Rabindranath Tagore wrote poetry from age eight and won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for Gitanjali. He wrote the national anthems of both India and Bangladesh, knew Gandhi and Einstein, and renounced his knighthood to protest the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.
Rabindranath Tagore, or Kobiguru as he's fondly called by Bengalis across the globe, was undoubtedly the greatest writer in modern Indian literature. The youngest of 13 surviving children, Tagore was born at the Jorasahar Mansion in Kolkata to parents Devendranath Tagore and Sharada Devi. He started writing poems at the age of 8. When he was 16, he published his first poetry under the pseudonym Bhanushingho. Thereafter, he wrote novels, stories, songs, dance dramas, and essays, and those spoke on political and personal topics. His verse, short stories, and novels were acclaimed for their lyrics and naturalism. Tagore is perhaps the only literature who wrote the national anthems of two countries: Bangladesh and India. He also shared a close relationship with Gandhiji, whom he called Mahatma, and Gandhiji in turn. Turned named him the Sentinel of the East. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913, and his collection of poems, the Gitanjali, for his collection of poems, the Gitanjali. He was the first non-European and of course the first Indian to win the Nobel Prize. Two years later, he was awarded the knighthood by the British Empire. But he surrendered that in 1919 as a protest against the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, where British troops killed some 400 Indian demonstrators. A good friend of Albert Einstein, Tagore's exploration of biology, physics, and astronomy impacted his poetry, which often contained extensive naturalism, and that underscored his respect for scientific laws. Tagore died on 7th August, 1941. In the poet's own words, when my voice is silenced in death, my song will speak in your living heart. Truly so. How correct he was. Today, as we celebrate Tagore's 150th birthday, we cannot but marvel at his creation in literature and art that has not only withstood the rest— the test of time for more than a century, But also secured a unique place for itself, that even now his songs and poetry are sung and read by millions of people across the earth, and even here in Peterborough. It's amazing how his words find relevance today in our living heart and its fate of sorrow, happiness, grief, joy, and delight. We begin our presentation this evening with a song written and composed by Tagore. A transliteration of the song might not do justice to the meaning. However, the essence is how incapable I am to sing to your tune. I spend my whole day trying to match your tune, but how miserably I fail in doing that. Ladies and gentlemen, our tribute to Tego this evening with his own creation. This song shall be presented by V-Cup ladies Amarbala.
