Rabindra Jayanti
Rabindra Jayanti will be celebrated on Wednesday, 8 May 2024. This day commemorates the birth of the renowned writer, poet, philosopher, social reformer and the first ever Indian Nobel laureate whose work continues to inspire generations with its profound insights, universal themes, and timeless beauty.
Rabindra Jayanti is a public holiday in West Bengal so schools and banks remain closed. 2024 marks the 163rd birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore.
Rabindranath Tagore was born in Jorasanko Thakurbari in Calcutta (now Kolkata) on May 7, 1861. According to the Bengali calendar, his birthday is celebrated on the 25th day of Baishak, known as 'Pochishe baishak', the first month in the Bengali calendar.
Rabindranath Tagore Biography: A Young Tagore's Artistic Awakening
Rabindranath Tagore was born to former reformer Debendranath Tagore and Sarada Devi. He belonged to a wealthy Brahmin family where he was the youngest child. He went on to become one of the most renowned authors, poets, philosophers, dramatists, painters, and artists whose contribution to the nation is immense.
Tagore actively participated in India's freedom struggle and motivated people through his music and poems. Mahatma Gandhi, one of the most important political leaders in India, called him 'Gurudev' which means teacher. Tagore was the first Indian and non-European to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature for his collection of poetry called 'Gitanjali', in 1913.
Rabindranath Tagore has created both the National Anthem of India 'Jana Gana Mana Adi' and Bangladesh's 'Amar Shonar Bangla'. The author is also referred to as the "Bard of Bengal'. In 1901, he started an experimental school in the rural area of West Bengal, Shantiniketan ('Abode of Peace'). It was a blend of both Indian and Western education and traditions. The school, later on, turned into Visva-Bharati University in 1921.
"If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars"
- Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindra Jayanti Celebration
Rabindranath Tagore's birthday is not only celebrated by India but also by Bengalis across the Globe.
People hold several cultural programs in his memory. Children are taught about Tagore so that they can know more about the poet and his brilliant literature pieces. Educational institutes, Universities, theatres, and workplaces organize programs, plays, songs, dance dramas (based on Rabindrasangeet), and poetries, all written and composed by Tagore himself on this day.
People of West Bengal mark this day as 'Pochishebaishak'. In Tagore's ancestral home, that is in Jorasanko Thakurbari, Rabindra Sadan, and Shantiniketan in Birbhum, grand celebrations, cultural programs, and activities are held from dawn to dusk to honor his memory.
Unknown and Interesting Facts About Rabindranath Tagore
- Rabindranath Tagore actually became a painter much later in his life- at the age of 67.
- Rabindranath Tagore was the fourteenth and youngest son of Devendranath Tagore and Sarada Devi.
- When Rabindranath was a little boy, he really hated studying English and later expressed gratitude to his elder brother Hemendranath for teaching him subjects in Bengali.
- Rabindranath Tagore actually met Benito Mussolini, the Italian dictator and founder of National Fascist Party in 1926. However, his meeting triggered a lot of negative reaction because he did not say anything negative about him.
More about Tagore
Tagore was also referred to by the names Kobiguru, Surudev, and Biswokobi. He was the first Indian to receive a knighthood in 1915 for his contribution to literature. However, in 1919 he returned the knighthood in protest against the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar.
On August 7, 1941, at the age of 80, Tagore breathed his last in JorasankoThakurbari, West Bengal.
Read The Hindu Calendar if you want to know about other such dates and celebrations.
