Rabindranath
Tagore was a world-class poet of the twentieth century. Our National
Anthem
‘Jana Gana Mana’ was composed by Tagore. Tagore was also a
freedom fighter,
educationist, painter, philosopher and play-writer. In 1913, he was
awarded the
Nobel Prize in Literature for his well-known poems written in
'Gitanjali'.
Rabindranath was born in
1861 in Bengal. He was
sent to school many times, but he could not study in school, as he
found that
the conventional type of discipline and education hampered the growth
of his
independent spirit. So he studied at home by a tutor.
During
his early youth, he fell in love with a
girl, who enlivened his spirit. Tagore drove more and more into mental
reflection without access to the world. The natural environment infused
joy and
serenity in him. His father taught him impressions of Upanishads which
stirred
him to be a poet. He was encouraged in self-development and never
clipped his
Poetic wings.
In
1877, young Tagore sailed for England for the
first time with the intention to study law there. But the profession
did not
appeal to him and he returned to India after one year. Rabindranath
broke away
from conservative traditions and inaugurated a fresh era of literary
activity.
At the age of twenty two, he wrote a collection of poems under the
title
'Prabhat Sangeet'. His heart filled with joy whenever he was amidst the
beauty of
nature.