Rabindranath Tagore, recipient of the 1913 Noble prize for Literature, was born into a Brahmin family in Calcutta, India on May 7th 1861. His father was Maharshi Debendranath Tagore and his mother was Sarada Devi. His father was a leader of Brahmo Samaj, which was a new religious sect in nineteenth-century Bengal. This samaj attempted for the revival of Hinduism as laid down in the Upanishads. He was mainly educated at home and at the age of seventeen he was sent to England for formal schooling. In 1883 Tagore married Mrinalini Devi Raichauduri, with whom he had two sons and three daughters.

He began to write poetry as a child and his first book appeared when he was seventeen years old. After a brief stay in England to study Law, he returned to India, where he rapidly became the most important and popular author of the colonial era. He composed several hundred popular songs and in 1929 he also began painting.

He also started an experimental school at Shantiniketan where he tried his Upanishadic ideals of education. He participated in the Indian national movement from time to time in his own visionary way and Gandhi was his devoted friend. Tagore and Gandhi were great admirers of each other, despite their differences in matter of politics, nationalism, and social reform. It was Tagore who called Gandhi “The Mahatma in a peasant’s garb”, and Gandhi, in turn called Tagore, “The Great Sentinel”.

Tagore objected the burning of foreign cloth because it was foreign. Gandhi stressed the need for Indian self-sufficiency in every sphere of life. Tagore believed that India had a message for the world, but he thought that India must also incorporate others’ messages into her own cultural repertoire. Like Gandhi, Tagore believed that inner Swaraj and cultivation of the self was vital.

In 1915 he was knighted by the British King George. In 1919, following the Amritsar massacre of 400 Indian demonstrators by the British troops, Sir Tagore renounced his Knighthood. He promoted spiritual values and the creation of a new world culture founded in multi-culturalism, diversity, and tolerance. He used the funds from his writings and lecturing to expand upon the school he had founded in 1901 now known as Visva Bharati.

As a writer, Tagore primarily worked in Bengali. But after his success with Gitanjali, he translated many of his other works into English. He wrote over one thousand poems, eight volumes of short-stories, almost two dozen plays and play-lets, eight novels, and many books and essays philosophy, religion, education, and social topics. He also had great love for music, especially in Bengali style. He composed more than two thousand songs, both the music and lyrics. He was the composer of National Anthem of India and Bangladesh.

Tagore was not only a creative genius, but also a great man and friend to many. His meetings and tape recorded conversations with his contemporaries such as Albert Einstein and H.G.Wells, stand as cultural landmarks and show the brilliance of this great man. He is regarded as the product of both the best of Indian and Modern Western cultures. The school of wisdom is proud to have him as part of its heritage.

Rabindranath Tagore's famous writings:

1. Gitanjali was first published in 1913 which explains about divine and human love.
2. KABIKAHINI, 1878 - A Poet's Tale
3. SADHYA SANGEET, 1882 - Evening Songs
4. PRABHAT SANGEET, 1883 - Morning Songs
5. BAU-THAKURANIR HAT, 1883
6. RAJASHI, 1887
7. RAJA O RANI, 1889 - The King and the Queen / Devouring Love
8. VISARGAN, 1890 - Sacrifice
9. MANASI, 1890
10. IUROPE-JATRIR DIARI, 1891, 1893
11. VALMIKI PRATIBHA, 1893
12. SONAR TARI, 1894 - The Golden Boat
13. KHANIKA, 1900 - Moments
14. KATHA, 1900
15. KALPANA, 1900
16. NAIVEDYA, 1901
17. NASHTANIR, 1901 - The Broken Nest
18. SHARAN, 1902
19. BINODINI, 1902
20. CHOCHER BALI, 1903 - Eyesore
21. NAUKADUBI, 1905 - Haaksirikko
22. KHEYA, 1906
23. NAUKADUBI, 1906 - The Wreck
24. GORA, 1907-09 - suom.
25. SARADOTSAVA, 1908 - Autumn Festival
26. GALPAGUCCHA, 1912 - A Bunch of Stories
27. CHINNAPATRA, 1912
28. VIDAY-ABHISAP, 1912 - The Curse at Farewell
29. GITANJALI, 1912 - Song Offerings (new translation in 2000 by Joen Winter, publ. Anvil Press) - Uhrilauluja
30. JIBAN SMRTI, 1912 - My Reminiscenes - Elдmдni muistoja , trans. by J. Hollo
31. DAKGHAR, 1912 - Post Office
32. THE CRESCENT MOON, 1913
33. GLIMPSES OF BENGAL LIFE, 1913
34. THE HUNGRY STONES AND OTHER STORIES, 1913
35. CHITRA, 1914 - transl.
36. GHITIMALAYA, 1914
37. THE KING OF THE DARK CHAMBER, 1914
38. THE POST OFFICE, 1914
39. SADHANA, 1914
40. GHARE-BAIRE, 1916 - The Home and the World - Koti ja maailma
41. BALAK, 1916 - A Flight of Swans
42. CHATURANGA, 1916 - transl.
43. FRUIT GATHERING, 1916
44. THE HUNGRY STONES, 1916
45. STRAY BIRDS, 1916
46. PERSONALITY, 1917 - Persoonallisuus
47. The Cycle of Spring, 1917
48. Sacrifice, and Other Plays, 1917
49. My Reminiscene, 1917
50. Nationalism, 1917
51. Mashi and Other Stories, 1918
52. Stories from Tagore, 1918
53. PALATAKA, 1918
54. JAPAN-JATRI, 1919 - A Visit to Japan
55. Greater India, 1921
56. The Fugitive, 1921
57. Creative Unity, 1921
58. LIPIKA, 1922
59. MUKTADHARA, 1922 - trans.
60. Poems, 1923
61. Gora, 1924
62. Letters from Abroad, 1924
63. Red Oleander, 1924
64. GRIHAPRABESH, 1925
65. Broken Ties and Other Stories, 1925
66. Rabindranath Tagore: Twenty-Two Poems, 1925
67. RAKTA-KARABI, 1925 - Red Oleanders
68. SADHANA, 1926 - suom.
69. NATIR PUJA, 1926 - transl.
70. Letters to a Friend, 1928
71. SESHER KAVITA, 1929 - Farewell, My Friend
72. MAHUA, 1929 - The Herald of Spring
73. JATRI, 1929
74. YAGAYOG, 1929
75. The Religion of Man, 1930
76. The Child, 1931
77. RASHIAR CHITHI, 1931 - Letters from Russia
78. PATRAPUT, 1932
79. PUNASCHA, 1932
80. Mahatmahi and the Depressed Humanity, 1932
81. The Golden Boat, 1932
82. Sheaves, Poems and Songs, 1932
83. DUI BON, 1933 - Two Sisters
84. CHANDALIKA, 1933 - transl.
85. MALANCHA, 1934 - The Garden
86. CHAR ADHYAYA, 1934 - Four Chapters
87. BITHIKA, 1935
88. SHESH SAPTAK, 1935
89. PATRAPUT, 1936
90. SYAMALI, 1936 - trans.
91. Collected Poems and Plays, 1936
92. KHAPCHARA, 1937
93. SEMJUTI, 1938
94. PRANTIK, 1938
95. PRAHASINI, 1939
96. PATHER SANCAY, 1939
97. AKASPRADIP, 1939
98. SYAMA, 1939
99. NABAJATAK, 1940
100. SHANAI, 1940
101. CHELEBELA, 1940 - My Boyhood Days
102. ROGSHAJYAY, 1940
103. AROGYA, 1941
104. JANMADINE, 1941
105. GALPASALPA, 1941
106. Last Poems, 1941
107. The Parrots Training, 1944
108. Rolland and Tagore, 1945
109. Three Plays, 1950
110. Crisis in Civilization, 1950
111. Sheaves, 1951
112. More Stories from Tagore, 1951
113. A Tagore's Testament, 1955
114. Our Universe, 1958
115. The Runaway and Other Stories, 1959
116. Wings of Death, 1960
117. GITABITAN, 1960
118. A Tagore Reader, 1961 Towards Universal Man, 1961
119. On Art and Aesthetics, 1961
120. BICITRA, 1961
121. GALPAGUCCHA, 1960-62 (4 vols.)
122. Boundless Sky, 1964
123. The Housewarming, 1964
124. RABINDRA-RACANABALI, 1964-1966 (27 vols.)
125. Patraput, 1969
126. Imperfect Encounter, 1972
127. Later Poems, 1974
128. The Housewarming, 1977
129. Rabindranath Tagore: Selected Poems, 1985
130. Rabindranath Tagore: Selected Short Stories, 1991 (trans. by William Radice)

Compiled By: - Kalapala Hima Deepthi.