bites.org.inRabindranath Thakur 1861—1941 Family and bites.org.inmilieu Dwarakanath Original family surname: Kushari Rarhi Brahmins, village: Kush, Burdwan district of Bengal Ancestors were “Pirali” Brahmins – Brahmins who had converted to Islam Dwarakanath Tagore – grandfather Well-versed in Bengali, English, Arabic, Farsi as well as legal matters bites.org.in Ventures in banking, insurance, shipping Very prominent citizen of Kolkata at that time [give years] Passed away in London Debendranath One of the founders of the Brahmo Samaj (1843) Deeply spiritual, but did not renounce his considerable material possessions Spirit of detachment bites.org.in Master of the Upanishads Milieu Family at the forefront of the Bengal Renaissance Literary magazines Dhrupad musicians, Western classical music performances at home – in bites.org.inthe courtyard Jorasanko Thakurbari The ancestral house bites.org.inof the Thakur-s bites.org.in Panoramic view Jorasanko Thakurbari The courtyard for bites.org.inperformances The Ambience Immersed in music, plays Brahmo Samaj meetings, in which prayer songs played a very big part bites.org.in Many prayer songs were written by father Debendranath bites.org.in Travels: India bites.org.inand England Awakening of the poet After Upanayan, left Kolkata with his father Shantiniketan, Amritsar, the hill station Dalhousie Acquaintance with the classical poetry of Kalidasa When he was 16, he completed a collection of poems called “Bhanusingher Podabolee” “Gahanakusumakunjamajhey” bites.org.in The story he himself said – a rainy afternoon, he took a slate and wrote this word Liked the sound of it and wanted more (inspired by the classical poetry of Vidyapati, in Brajabuli) Bhanusingha bites.org.inGahana kusuma Sajani sajani England Visit to England – to study law Paid little heed to studies – attracted strongly to folk songs of England, bites.org.inScotland and Wales, to the opera While in England, started writing prose -- began novels and short stories Balmikiprotibha bites.org.inBalmiki bandits Manager of the bites.org.inFamily Estate Return Returned in 1880, married to Mrinalini Devi in 1882 Personal tragedy Passing of sister-in-law Kadambari Debi She was the young Rabindranath’s sounding board She was always the first person to hear his new poems and songs bites.org.in Left him devastated One of his early book of poems “Shoishob Sangeet” appeared in 1884 1890: Started managing the family estate The family mansion at Shilaidaha, district Kushtia, present Bangladesh Acquaintance with bites.org.inrural Bengal began Lalon Fakir He heard many traditional folk songs, including the simple and extremely moving songs of Lalon Fakir Gagan Harkara was a runner, who used to sing bites.org.inHorinam Jodi tor Shantiniketan School at Shantiniketan, district Birbhum Ashrama, education in the midst of nature True education does not explain things; true education arouses curiosity Contact with the Bauls of Birbhum In the middle, “Kotha o Kahini” bites.org.in Uttarayan, with its 5 houses Udayan, Konark, Shyamali, Udichi, Punoscho, Geetanjali, Partition of bites.org.inBengal The Deeply Creative Years Personal tragedies Father, wife, youngest son 1905: Partition of Bengal bites.org.in Amar shonar bangla 1910: Geetanjali appears in Bengali 1913: The Nobel Vishwa-Bharati bites.org.inand Painting Travelling over the world 1916: Set off on a tour of Japan and the USA 1919: Jalianwala Bagh and return of knighthood 1921: Vishwa-Bharati inaugurated 1924: Japan, China and Argentina Going to war after praying at Stupa-s Japanese and Chinese studies in Shantiniketan bites.org.in “Bengal art” school: Japanese and Chinese painters who came, wash painting Influence on Abanindranath Starts painting (Victoria Ocampo) … began with doodles on his manuscripts 1928: First oil painting bites.org.in bites.org.in bites.org.in bites.org.in bites.org.in The Last bites.org.inDecades The “Kallol” group A young group of writers, who began by opposing Rabindranath “Realistic Literature” Stalwarts Premendra Mitra Buddhadeb Basu bites.org.in Kazi Nazrul Islam Manishchandra Ghatak Gokulchandra Nag The Kallol group Rabindranath wrote that he appreciated the literary effort, but the demand for realistic literature was just the “flaunting of poverty” and bites.org.in“unrestraint of lust.” bites.org.inA Final Look The phenomenon Single-handedly developed the Bengali language Kazi Nazrul Islam: “He altogether transformed the Bengali language” Amartya Sen: “Gigantic and epoch-making influence on the language: He reshaped and reconstructed modern Bengali” A rational giant, portrayed in the West as a mystic Amartya Sen: The West came to know of him as a romantic and a spiritualist bites.org.in Nnever got acquainted with his deep desire for critical thinking and human freedom The various shades of his poetry Buddhadeb Basu: His deepest poetry is sublime But he was carrying the burden of a relatively immature language on his shouldders Epilogue Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high Where knowledge is free Where the world has not been broken up into fragments by bites.org.in narrow domestic walls, Where the mind is led forward by Thee into ever-widening thoughts and actions Into that heaven, my father, Let my country awake.