Rabindranath Tagore Early Life
The world-poet Rabindranath Tagore (Rabindranath Thakur) was born in Kolkata on 7th May, 1861. He belonged to the well-known Tagore family of Jorasanko. He was the youngest son of Maharshi Debenendranath Tagore and Sarada devi. He attended several schools as a boy, like the Oriental Seminary, The Normal School and The Bengal Academy.
Life & Works: Rabindranath Tagore
At sixteen he went to England with his younger brother Satyendranath and was admitted to London University. After coming back to India he married Mrinalini Devi in 1883. He then engaged himself in looking after his father’s estate and came in direct contact with the poor masses. He had the great shocks of his life when his wife died in 1902, his second daughter in 1903 and his dearest youngest son in 1907. He took active part during the partition of Bengal in 1905 and was involved in the national movement. In 1913 he was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature for his collection of poems, Gitanjali. Knighthood was conferred on him by the British Government. But he gave up the title in protest against the Jalianwallahbagh massacre in 1919. In 1901 he established his famous open air school ‘Shantiniketan’ at Bolpur. Later this school flourished as a university called ‘Viswa-Bharati’. He also founded a school named ‘Sriniketan’ for teaching agriculture and crafts. During the last few years of his life he was greatly worried for getting adequate amount of money for running the institutions he founded. He died in Kolkata on 7th August 1941.
Rabindranath Tagore Poems
Rabindranath was not only a great poet, but also a novelist, a short story writer, a dramatist, an essayist, a critic, a music composer and a painter. He composed thousands of songs which have a distinctive character and beauty. He is remembered even today particularly for his songs. Among his collections of poems mention may be made of Kalpana, Balaka, Sonar Tari, Chitra, Purabi, Mahua, Katha O Kahini and Gitanjali.
