A mesmerizing poet, a captivating novelist, a philosopher, an educationist, these are just a few traits of the great Rabindranath Tagore. The word greatness is thrown around with ease these days, but if there’s one man truly deserving of the accolade, then it’s this Bengali polymath.
Rabindranath Tagore is one of the few personalities who stood by the ilk of greatness with his ability and expertise. Often titled as Gurudev, the poet of the poets, he has laid an unforgettable inkling on the minds of readers and alike.
His works were admired all throughout the world. He was also the beneficiary of Nobel Prize for his literary efforts.
Let’s take a closer look at some the facts from the life of this great persona. Let’s adore him.
10) His birthday and the confusion around it
- Rabindranath Tagore was born on 7th of May, 1861 as per the Georgian calendar. However as the Bengali community follows Hindu calendar, his birthday commemorates on 25th of Baisakh.
- As such the date falls on 9th of May of 1861 A.D.
9) Raised by domestic helper
- Rabindranath Tagore was had to suffer the death of his mother at a very young age. His father remained away for most of the time. As a result, he was raised by adomestic
8) Went to England for further study
- Rabindranath Tagore moved to East Sussex, England in 1878 to study law. However, he dropped out of it and instead studies the works of Shakespeare.
- He later came back to India in 1880 without any specific degree.
7) Established Visva-Bharti University
- It was in 1921 A.D, that he established the Visva-Bharti University to change the conventional method of education.
- The university was declared central university in 1951 A.D.
6) Knew Einstein and Gandhi
- Rabindranath Tagore was said to have met Albert Einstein during the Nobel Prize event. They both admired eachothers
- Rabindranath Tagore also described the moment as ‘There was nothing stiff about him – there was no intellectual aloofness. He seemed to me a man who valued thehuman relationship and he showed toward me a real interest and understanding.”
- Rabindranath Tagore is the man to who conferred the title of ‘Mahatma’ on Gandhi. He had immense admiration and respect for Gandhi.
5) Granted the Knighthood from British crown
- It was in 1915 A.D that he was awarded Knighthood from the then British crown.
- However, he renounced the title following the Jalianwala Baghmassacre in 1919 A.D
4) Wrote two national anthems and inspired another
- Rabindranath Tagore is credited as the only person in the world to write national anthems for two different nations, India, and Bangladesh.
- However, many don’t know that the Sri Lankan national anthem was inspired by his Bengali song originally written in 1938.
3) Nobel Prize winner
- Rabindranath Tagore was the first Non-European to be awarded Nobel Prize for his literary works on 14thNovember
- His poetic collection ‘Gitanjali’ famed him all over the world and helped him land the Nobel Prize.
2) Eccentric poet, story writer, and lyricist
- Rabindranath Tagore was a multi-talented person. He is credited to have written more than 2000 songs alongside numerous short stories.
- His short story collection Galpagucchaccha is still revered to this day. His poem includes highest quality of works mankind would ever be able to witness.
1) Accomplisher of ‘Gitanjali’
- Rabindranath Tagore is the man behind the most celebrated poem collection ever. The 157 poem collection artistic masterpiece was named as ‘Gitanjali’. It is considered as his best work to
- The poem collection deals with themes regarding nature, human emotions, and spirituality.
That’s our precise collection of 10 facts on the life of Rabindranath Tagore. Never was a man so celebrated and revered around the world. It’s a testament to his qualities that we have been lucky to foresee his greatest works and enjoy them.
