Bengali bard and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore, whose life and works continue to be celebrated across the world to this day, was born on May 7, 1861. His birthday is celebrated as Rabindra Jayanti.
Like most noted luminaries of his time, Tagore was more than just a gifted author, musician, and poet, he was also a social reformist who was vocal in critiquing the British Raj and strived to awaken the nation through his literary work.
Rabindranath Tagore’s works contributed to ushering in a renaissance in Bengal as the poet or ‘Kabi Guru’ openly wrote on the otherwise tabooed topics exploring the depths of the human mind, desire, adultery, clandestine relationships, the oneness of God, universal humanity, and the perils of blind faith in religion, customs, and superstitions, among others.
Some of his works dealing with the complexities of human relationships and the need to awaken a generation by questioning social order continue to hold relevance in today’s time. Let us look at a few of Tagore’s most celebrated literary works:
Gitanjali: No discussion on Rabindranath Tagore’s literary prowess can begin without mentioning the Gitanjali first, which had earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature. Gitanjali is essentially a collection of devotional poems that takes us on the journey of the bard’s self-realisation and quest for becoming with God. The book was originally written in Bengali and later translated to English.
Gitabitan: Rabindranath Tagore wrote as many as 2,230 songs, giving birth to a whole new genre of music -- known as ‘Rabindra Sangeet’. Gitabitan is a compilation of all his compositions, divided into sections such as Devotion, Love, Seasons, etc. Multiple Bollywood songs such as ‘Piya Bole, Piyu Bole’ have been based on Tagore’s compositions. The poet himself would often draw inspiration from foreign musicians.
Chokher Bali: The novel Chokher Bali or ‘A grain of sand’ revolves around two women, an extra marital affair, and the vulnerability of human bonds. In this novel, Tagore draws a comparison between the protagonist – a young widow – and a grain of sand. Just as a grain of sand would cause discomfort to the eyes, the young widow comes into the life of a newly-married woman and unwittingly develops attraction for her husband. While passion, relationships, unfulfilled desires, and lust for a better life take centre stage in this story, it is celebrated for its mastery in storytelling and the raw honesty with which the characters were created.
Postmaster: Postmaster is a touching tale of love and affection and the enduring relationship a city-bred, young postmaster forges with a little girl in a remote village. The simplicity of storytelling makes the Postmaster even more heartwarming.
Kabuliwallah: Much like Postmaster, Kabuliwallah (the fruitseller from Afghanistan) revolves around the bond between a grown man who has travelled a thousand miles away from his home to India and sees a reflection of his daughter in one of his customer’s five-year-old. The story is light-hearted and poignant at the same time and has been adapted into a famous Bengali movie by the same name.
Gora: One of Rabindranath Tagore’s largest and most complex novels, Gora raises pertinent questions about life, living, and society that will be of significance for years to come.
Shesher Kabita: Shesher Kabita, which was translated into English as The Last Poem or The Farewell Song is a love story – a story of unrequited love and platonic ties between two matured, highly-educated individuals. It is the epic love story of the protagonist Amit Ray – a flamboyant, foreign-educated man who comes from wealth and falls in love with Labanya – a simple woman of high intellect.
Ghare Baire: It is an autobiographical novel set in the backdrop of the Swadeshi movement. Ghare Baire revolves around three main characters and their tales of ordeal, love, triumph, self-realisation, and more as they lose all in the search for liberation.
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