Carolyn and I have appreciated the work of Bengali poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, painter, and social reformer Rabindranath Tagore, who reshaped Bengali literature and music, as well as Indian art, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His spiritually-inspired poetic songs and elegant prose were widely popular in the Indian subcontinent, and he was the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Tagore was also a strong advocate for Indian independence and global humanism, and his compositions, including the national anthems of India and Bangladesh, continue to inspire to this day.

Rabindranath Tagore was born in 1861 in Calcutta, Bengal. He was born into a prominent and wealthy family, and he was the youngest of 13 surviving children. Tagore’s father was an Indian philosopher and religious reformer, who was the founder of the Brahmo religion. His mother died in his early childhood, and his father traveled widely, so he was mostly raised by servants. Tagore’s family was at the forefront of the Bengal Renaissance, and they hosted the publication of literary magazines, as well as theatre and recitals of Bengali and Western classical music.

Tagore’s early years were shaped by the rich cultural environment of his family household. He was primarily educated at home, where he was exposed to classical music, literature, and the arts. Tagore’s father invited several professional musicians to stay at their house and to teach Indian classical music to the children. Tagore started writing poetry when he was eight years old. Although he attended various schools, Tagore disliked formal education and found traditional schooling restrictive, preferring instead to learn through exploration and observation of the world around him.

In 1873, Tagore accompanied his father on a journey for several months to northern India, which included a stay in the Himalayas, and this had a profound influence on him. During this period, Tagore began to write poetry more seriously, and in 1874, his first poem was published in a Bengali magazine.

Tagore began exploring different literary forms besides poetry. In 1877, he wrote his first short story, Bhikharini (The Beggar Woman), and his first drama, Valmiki Pratibha, which was based on the legend of Ratnakara, a thug who later became Sage Valmiki and composed the Hindu epic Ramayana. In 1882, he wrote Nirjharer Swapnabhanga (The Fountain Awakens from its Dream), which was a celebrated poem that marked his breakthrough into the literary world. During this period, his works reflected a blend of classical and modernist influences, and he helped to modernize Bengali literature.

In 1883, Tagore married Mrinalini Devi, with whom he would have five children. In the late 1880s, he also took over the management of his family’s estates in rural Bengal and did this for several years. This brought him into closer contact with the lives of common people, and he developed a deep connection with village life. This experience deepened his empathy with rural communities and it influenced his later works— particularly in his expressing themes of social justice and rural life— and he produced some of his most notable short stories, such as those in Galpaguchchha (A Bunch of Stories).

In 1894, Tagore wrote the collection Sonar Tari (The Golden Boat), a key work reflecting his evolving poetic style. By the end of the 1890s, Tagore’s literary reputation in Bengal had grown significantly, and he began to be recognized as a major cultural figure.

In 1901, Tagore founded a progressive school, Santiniketan, which focused on holistic, nature-centered learning, and aimed to combine traditional Indian education with Western ideas. During this period, Tagore’s literary output remained prolific, and he wrote several significant works, including Naivedya” and Kheya, which reflected his spiritual and philosophical ideas. In 1905, Tagore became actively involved in the Swadeshi movement, which opposed the British partition of Bengal.

In 1910, Tagore published Gitanjali (Song Offerings), a collection of deeply spiritual poems. Two years later, he traveled to England with his son and this collection of poems. During the long sea voyage from India to England Tagore began translating this latest selection of poems into English. Most of his work before that time had been written in his native tongue of Bengali, and he made the handwritten translations in a little notebook that he carried around with him.

When they arrived in England, Tagore’s son accidentally left his briefcase with this notebook in the London subway, and Tagore feared it was lost forever. Fortunately, an English woman turned in the briefcase and it was recovered on the next day. Tagore had one friend in England at the time, an artist that he had met in India named Rothenstein. When Rothenstein learned of Tagore’s translated poems, he asked to see them. As the story goes, Tagore was reluctant, but after much persuasion by Rothenstein, Tagore let him have the notebook, and the artist was blown away by the poems.

Rothenstein was so moved by the poetry that he contacted his friend, Irish poet, and writer William Butler Yeats, and he talked him into looking at the hand-scrawled notebook of poems. Yeats was also deeply impressed, so much so that he wrote the introduction to Gitanjali when it was published later that year in London. The poetry was an instant sensation in London literary circles, and it soon gained immense recognition and brought Tagore international acclaim.

In 1913, Tagore became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, for his collection Gitanjali, which had almost been lost in the London subway. The incident highlights the serendipitous nature of the manuscript’s survival, which went on to change Tagore’s life and bring him international fame. Tagore used his Nobel Prize money to expand his school, Santiniketan, into a full-fledged university, Visva-Bharati, reflecting his continued commitment to education. Tagore gained greater prominence as an international intellectual, and he advocated for Indian independence, cultural exchange, and global peace.

In 1915, Tagore was granted a British knighthood for his exceptional contributions to literature. However, in 1919, he renounced his British knighthood in protest of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, signaling his strong opposition to British colonial rule. During this period, Tagore traveled extensively across Europe, America, and Asia, delivering lectures and promoting his ideas on cultural exchange, humanism, and education.

In 1921, at the age of 60, Tagore took up drawing and painting, and he had successful exhibitions of his many works. He made a debut appearance in Paris, and he had showings throughout Europe. It is thought that Tagore was likely red and green color blind, and his works exhibited unusual color schemes and off-beat aesthetics. He also continued writing prolifically, producing works like Gora in 1923, and The Religion of Man in 1922, which explored themes of identity, spirituality, and universalism.

Tagore continued to travel extensively, visiting countries such as Argentina, Japan, and China, as well as more of Europe, where he met with intellectuals, artists, and political figures, further spreading his ideas on humanism, cultural unity, and education. Tagore also continued his literary work, publishing notable pieces such as Fireflies in 1928, and The Home and the World in 1916, which explored the tensions between nationalism and personal freedom. In 1930, Tagore delivered the Hibbert Lectures at Oxford University, which were later published as The Religion of Man, reflecting his evolving philosophy on spirituality and human connection.

Tagore’s spiritual perspective was deeply rooted in a belief in the unity of all existence and a divine presence that transcends religious boundaries. He viewed spirituality as an intimate, personal connection with the divine, expressed through nature, art, and human relationships. Tagore rejected dogmatic religious practices, favoring a more inclusive and universalist approach that emphasized love, compassion, and the interconnectedness of humanity. His works often explore the divine, not as a distant entity, but as an integral part of everyday life, and he advocated for a harmonious balance between the material and spiritual worlds.

Tagore also helped to bridge science and spirituality. He was one of the first people to try and combine Eastern and Western cultures, as well as ancient wisdom and modern physics. He was quite knowledgeable of Western culture and science. Tagore was a good friend of Indian physicist Satyendra Nath Bose, and he had a good grasp of contemporary physics. He was so knowledgeable that he was well able to engage in a debate with Albert Einstein in 1930 on the newly emerging principles of quantum mechanics and chaos. Tagore’s meetings and tape-recorded conversations with Einstein, and other contemporaries such as H.G. Wells, stand out as cultural landmarks.

In 1934, Tagore published Char Adhyay and Shesher Kobita, which explored themes of love, identity, and modernity. In 1937, he suffered a severe illness but recovered, continuing to write poetry, plays, and essays that reflected his philosophical and spiritual musings. Tagore also remained deeply involved in his educational institution, Visva-Bharati, and maintained his commitment to social reform, particularly advocating for rural development and education.

In 1939, Tagore became ill, but he remained active in his literary work, producing some of his most reflective and introspective poetry, which meditated on life, death, and the nature of existence. He continued to oversee the activities of his school, Visva-Bharati, which had become a prominent educational institution. In 1940, Oxford University honored him with a Doctorate of Literature in recognition of his contributions to global literature.

In 1941, at the age of 80, Tagore died in Calcutta. He left behind a vast legacy as a poet, philosopher, educator, and cultural icon whose influence extended far beyond India. He revolutionized Bengali literature and music, bringing modernism and deeply spiritual themes into his works. His progressive educational model at Visva-Bharati University remains influential. Tagore’s advocacy for cultural exchange, humanism, and Indian independence left a lasting impact on global intellectual thought. His compositions, including the national anthems of India and Bangladesh, continue to inspire, and his ideas on spirituality, social justice, and education resonate worldwide today.

There are eight Tagore museums, three in India and five in Bangladesh. Every year, many events pay tribute to Tagore. His birth anniversary is celebrated by groups across the globe. There is an annual Tagore Festival held in Urbana, Illinois. There are also walking pilgrimages in West Bengal, India, from Kolkata to Santiniketan, and recitals of his poetry, which are held on important anniversaries.

Some of the quotes that Rabindranath Tagore is known for include:

It is very simple to be happy, but it is very difficult to be simple.

I seem to have loved you in numberless forms, numberless times, in life after life, in age after age forever.

Death is not extinguishing the light; it is only putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.

A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It makes the hand bleed that uses it.

Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf.

By plucking her petals you do not gather the beauty of the flower.

Music fills the infinite between two souls.

I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.

by David Jay Brown