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Rabindranath Tagore’s most famous poem is, arguably, ‘Where the Mind is Without Fear,’ from his Nobel Prize-winning Gitanjali. The poem speaks to a future India that is unfettered by fear and division, aspiring for truth and dignity.
Rabindranath Tagore was born on May 7, 1861, in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) during the Bengal Presidency of British India.
In 1913, Rabindranath Tagore achieved a literary dream by winning the Nobel Prize in Literature. His collection of poems Gitanjali (Song Offerings). His Nobel citation described it as “a profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse,” recognizing his outstanding contribution to literature.
Rabindranath Tagore was deeply influenced by the mystical and devotional poetry of the Bhakti movement, notably Kabir and Ramprasad Sen. Western influences included William Shakespeare, Goethe, and the transcendentalism of Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, alongside the poetic philosophy of Walt Whitman. He also drew inspiration from the classical Sanskrit literature of Kalidasa and the spiritual depth of the Upanishads.
Tragically, Rabindranath Tagore died at the age of 80 on August 7, 1941, in Calcutta (now Kolkata), British India, due to complications from a chronic illness related to his struggle with his prostate gland.
Rabindranath Tagore was an Indian poet, short-story writer, playwright, essayist, painter, and composer from Calcutta who made history with his poetry and written works. He became the first non-European writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature and carried an exceptional reputation throughout his career. Some of the great poets of the time, such as W.B. Yeats and André Gide, saw him as a master of his craft. Rabindranath Tagore’s works were written in original Bengali and used colloquial verse, which developed the classical Sanskrit of the past.
Early Life
Rabindranath Tagore was born in Calcutta, British India, in May of 1861. Of the thirteen surviving children born to his parents, Tagore was the youngest. His parents Debendranath Tagore and Sarada Devi, gave the care of their child over to their household servants. Tagore’s mother died when he was very young, and his father was not present, spending most of his time traveling. The family was very esteemed within the Bengal Renaissance. A period in India’s history noted for its outpouring of literature, theatre, and music. These elements converged in the Tagore household.
Tagore was not the only one of his siblings who entered into the arts. His oldest brother was a philosopher and poet and another brother was a musician and playwright. One of his sisters also became a novelist. As a young boy, Tagore did not have much interest in traditional classroom education. He ended up being tutored by his brother, who punished him if he refused to complete his work. Tagore gained an education in both Sanskrit and English. It was in 1877 that Tagore’s writing career began. He wrote Bhikharini or “The Beggar Woman.” This work is noted as the first of the Bengali-language short stories.
In 1878, Tagore was enrolled by his father in a public school in Brighton, East Sussex, England. He was unable to remain in one school for long, briefly reading law at University College London before leaving to study Shakespeare’s plays. Only two years later, he returned to Bengal without a degree. It was this two-year period in London that jump-started Tagore’s love for literature. As well as his particular passion for fusing European and Brahmo traditions. He began publishing poems and stories. These works were locally extremely important but garnered little attention nationally or internationally.
Marriage and Literary Career
In 1883, he married a ten-year-old girl, Mrinalini Devi. This was a common practice at the time and resulted in their having five children together. One of Tagore’s best-known works, Manasi, was soon published. This period also saw him move to manage his ancestral estates in what is today part of Bangladesh. His family had a great deal of property, making this a full-time job. His wife and children remained at his side. It was these years, ranging from 1891 to 1895 which were his most productive.
His large collection of stories, Galpaguchchha, was mostly completed during these years. Within Galpaguchchha, he reflects upon his surroundings and various intellectual concepts. The work contained eighty-four total stories.
Additionally, he became known for his writings regarding the lives of India’s poorest people. He examined their lives and portrayed them with great feelings, as had never been done before in Indian literature.
In 1901, he moved to Santiniketan, where he intended to found an ashram and an experimental school. His goal was to carry out the Upanishadic educational approach. However, it was in Santiniketan that his wife and two of his children died. His book, Naivedya, was published this same year. His father died four years later. At this point, he began to receive monthly payments from his inheritance. He also sold off properties and possessions belonging to his parents. In 1906, he published Kheya.
Noble Prize and Knighthood
In 1913, Tagore won the Nobel Prize in Literature for his poetry collection Gitanjali. The volume was published as a limited edition of 750 copies by the India Society of London in November 1912. He was later awarded a knighthood by King George V. This position did not last long. The poet renounced it as a protest against British policies after the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre, an event that resulted in British troops firing on a large crowd of unarmed Indians in the Punjab region; several hundred people were killed. His role in the Indian nationalist movement contributed to this decision.
He was also a friend of Gandhi, the historical Indian figure. Two years later, he worked alongside an agricultural economist to set up what would come to be called “Abode of Welfare.” As his reputation grew, he began to take on opportunities outside of India. He would travel to East Asia, the Americas, and Europe to engage in lectures and public readings.
Later Life and Death
Tagore’s next period of work ranges from 1932 to 1942, ending with his death. These years saw fifteen new volumes published, including Punashcha in 1932 and Patraput in 1936. His final years saw his interest turn to science. He published Visva-Parichay, a collection of essays, in 1937. Science also made its way into his poetry.
The final years of his life were filled with chronic pain. He lost consciousness in the later part of 1937 and remained comatose for a long period of time. A second similar spell occurred in 1940— this time, though he did not recover. Tagore died in August of 1941 at the age of eighty.
His legacy lives on in his works, which made an impact on literature as a whole. Some of his most notable volumes of poetry include:
- Manasi (The Ideal One, 1890)
- Sonar Tari (The Golden Boat, 1894)
- Gitanjali (Song Offerings, 1910)
- Gitimalya (Wreath of Songs, 1914)
- Balaka (The Flight of Cranes, 1916)
Some of his most notable poems, short stories, novels, and plays include:
- Raja (The King of the Dark Chamber, 1910)
- Dakghar (The Post Office, 1912)
- Achalayatan (The Immovable, 1912)
- ‘The Gardener‘ (1913)
- ‘Fruit-Gathering‘ (1916)
- ‘The Fugitive‘ (1921)
- Muktadhara (The Waterfall, 1922)
- Raktakaravi (Red Oleanders, 1926)
- Gora (1910)
- Ghare-Baire (The Home and the World, 1916)
- Yogayog (Crosscurrents, 1929)
