Rabindranath Tagore Biography

Poet, writer and humanitarian. Rabindranath Tagore was the first Indian to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature and played a key role in the renaissance of modern India.

Son of renowned Bengali Debendranath Tagore, Rabindranath was born in 7 May 1861 Calcutta. His father Debendranath was a leading light in the Brahmo Samaj - a reforming Hindu organisation which sought to promote a monotheistic interpretation of the Upanishads and move away from the rigidity of Hindu Orthodoxy which they felt was holding back India.

Rabindranath began writing from an early age, and impressed with his free flowing style and spontaneous compositions. He mostly rejected formal schooling, he spent much time being taught at home. In 1878 he travelled to England and sought to study law at University College, London but he left before finishing degree.

After returning to India, in 1901, Tagore moved to Shantiniketan to found an ashram which became his focal point for writing and his view on schooling. He later renamed Shantiniketan - 'Abode of Peace'

Tagore was firm friends with Gandhi and admired him very much. But, despite this friendship he could be critical of his views. For example, he disagreed with Gandhi's views on Swaraj protests and upbraided Gandhi when Gandhi claimed an earthquake was 'divine retribution for the mistreatment of dalits in India.' Yet despite there frequent divergence of opinions they could admire each other.

In 1913, Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize for literature for his work 'Gitanjali' This made his writings internationally known and his fame spread throughout the world. This gave Tagore the opportunity to travel extensively giving lectures and recitals in many different countries. He also became aquatinted with many of the leading cultural contemporaries of the day; this included W.B.Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, Romain Rolland, Robert Frost and Albert Einstein.

Tagore had a great love for nature and many of his poems invoke the simple beauties of the natural world. For Tagore, his religion could be found in the wonders and mysteries of nature as much as in temples and sacred books.

Tagore was a prolific composer of music. He composed over 2,000 songs which have been popularised and sung widely across Bengal. Like his literature he broke away from classical constraints to offer a great emotive and spiritual appeal.

Tagore was an opponent of British imperialism, though he also felt Indians had a duty to improve their self-education; he said that British rule was partly due to the state India had fallen into. In particular, he was very denigrating about India's obsession with caste.

In 1919, Tagore returned his knighthood in protest at the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, in which many peaceful Indian protestors were killed.