel Prize in Literature and a Calcutta newspaper ‘Empire’ published it on November 14, 1913.
With that news, a wave of happiness spread all over India and there was a festive atmosphere among the Bengalis.
Another newspaper from Calcutta, ‘Indian Daily News’, wrote an interesting thing about this, “After Tagore got the Nobel for literature, it can be said that he had no connection with any university and he was very close to Lord Macaulay and the British government.” Education is not a product of the system.
Returned the title of ‘Knight’
On April 13, 1919, General Dyer ordered firing at Jallianwala Bagh. Officially 379 people were killed in this incident.
After this, Rabindranath Tagore wrote a letter to Viceroy Chelmsford and announced to leave the title of ‘Knight’ given to him in 1915 by the British Emperor.
Chelmsford did not understand how to deal with this announcement. The British press in India reacted furiously considering this proposal of Tagore as an insult to the emperor, while the attitude of the linguistic newspapers was also not very respectful towards him.
Nityapriya Ghosh writes, “Even the Congress in its session held that year did not pay attention to Tagore’s offer to return the knighthood. Neither this matter was discussed nor any proposal was brought in the session.”
“A few years later, Gandhi wrote to Tagore as ‘Sir Rabindranath Tagore’ in his article ‘The Poet and the Charkha’ in his newspaper ‘Young India’. Later, Tagore wrote an open letter to ‘The Modern Review’ saying, he value knighthood, that’s why they talked about returning it when the leaders were expressing their inability to express enough opposition. They don’t want any version of them to refer to them as ‘Babu’ or ‘Shriyut’ or ‘Sir’ or ‘Doctor’ and even ‘saheb’ should be written.”
Rabindranath Tagore was one of the most renowned and influential figures in Indian literature and culture. Through his prolific writing, poetry, and music, he was able to articulate the complex and multifaceted nature of Indian society and its relationship to the wider world. His work was deeply influenced by his belief in humanism, his commitment to social justice, and his desire for a more inclusive and equitable society.
Throughout his life, Tagore remained a passionate advocate for Indian independence and a critic of British colonialism. He was also a vocal supporter of women’s rights, education, and social reform, and his work played an important role in shaping the intellectual and cultural landscape of modern India.
Despite his numerous accomplishments, Rabindranath Tagore Biography PDF or Tagore remained deeply committed to his roots and his community, and his work continues to inspire and influence generations of artists and thinkers around the world. His legacy remains a testament to the power of literature and art to bridge cultural divides, promote understanding and empathy, and inspire social change.