Rabindranath Tagore's 83rd Death Anniversary: All about the Bard of Bengal

Today, August 7, 2024, marks Rabindranath Tagore's 83rd Death Anniversary. The world remembers him as a poet, painter, composer, playwright, and social reformer

The name Rabindranath Tagore is enough to stir a wide range of emotions in Indians. Today,  August 7, 2024, marks Rabindranath Tagore's 83rd death anniversary. He died on this day in 1941. 

He is recognized as a Noble Laureate poet, composer, playwright, painter and social reformer. Over 150 poems in his renowned poetry collection Gitanjali shaped Indian literature in a remarkable way. He was not just a poet and writer, and even today, India worships Rabindranath Tagore for his greatness. 

His patriotism for India knew no bounds, and his immense love for Bengal was no secret. His songs are being played everywhere, particularly in West Bengal, even today. Numerous films, short stories, reprised songs, and paintings have been produced as a result of artists' inspiration from his creation.

 

On the occasion of his death anniversary, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee penned down a heartfelt message on social media platform X (Twitter).

Rabindranath Tagore’s 83rd Death Anniversary: 10 Quotes

    • Faith is the bird that feels the light when the dawn is still dark.

    • Clouds come floating into my life, no longer to carry rain or usher storms, but to add colour to my sunset sky.

    • Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers, but to be fearless in facing them. Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain, but for the heart to conquer it

    • If I can’t make it through one door, I’ll go through another door- or I’ll make a door. Something terrific will come no matter how dark the present

    • You cannot cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water

    • Most people believe the mind to be a mirror, more or less accurately reflecting the world outside them, not realizing on the contrary that the mind is itself the principal element of creation

    • A mind with all logic is like a knife with all blades. It makes the hand bleed that uses it

    • Do not say, ‘It is morning,’ and dismiss it with the name of yesterday. See it for the first time as a newborn child that has no name.

    • It is very simple to be happy, but it is very difficult to be simple.

    • I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy. 

Interesting facts About Rabindranath Tagore on his death anniversary 

    • Rabindranath Tagore at the young age of eight began writing poems. When he was 16, he published his first book under the 'pseudonym Bhanusiṃha'.

    • At the age of 20 years old, Rabindranath Tagore wrote his first play 'Valmiki Pratibha'. It was staged at his home, Jorasanko Thakurbar, and Rabindranath played Valmiki in it.

    • When Rabindranath Tagore translated Gitanjali, the renowned English poet W.B. Yeats wrote its preface. 

    • In 1930, Rabindranath Tagore was invited to Albert Einstein's house in Caputh. There, the two of them had in-depth conversations about religion and science. 

    • As a part of protest to the English rule after the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, Tagore declined his Knighthood title on May 31, 1919.

    • Tagore is the first Asian and non-European who was awarded with the Nobel Prize in literature. 

    • He offered his Nobel Prize cash for the foundation of the Visva-Bharati University in Shantiniketan. 
   • From 1912 on, Rabindranath Tagore spent a lot of time away from India. 

    • Rabindranath Tagore is generally viewed as the maker of Sri Lanka's national anthem, 'Sri Lanka Matha'. The poem by Tagore is the inspiration for the Sri Lankan national anthem. Sinhalese was used to translate his original work. 

    • At Shantiniketan in rural West Bengal, he had established an experimental school.