Topic 1 (a) : Rabindranath Tagore

Why was Rabindranath going through a time of sadness after 1902?

1902 - his wife and one of his daughters died 1905 - his father died 1907 - his son died

When was Santiniketan become an international university and what was it called?

1921. It came to be known as Viswa Bharati.

When was his first book of poems published?

1978, when he was 17 years old

When and where was he born?

7 May 1861 at Jorashanko in Kolkata

Who assisted Rabindranath in running Santiniketan?

A Roman Catholic Vedantist priest named Brhamobandhav Upadhyay.

Bengal Renaissance

A social reform movement during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries in the Indian province of Bengal.

When did he write his first rhyme?

At the age of 7

What changes took place after the success of Rabindranath's works?

Before Rabindranath, Bengali was written in ancient forms based on classical Sanskrit. However, he wrote in the common language of the people. He introduces new prose and verse forms and the use of colloquial language into Bengali literature.

What languages did he write in?

Bengali & English

His works between 1884 and 1890

Books of poems: Chhabi O Gan (1884), Prakrtir Pratishodh (1884), Kadi O Komal (1886), Mayar Khela (1888) and Manasi (1890). Novels: Bouthakoranir Hat (1883) and Rajarshi (1887).

other publication of the 1890s

Chitra (1896), Kalpana (1900), Ksanika (1900), and Katha O Kahini (1900). By 1900, he had written 7 volumes of poems and 44 short stories.

Some of the works of his life's last decade: Dramas

Composed some wonderful dance dramas: Chitrangada (1936), Shyama (1939), and Chandalika (1938)

Some of the works of his life's last decade: Novels

Dui Bon, Malancha and Char Adhyay.

What is one of his outstanding achievements in the field of education?

Establishment of Santiniketan

What is he best known for?

For writing, Amar shonar Bangla, ami tomay bhalobashi (My Bengal of gold, I love you), the national anthem of Bangladesh.

What contributions did he make to Bangla literature during that time?

Galpaguccha: a collection of short stories Sonar Tori: a collection of poems

What was reflected in his Gitanjali?

Gitanjali (song offerings) was published in 1910. It was a reflection of Rabindranath's mental state. The sadness that he went through throughout the tragic years 1902-1910 was reflected in his poetry.

What happened during that time?

He got time to see the everyday life of ordinary people very closely. This made him concentrate less on producing work from his imagination and instead look more to the real world. He began to appreciate the natural beauty of Bangladesh

Where did he learn his lessons and what did he learn?

He learnt his lessons at home. Different tutors taught him physics, maths, history, geography, music, art, wrestling, gymnastics, the sciences, Sanskrit, literature and English.

When and why did he leave school?

He left school when he was about fourteen because he didn't like the monotonous rules and regulations of school life.

Who was Rabindranath Tagore?

He was a great poet, prose writer, composer, painter, essayist, philosopher, educationist and social reformer.

What was he asked to do?

He was given charge of his father's estates in different parts of Bengal, mostly Silaidah in Bangladesh.

When and by whom was he knighted? Why did he denounce it?

He was knighted by King George of Great Britain in 1915, but denounced his knighthood in 1919, when a British general attacked unarmed Indian demonstrators on 13 April 1919 at Jallianwala Bagh at Amritsar.

Which schools did he go to?

He went to different prestigious schools including Oriental Seminary, Normal School and St Xavier's School.

When and why did he win the Nobel Prize?

He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1913 for his English translation of Gitanjali. He was the first Asian to receive this award.

What was his first poem?

He wrote his first poem, Abhilaash (Desire). It was published in 1984 in a magazine called Tattobodhini

What was his pen name and what is its meaning?

His pen name was Bhanushingha. Bhanu is a synonym of Rabi which means the sun and Singha is a synonym of Nath which denotes somebody from an aristocratic family.

Some of the works of his life's last decade: Music

Images of nature are given musical form in Nataraj (1926), Navin (1931) and Shravangatha (1934).

When did the University of Oxford confer him with Doctorate of Literature?

In 1940, at a special ceremony in Santiniketan.

Some of the works of his life's last decade: books of verses, poems written in prose format

Punashcha, Shes Saptak, Patraput, Shyamali and Prantik.

Why is Rabindranath Tagore one of the most respected personalities in the world?

Rabindranath is considered to be the most influential poet and writer of Bangla literature. But his self-less humanism, love of nature, timeless spirituality and concern for the prospect and predicament of the human civilisation have made him one of the most respected personalities of the world.

When did he leave Silaidah and where did he settle in?

Rabindranath left Silaidah in 1904 and settled in Santiniketan in Birbhum of West Bengal.

Rabindranath Tagore and painting

Rabindranath was also an amateur painter. He started painting in 1929 at the age of 68. Many of his paintings could be found in museums in India and abroad.

Family background

Rabindranath was brought up in a very liberal and culturally minded family.

Literature in the Tagore household

The Tagore family held literary gatherings, Bidvajjan Samagam to which prominent writers, journalists and thinkers of that time were invited.

Atmosphere of the Tagore household

The Tagore household had a mixed cultural atmosphere where ancient Indian Vedic literature and Sanskrit were studied alongside modern European literature.

How did he get the name Viswa Kavi?

The priest first called him Viswa Navi which means world-poet.

Bengal Renaissance and the Tagore household

This family had made great contributions in the emergence of the 'Bengal Renaissance' which attempted to combine traditional Indian culture with Western ideas.

What was his aim about Santiniketan?

To provide a place for learning where the students would be at one with nature and learn in a practical as well as spiritual manner. The idea was that the student would live a simple life close to the teachers as well as the surrounding natural world.

When did his most creative phase begin?

When he returned from a second visit in England in 1890.

What were his observations from Bangladesh's nature?

While travelling by a boat on the Padma, he was able to view the river, its sandbanks, flora and fauna, sunrises and sunsets, the poverty and simplicity of the people who lived by the banks, and the passions that swayed them closely. All of these things found their way into his fiction and verse.

Where can we know about Rabindranath's upbringing and his household?

his autobiographical sketch, Amar Chelebela

When was he set to start his literature career?

in 1978 he went to England to study law however he didn't complete his studies and returned home two years later. When he returned home he had a knowledge of the new era of intellectual and scientific development in Europe to add to his deep understanding of the cultural heritage of India.

Was the new style of Bengali writing accepted instantly?

it was hard for some critics and scholars to accept this however, his style of writing was enthusiastically imitated by most of his contemporaries and the generations of writers that followed.