“I have, it is true, engaged myself in a series of activities. But the innermost me is not to be 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 is that I am a poet (Ami Kavi).
These are the lines that Rabindranath Tagore said on his 70th birthday. And this year, we are celebrating the 161st birth anniversary of India’s one of the greatest poets of all time. According to the Gregorian calendar, Tagore was born on 7 May 1861. But the calendar of his hometown in the Bengal region declares that he was born on the 25th Day of the Boishakh Month of the Drik Panchang, and accordingly, the Rabindranath Tagore Jayanti is being celebrated on 9 May. Tagore was not just a poet, but a multi-talented personality with a great desire to learn new things and change the world. On his birth anniversary, people not only in Bengal but also in the whole of India and the world remember him and his great contributions.
Rabindranath Tagore is one of India’s most cherished renaissance figures. While best known as a poet, Tagore was also a remarkable painter, educator, novelist, and philosopher. On his birth anniversary, we are remembering and paying tribute to Rabindranath Tagore by presenting some of his incredible feats.
- Tagore was a remarkable philosopher of universal humanism. Though an artistic person by nature, he found it difficult to keep himself away from some of the conflicts of his time. Tagore took part in some of the independence movements against the British, but the rigid views of nationalism and patriotism were too slight for this artistic person, yet he still remained very expressive on the issue of independence through his art and writings.
- The national anthem of India 'Jana Gana Mana' was adopted and translated from one of the poems written by Rabindranath Tagore. Apart from India’s national anthem, the national anthems of Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were also inspired by the literary works of Tagore.
- Today, the Vista Bharti University is one of the most famous institutions of higher learning in India Tagore founded this institution with a unique curriculum of nature with classes and was deeply inspired to restructure the education system in India.
- Tagore is regarded as s towering figure of 20th-century world literature. He was globally acclaimed for his collection of poems Gitanjali, but he was successful to write in numerous literary genres like dramas, romances, mysteries, comedies and etc. Tagore was also a master of different art forms like dramas, paintings, drawings, music, and many others.
- Rabindranath Tagore was successful to put India on the literary map of the world when he received the prestigious Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. In later years, he was also awarded by Oxford University a Doctorate of Literature for his literary and educational work.
A prolific writer, Rabindranath Tagore was a literary giant from India. The work of Tagore went on to establish new artistic and literary standards in India and across the world owing to his unique perspective on life. Tagore was able to leave behind a great impact on the thought process of numerous artists around the world. More lovingly known as Gurudev, his work continues to help people dream of a better world even in the darkest of times.
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