Tagore Rabindranath Nobel Prize. Rabindranath Tagore - biography, quotes and poems. I agreed, because I believe that the passion for ideals, the cult of heroes among young people will die out on a diet of mere statistics and chronology of epochs. The poet spoke lovingly of his father

music: Alexey Rybnikov
Lyrics: Rabindranath Tagore
performer: Irina Otieva

Rabindranath Tagore - an outstanding Indian writer, poet, public figure, artist, composer, the first Asian Nobel Prize winner in literature - was born in Calcutta on May 7, 1861. He was the 14th child of a very famous and prosperous family. Being hereditary landowners, the Tagores made their home open to many famous public figures and people of culture. Rabindranath's mother died when he was 14 years old, and this event left a huge imprint in the heart of a teenager.

He started writing poetry when he was 8 years old. Having received a good education at home, he was a student of private schools, in particular, the Calcutta Eastern Seminary, the Bengal Academy. During several months of 1873, while traveling in the north of the country, young Tagore was extremely impressed by the beauties of these lands, and, having become acquainted with cultural heritage, was amazed at his wealth.

1878 became his debut in the literary field: 17-year-old Tagore publishes the epic poem "The History of the Poet". In the same year, he went to the capital of England to study law at University College London, however, after studying for exactly a year, he returned to India, to Calcutta, and, following the example of the brothers, began to engage in writing. In 1883, he marries and publishes the first poetry collections: in 1882 - "Evening Song", in 1883 - "Morning Songs".

Following the request of his father, Rabindranath Tagore in 1899 takes on the role of manager of one of the family estates in eastern Bengal. Rural landscapes, the customs of rural residents are the main object of poetic descriptions of 1893-1900. This time is considered the heyday of his poetic work. The collections Golden Boat (1894) and Instant (1900) were a great success.

In 1901, Tagore moved to Shantiniketan near Calcutta. There, he and five other teachers opened a school, for the creation of which the poet sold the copyright to his writings, and his wife sold some jewelry. At this time, poems and works of other genres, including articles on the topic of pedagogy and textbooks, and works on the history of the country, came out from under his pen.

The next few years in Tagore's biography were marked by a number of sad events. In 1902, his wife dies, the following year, tuberculosis takes the life of one of his daughters, and in 1907, the poet's youngest son dies of cholera. Together with the eldest son, who went to study at the University of Illinois (USA), Tagore also leaves. Stopping on the way in London, he introduces his poems, translated by him into English, to the writer William Rotenstein, with whom they were familiar. In the same year, an English writer helped him publish Sacrificial Songs - Tagora does this famous person in England and the USA, as well as in other countries. In 1913, Tagore received the Nobel Prize for them, spending it on the needs of his school, which after the end of the First World War turned into a free university.

In 1915, Tagore was awarded a knighthood, but after British troops shot down a demonstration in Amritsar four years later, he refused the regalia. Starting in 1912, Tagore made many trips to the USA, Europe, the Middle East, South America. For Western countries, Tagore was more famous poet, however, on his account a large number of works and other genres, which in total amounted to 15 volumes: plays, essays, etc.

For four recent years life writer suffered from a number of diseases. In 1937, Tagore, having lost consciousness, was in a coma for some time. Towards the end of 1940, the disease worsened and ultimately took his life on August 7, 1941. Rabindranath Tagore enjoyed great popularity in his homeland. Four universities in the country awarded him an honorary degree, he was an honorary doctor of Oxford University. The modern hymns of India and Bangladesh are based on Tagore's poetry.

Rabindranath Tagore does not have a poem called " The last poem”, fragments of a poem from the novel “The Last Poem” are used in the song.
The novel is about two lovers - the young man Omito and the girl Labonno, who at the end of the story understand that earthly love between them is impossible, but at the same time they are sure that the invisible connection between their hearts will never disappear. Omito decides to marry a girl named Ketoki, he loves her differently from Labonno: “What binds me to Ketoki is love. But this love is like water in a vessel that I drink every day. Love for Labonneau is a lake that cannot be placed in a vessel, but in which my soul is washed.
idea heavenly love Omito expresses in a poem he sends to Labonneau:

When you left, you stayed with me forever
Only at the end did it completely open to me,
In the invisible world of the heart you took refuge,
And I touched eternity when,
Filling the void in me, you disappeared.
The temple of my soul was dark, but suddenly
In it a bright lamp lit up, -
Parting gift of your favorite hands, -
And heavenly love opened up to me
In the sacred flame of suffering and separation.

Omito soon receives a response to his letter. Labonneau writes that she is marrying someone else in six months, there is also a poem in the letter where Labonneau expresses in her own way the idea of the impossibility of earthly love between her and Omito, but at the same time her poem, like Omito's poem, breathes faith in heavenly love.
Fragments of Lobanno's farewell poem served as the basis for the text of the song "The Last Poem".

Full text of the poem:

… Do you hear the rustle of flying time?
Forever his chariot is on the way...
Heartbeats we hear in the sky,
The stars in the darkness are crushed by the chariot, -
How not to weep for them in the darkness on their chest? ..

My friend!
Time has cast lots for me,
In the network its captured me,
Riding in a chariot on a dangerous road,
Too far away from the places you roam
Where you won't see me anymore
Where you don't know what lies ahead...
It seems to me: the chariot is captured,
Death has already been defeated a thousand times,
So today I climbed to the top,
In the brilliance of the dawn, crimson-transparent ... -
How not to forget your name on the way?

Has the wind dispelled the old name?
I have no way to my abandoned land ...
If you try to see from afar, -
Don't look at me...

My friend,
Goodbye!
I know - someday in complete peace,
In late rest someday maybe
From the far shore of a long past
The spring night wind will bring you a breath from me!
The color of bacula fallen and crying
The sky will sadden you inadvertently, -
See if there's anything left
After me?…
At midnight oblivion
On the late outskirts
your life
Look without despair
Will it flare up?
Will it take the form of an unknown sleepy image,
as if by accident?

…It's not a dream!
This is my whole truth, this is the truth,
Death conquering the eternal law.
This is my love!
This treasure is
A gift unchanged to you, that for a long time
Was brought...
Abandoned in the ancient stream of change,
I'm sailing away - and time carries me
From end to end
From shore to shore, from shore to shore...
My friend, goodbye!

You haven't lost anything I think...
The right to play with ashes and ashes -
Created an image of an immortal beloved, -
The brilliance and radiance of the immortal beloved
you can call out of the twilight again!

Friend!
This will be the game tonight
Don't stop me from remembering...
Greedy movement will not be offended
Trembling of the Levkoy on a sacrificial platter.
You don't worry about me in vain -
I have a worthy cause
I have a world of space and time...
Is my chosen one poor? Oh no!
I will fill all the emptiness dangerous, -
Believe that I always intend to fulfill
This vow.
If someone who is concerned
Will wait for me with secret anxiety, -
I'll be happy - that's my answer!

From half of the bright month to the dark
taking out half
A fragrant sheaf of tuberose, -
Who - carrying them on a long road,
On the night of the shadow half of the month
Could the sacrificial person decorate the tray?

Who would see me in joy
Boundless forgiveness?
Evil and good unite,
I will give myself to their service!

I got the eternal right
My friend, for what I gave you myself...
You accept my gift piecemeal.

InfoGlaz.rf Link to the article from which this copy was made -

Reading 10 min. Views 2.1k. Published on 19.09.2017

Rabindranath Tagore is a person widely known not only in his native India, but throughout the world. Writer, poet, artist, composer, public figure - surprisingly, all these talents fit in one person.

Thanks to him, the formation of the literature and music of Bengal took place, and the high spirituality of his personality allowed the birth of a special philosophy. Tagore became the first Asian, achievements in poetry and artistic creativity who were considered so significant for the whole world that they were awarded the Nobel Prize.

Childhood and youth of Rabindranath

Rabindranath Tagore (Robindronath Thakur) was born on May 7, 1861 in the north of Calcutta at the estate of Joasanko Thakur Bari. He was the youngest of the children of Sarada Devi (1830-1875) and Debendranath Tagore (1817-1905). Rabindranath's family belonged to an ancient and noble family.

Among their ancestors is the founder of the religion Adi Dharm. My father was a Brahmin, so he often made pilgrimages to holy places. The elder brother of Rabindanath Dwijendranath was comprehensively developed and talented, being part-time mathematician, musician and poet. The middle brothers did not go far from Dwijendranath. They became famous philosophers and managed to achieve considerable success in dramaturgy and poetry. The nephew of Rabindranath became famous for making a feasible contribution to modern Bengali, becoming one of the founders of the new school.

As already indicated, the Tagore family had a special position in society. Since they were landowners (zamindars), influential, famous or just talented people often gathered in their house - public figures, writers, artists, politicians.

As you can see, Rabindranath from birth grew up in a bohemian atmosphere, surrounded by spirituality and non-standard thinking Therefore, one should not be surprised that he chose the path of creativity quite early.

At the age of 5, Rabindranath was sent to the Eastern Seminary, and then to the Normal School. There was not much attention paid to knowledge. The priority was to maintain strict discipline, so Tagore liked walking around the neighborhood more.

At the age of 8, the boy wrote his first poem . At the age of 11, he underwent upanayana (a rite of passage into the study of the Vedas and received the sacred upavita thread), and then went with his father on a journey through the family estates, which lasted several months. During this time, the boy managed to enjoy the stunning views and fall in love with the natural beauties of India even more. Rabindranath managed to get an excellent education. He studied many disciplines, interested in how exact sciences, as well as artistic. In addition, some languages \u200b\u200bare well suited to him, including Sanskrit and English. In the end, such a versatile development helped to form an amazing personality - highly spiritual, patriotic and filled with love for all things. When Rabindranath was 14 years old, his mother died. And this was a difficult test for him.

At the age of 17, Tagore published the poem "History of the Poet". In the same 1878, he went to London to comprehend science, focusing on the study of jurisprudence. But only a year passed, as the young man decided to return. By nature, a creative person, Rabindranath cannot resist his desire to write, so he follows the example of his no less creative brothers, starting to engage in his favorite activity - writing.

Time of the creative dawn of Rabindranath Tagore

In 1883, on December 9, a significant event occurred in Tagore's life - he married Mrinalini Devi (1873-1902), who also belonged to. During the time allotted to this couple, they managed to give birth to five children: daughters Madhurilat, Renuka, Mira and sons Rathindranath and Samindranath.

“Every child comes into the world with the message that God has not yet given up on people”
R. Tagore

Dear friends and guests of the Music of the Soul blog!

Today I want to dwell on the work of an amazing person. Few are given the difficult ability to live. A remarkable Indian writer, inspired lyric poet, novelist, short story writer, playwright, composer, founder of two universities, Rabindranath Tagore, possessed this skill to the fullest extent. For Belgalis, Rabindranath Tagore is not only great poet, not only an example of a wonderful way of life, but also an inseparable part of them own life. They grow up with Tagore's language on their lips, and their best feelings are often given vent by his own words, his own poetry. His life is extraordinarily rich, rich in events not only external, but also internal, spiritual.

Rabindranath Tagore was born in 1861 in a family known throughout Bengal at that time. He was the youngest of 14 children. His grandfather Dvorkonath possessed truly fabulous wealth. He owned indigo factories, coal mines, sugar and tea plantations, huge estates.

Father Debendronath, nicknamed the Maharshi (Great Sage), played an important role in awakening the national identity of the Indians. Tagore's numerous brothers and sisters were endowed with various talents. An atmosphere of artistry, humanity, mutual respect reigned in this family, an atmosphere in which all talents flourished.

Rabindranath Tagore in 1873

Rabindranath Tagore started writing poetry at the age of 8. The only merit of these first experiments, he later jokingly wrote, was that they were lost. Tagore's mother died when he was 14 years old. Having lost his mother, the boy began to lead a secluded life, the echoes of this loss went through his whole life.

Sarada Devip (Tagore's mom)

remembrance
I never remember my mother
And only sometimes when I run out
Out in the street to play with the boys
Some kind of melody all of a sudden
Takes possession of me, I do not know where being born,
And it seems to me like it's mom
She came to me, merged with my game.
She, shakingcradlemine
Maybe she sang this song
But everything is gone, and mom is no more,
And my mother's song was gone.

I never remember my mother.
But in the month of Ashshin, among the thickets of jasmine
As soon as it starts to dawn
And the wind, smelling of flowers, is moist,
And the wave gently laps
Memories rise in my soul
And she appears to me.
That's right, my mother often brought
Flowers to offer prayers to the gods;
Isn't that why mother's fragrance
I hear every time I enter the temple?

I never remember my mother.
But looking out the bedroom window
To a world that cannot be embraced with a glance,
To the blue of heaven, I feel it again
She looks into my eyes
Attentive and gentle look,
As in golden times
When, putting me on my knees,
She looked into my eyes.
And then her gaze was imprinted in me,
And he closed the sky from me.

Tagore with his wife Mrinalini Devi (1883)

At 22, R. Tagore marries. And he becomes the father of five children.
There is love that floats freely in the sky. This love warms the soul.
And there is love that dissolves in daily affairs. This love brings warmth tofamily.

Rabindranath Tagore with his eldest son and daughter

The very first published collection of poems "Evening Songs" glorified the young poet. Since that time, collections of poems, stories, novels, dramas, articles have come out from under his pen in a continuous stream - one can only marvel at the inexhaustible power of his genius.

In 1901, the poet and his family moved to the family estate near Calcutta and opened a school with five associates, for which he sold the copyright to publish his books.
A year later, his beloved wife dies, he experienced this death very hard.

When I don't see you in my dream
It seems to me that whispers spells
Earth to disappear under your feet.
And cling to the empty sky
Raising my hands, in horror I want ...
(translated by A. Akhmatova)

But the misfortunes did not end there. The following year, one of the daughters died of tuberculosis, and in 1907, the youngest son died of tuberculosis.

You want to change everything, but efforts are in vain:
Everything remains exactly the same. as before.
If you destroy all sorrows, soon
Recent joys will turn into sorrows

In 1912, with his eldest son, Rabindranath Tagore left for the United States, making a stop in London. Here he showed his poems to his friend writer William Rotenstein. Tagore becomes famous in England, in America.
The awarding of the Nobel Prize to Tagore in 1913, recognition of his indisputable merits, was greeted with the greatest rejoicing throughout Asia.
R. Tagore never in his life, even in the most difficult moments, did not lose his inescapable optimism, faith in the inevitable final triumph of good over evil.

In the crevice of the wall, in the midst of the cool of the night,
A flower blossomed. He didn't please anyone's looks.
His rootless, squalor reproach
And the sun says, "How are you, brother?"

His favorite image is a flowing river: sometimes the small river Kopai, sometimes the full-flowing Padma, and sometimes the all-entraining flow of time and space. This is how we see his work: rich, varied, nourishing ...

Light comes from his work, helping to find oneself. IN ancient india the poet was looked upon as a "rishi" - a prophet leading among people. At almost 70 years old, Rabindranath Tagore discovered painting. And the following years he devoted himself to drawing.
“The morning of my life was filled with songs, let the sunset of my days be filled with colors,” said Tagore. After himself, he left not only thousands of beautiful lines, but also about 2 thousand paintings and drawings.

He did not study painting, but painted as his heart felt. His impulsive paintings are written quickly, with inspiration and confidence. This is a splash of emotions on paper. “I succumbed to the spell of lines ...” - he said later. With ornate designs, Tagore filled in the crossed-out spaces on the pages of his manuscripts. As a result, these patterns resulted in paintings that inspire many young artists to create, and a new trend in art has appeared in India.

His exhibitions were held in many countries of the world, they conquered people with their sincerity and originality and sold well. Tagore invested money from the sale of paintings in the creation of the university.
Now his paintings can most often be found in private collections. In 2010, a collection of 12 paintings by Rabindranath Tagore was sold for $2.2 million.
The poet is the author of the text of the hymns of Bangladesh and India.

In that sunny world I don't want to die
I would like to live forever in thisbloomingforest,
Where people leave to return again
Where hearts beat and flowers gather dew.

Throughout his life, he argued that the feet should touch the ground, and the head should go to the sky. Only in the interaction of worldly and spiritual life can a person count on the success of his inner search.

At a late hour, he who wished to renounce the world said:
“Today I will go to God, my house has become a burden to me.
Who kept me by sorcery at the threshold of mine?
God told him, "I am." The man did not hear him.
In front of him on the bed, breathing serenely in a dream,
The young wife held the baby to her breast.
"Who are they - the offspring of Maya?" the man asked.
God told him, "I am." The man heard nothing.
The one who wanted to leave the world stood up and shouted:Where are you, god?»
God told him, "Here." The man did not hear him.
The child was brought in, cried in a dream, sighed.
God said, "Come back." But no one heard him.
God sighed and exclaimed, “Alas! Be your way, let it be.
Only where will you find me if I stay here.
(translated by V. Tushnova)

Tagore considered personality to be the highest value and was himself the embodiment of a whole person. The word for him was not a unit of information or description, but a call and a message. Throughout his long life, with amazing harmony, Rabindranath Tagore combines in his work the contradictions between the spirit and the flesh, man and society, between the search for truth and the enjoyment of beauty. And he felt beauty with a subtlety peculiar only to a few. And with high, noble inspiration he knew how to recreate it in his lyrical poems, which may be the best of everything that he wrote.

Something from light touches, something from vague words, -
This is how tunes arise - a response to a distant call.
Champak in the midst of the spring bowl,
polash in the blaze of bloom
Sounds and colors will tell me, -
this is the path to inspiration.
Something will appear in a flash,
Visions in the soul - without number, without counting,
And something is gone, ringing - you can’t catch the melody.
So the minute changes to a minute - the chased ringing of bells.
(translationM. Petrovyh)

For modern Bengali literature, Tagore is still a beacon to navigate. Tagore's ageless poetry is becoming more and more popular. Just as Mahatma Gandhi is called the father of the Indian nation, Rabindranath Tagore can rightly be called the father of Indian literature. Tagore knew the old age of the body, but not the old age of the soul. And in this unfading youth is the secret of the longevity of his memory.

Poems and quotes by Rabindranath Tagore

Someone built a house for himself -
So mine is broken.
I made a truce
Someone went to war.
If I touched the strings -
Somewhere, their bells have stopped.
The circle closes right there
Where does it start.

***
Clap before mistakesdoor.
The truth is in turmoil: "How will I enter now?"

"O fruit! O fruit! the flower screams.
Tell me, where do you live, my friend?
“Well,” the fruit laughs, “look:
I live inside you."

* * *
“Aren't you,” I once asked fate, “
Pushing me so mercilessly in the back?”
She croaked with an evil smile:
"Your own past drives you."

* * *
Respondsechoto everything that is heard around:
It does not want to be anyone's debtor.

* * *
Woke up babyflower. And suddenly appeared
The whole world is in front of him, like a huge beautiful flower garden.
And so he said to the universe, blinking in amazement:
"While I live, live, too, dear."

***
The flower withered and so decided: "Trouble,
Springleft the world forever

***
The cloud that the winter winds
Drove through the sky on an autumn day,
Looks with eyes full of tears,
Like it's about to exploderain.

***
You didn't even manage
What came naturally.
How do you deal with getting
Everything you want?

***
Pessimism is a form of spiritual alcoholism.

***
Man is worse than an animal when he becomes an animal.

***
I saved up the wisdom of many years,
stubbornly comprehended good and evil,
I have accumulated so much junk in my heart,
that became too heavy for the heart.

***
A leaf told a flower in a sleepy grove,
What passionately fell in love with the worldshadow.
The flower learned about the modest lover
And smiles all day.

The article uses photos from Wikipedia.

WITH wise quotes for all occasions - I recommend it to those who appreciate the elegant style and depth of thought

Rabindranath Tagore was a poet, musician and painter of the late 19th and early 20th century Bengali Renaissance who had a great influence on Indian art and literature. The author of Gitanjali was the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in 1913. His legacy is preserved at the University of Visva-Bharati, and his poetic compositions have become the anthems of India and Bangladesh.

Childhood and youth

Rabindranath Tagore, nicknamed Rabi, was born on May 7, 1861 at the Jorasanko mansion in Calcutta in large family landowner - Brahmin Debendranath Tagore and his wife Sarada Devi.

The father traveled a lot, and the mother died when the future poet was very young, so Rabindranath and other children were brought up by servants and invited teachers. Being at the forefront of cultural and public life, Tagore's family regularly arranged theatrical and creative evenings, was fond of Bengali and Western classical music. As a result, children brought up in the advanced traditions of the time became famous educated people.

In addition to Rabindranath, the Tagore clan was glorified by older brothers who were philosophers, playwrights and public figures, as well as a sister who became a well-known novelist in India.

Rabindranath shunned schooling and preferred to roam the estate and surroundings and do gymnastics, wrestling and swimming under the supervision of his brother. At the same time, he mastered art, anatomy, history, geography, literature, arithmetic, Sanskrit and English.

Having reached adulthood, Rabindranath and his father left for the foothills of the Himalayas, where the young man listened to melodic singing in the sacred Golden Temple of Amritsar, studied history, astronomy, modern science, Sanskrit and classical poetry Kalidas.

Poems and prose

Returning from a trip, Tagore wrote 6 poems and a poetic novel, which he presented as a lost creation of a fictional author of the 17th century. At the same time, the young writer made his debut in the genre of the story, publishing in Bengali a miniature "The Beggar Woman" ("Bhiharini").

Since Debendranath wished that youngest child became a lawyer, in 1878 Rabindranath entered University College London and studied law for several months. Hatred of formal education made young man give up science and devote yourself to reading. In England, Tagore got acquainted with creativity and imbued folk traditions Foggy Albion.

At a young age, Rabindranath composed plays in collaboration with his brothers, some of them were shown at creative evenings in the family mansion. Later, independent dramatic works were born from the plots of short stories. They were reflections on eternal philosophical themes, sometimes containing elements of allegory and grotesque.

In 1880, the young man returned to Bengal and began to publish regularly his own poems, novels and short stories, inspired by European traditions, which was a completely new phenomenon in Brahmin classical literature. Collections of "Evening" and "Morning" songs, as well as the book "Chabi-O-Gan" belong to this period of writing.

Tagore's stories were published in a magazine, and then were published as a separate three-volume set containing 84 works in which the writer talked about modern world with characteristic newfangled tendencies, mind games, miserable life ordinary people. A vivid example of the latter theme was the miniatures "Hungry Stones" and "Runaway", written in 1895.

Poems by Rabindranath Tagore

In 1891, the poet began work on transcribing folk works about the life of the common people of Bengal. The Golden Boat, Chitara, Harvest were published from 1893 to 1901, followed by the novel The Grain of Sand, published in 1903.

Since 1908, Rabindranath worked on the works included in the collection "Gitanjali", which in translation meant "Sacrificial chants". 157 verses were devoted to the relationship between man and God, revealed through simple and understandable images. Structural minimalism made the lines catchy, as a result of which they began to be used as quotations.

The collection has been translated into English language and published in Europe and America. In 1913, the author of "Gitanjali" was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his elegant storytelling, creative thinking and exceptional craftsmanship. In the 1930s, Rabindranath experimented with various literary trends. He tried to add modernist notes to classical Bengali poetry. This was most clearly manifested in the mature poetic works of the author.

During his life, Tagore created hundreds of poems, dozens of stories and 8 novels, the topics of which were village life, problems of Bengali society, generational conflict, religion and others. A special place in the work of the writer took lyrical work"The Last Poem" The poetic lines included in the short story formed the basis of the composer's song, which sounded in the movie "You never dreamed of."

Song on poems by Rabindranath Tagore "The Last Poem"

In the late 1930s, Rabindranath turned his writing activity into a scientific direction. He published several research essays in the fields of biology, astronomy and physics, and also composed a number of poems and short stories, where lyrics were intertwined with academic knowledge. Poetry and prose, created at the end of Tagore's life, are distinguished by gloomy colors and a premonition of imminent death. According to literary critics, the work of this period was the best legacy of the Bengali creator.

Music and paintings

Tagore was not only a writer and poet, he became the author of more than 2 thousand songs, from prayer hymns to folk and lyrical melodies. The composer's side of Rabindranath's work is inseparable from the literary one, since the smooth sound of the poetic lines of the Bengali creator was musical in itself.

Anthem of India written by Rabindranath Tagore

Some of Tagore's lyrics became songs after the author's death. So, in 1950, his poem became the words of the Indian national anthem, and in 1970 the lines of the work "Amar Shonar Bangla" were chosen for the official music of the state of Bangladesh.

Rabindranath also succeeded as a painter. His brushes belong to about 2.5 thousand works, repeatedly exhibited at home and in other countries.

Tagore was interested in the trends of modern art, adopted advanced techniques and used them in his own paintings. He tried himself as a realist, primitivist, impressionist artist. His creations are distinguished by an unconventional selection of colors, which researchers associate with color blindness, and regular geometric silhouettes, a consequence of a passion for the exact sciences.

Social activity

In the early 1900s, Tagore settled in a family mansion in Santiniketan, not far from Calcutta, where he combined creativity with social and political activity. The poet founded the asylum of the sages, which included a school, a chapel, vast areas with green spaces and a library.

At the same time, Rabindranath became the protector of the revolutionary figure Tilak and organized the Swadeshi movement, which protested against the partition of Bengal. He was not a supporter of radical extremist measures, but advocated change through education and peaceful enlightenment. In 1921, with funds raised from around the world, Tagore built the Welfare Abode, designed to help the villagers.

And in the 1930s, the writer turned to the social problem of caste division. Thanks to statements about the clan of the untouchables in lectures and in his own works, Rabindranath achieved for them the right to be present in the famous Krishna Temple located in Guruvayur. In 1940, the poet personally met the leader of the Indian independence movement, whose violent methods he did not approve of. A memorable photo from this meeting has been preserved in the archives.

Tagore traveled a lot around the world, studied various religions, got acquainted with great foreign contemporaries. The writer had a negative attitude towards the problem of nationalism, talked about it during lectures in the USA and Japan, and later devoted a journalistic work to this topic. Rabindranath was sharply criticized by the German attack on Soviet Union, he condemned politics and believed in retribution for bloody deeds and the triumph of justice.

Personal life

Little is known about the personal life of the great Bengali. In 1883, Tagore married 10-year-old Mrinalini Devi, born Bhabatarini. Early marriages of Indian girls were a common practice at the time. The couple had five children, two of whom died in early childhood.

In 1890, Rabindranath took over the reins of power over the vast family estates in the Shelaidakhi region and after 8 years he moved his family there. Tagore spent his time cruising the Padme River on the family barge, collecting rent and blessing the peasants.

The beginning of the 1900s became a time of tragic losses in the biography of the Bengali creator. Mrinalini died in 1902 in Santiniketan, a year later Rabindranath lost his daughter, then the head of the Tagore family died, leaving his youngest son a small inheritance. In 1907, Tagore's youngest child fell victim to a cholera epidemic.

Death

In 1937, Tagore began to suffer from chronic pain, which developed into a long illness. One day he fainted and was in a coma for some time. Periods of creativity were replaced by times when physical state the creator did not allow him to work.

After a second loss of consciousness in 1940, Rabindranath could not recover. He dictated his last works to his friends and secretary.

On August 7, 1941, Tagore died at his home in Jorasanko. The exact cause of death is unknown, the researchers believe that the writer was killed by old age and a debilitating disease.

The death of the great Bengali bard was a tragedy for many people around the world who honored his memory by organizing festivals of creativity and holidays in his honor.