“I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.” – Rabindranath Tagore
Born : May 7, 1861 in Calcutta, British India
Died : August 7, 1941 in Calcutta, British India(at the age of 80)
Father : Debendranath Tagore
Mother : Sarada Devi
Nationality : British Indian
Spouse : Mrinalini Devi
Award : Nobel Prize in Literature (1913)
Rabindranath Tagore was no mean a person but a very popular Indian Bengali polymath. He was an astute composer, dramatist, novelist, and poet. He played a vital role in modernizing Bengali literature and Indian art. “Jana Gana Mana” is the national anthem of India, which is written by Rabindranath Tagore. “Amar Sonar Bangla” the national anthem of Bangladesh, is written by Rabindranath Tagore.
7 interesting facts about Rabindranath Tagore :
He was the First Nobel Prize Winner
– He became the first Indian and non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. He was awarded the prize in 1913 for his prolific poetic songs, which were known to be spiritual and mercurial.
He Started Writing Very Young
-Tagore started his writings at age eight. He released his first poem under the penname Bhānusiṃha (“Sun Lion”) when he was sixteen. In 1877, he released his first short stories and dramas under his real name.
Early Life
-Tagore was the youngest child of thirteen by his parents. His mother died when he was a kid so he was mostly raised by servant. He mostly did not like classroom learning and English became his least preferred subject.
Works
-Tagore was indeed an astounding writer in his own right. He produced several works including 50 dramas and 100 books of verse. Tagore also had to his credit 40 volumes of novels and other fiction works.
Founder of the Viswa Bharati University
-Tagore found the conventional form of education as suffocative and none-inspiring. His idea led to the formation of Viswa Bharati University at Santiniketan in 1921. His new concept of education moved educational delivery from its traditional form to a new level.
He Gave up His Knighthood
-At a point in time, Tagore gave up his knighthood conferred by the British. He was inspired by the quest for freedom from colonialism. Tagore was provoked by and the brutalities melted on the people during the Jallianwallabagh massacre.
His Prize was Stolen
-Tagore’s Nobel Prize and other belongings were stolen from the safety vault of the Visva-Bharati University in 2004. The Swedish Academy had to replace the prizes with a gold and bronze prize. This incident motivated the film Nobel Chor.
