#memory
#literature
Rabindranath Tagore.
7 August is the death anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore.
Tagore was a genius who excelled as a poet, painter, playwright, essayist, short story writer and music composer.
He was the first non-European to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.
Gitanjali captured the hearts and minds of the world.
His poem “Janagamana” is the National Anthem of India and “Amar Shonar Bangla” the National Anthem of Bangladesh.
A staunch nationalist, Tagore returned his Knighthood in protest against the Jalianwalabagh massacre.
His works have been translated into almost all languages. Stories like Kabuliwala and Gora have captivated the young and old, across continents.
Tagore started painting only after he turned 60, but soon was acknowledged as a great painter.
He has composed and set to music more than 2200 songs in Bengali. Known as Rabindra Sangeet, the songs remain popular even to this day.
Tagore will always be remembered as the founder of the renowned educational institutions, Santiniketan and Vishwabharathi University.
He was also the founder of Sriniketan, an Institute for Rural Reconstruction.
“My Boyhood Days”, Tagore’s memoir of his childhood gives us an insight into the life of the Bengali ” bhadralok” in Calcutta in the 19th century.
– Joy Kallivayalil.
