Biography:
Tagore was born on May 7, 1861, in Calcutta, West Bengal, India. His family belonged to the merchant-cum-landlord class, a Brahmin caste, which became wealthy during the era of the British East India Company and became Chaiminda landlords. Both his grandfather and father were social activists, actively favoring the Enlightenment in Bengal and supporting social reforms in those days. His father was a philosopher and religious reformer who studied the Vedas and the Upanishads, was nationalistic, and was consecrated by the forces of custom as an alienated man without caste because he was alienated from the traditional customs of the society. He had fourteen children, Tagore being the youngest in the family. It is in this family, siblings and nieces and nephews quite a number of scholars and artists. As a result of growing up in such a traditional Indian culture and Western culture harmoniously blended with the family of books, and thus Tagore from an early age by the family environment.
Because he was the youngest son of his parents, Rabindranath was called "Rabbi" by his family and became the favorite child of every member of the family, but he was not spoiled. The young Rabbi went to four schools in Calcutta, and although he disliked all four, he was well educated under the supervision of his elder brother and sister.
Tagore's training in literature came first and foremost from his family environment. He went to Oriental College, Normal College and Bengal College. But he was free-spirited and detested the trigger-happy school life and did not complete the formal course of study at school. His knowledge came mainly from his father's and brother's and tutor's ears, and from his own extensive reading. From an early age, he was obsessed with poetry, writing poems from the age of thirteen, which were filled with sentiments against colonialism and love for his country.
In 1878, he followed his father's and brother's wish to study in England, initially studying law. But he didn't like the law, so he transferred to the University of London to study English literature and Western music. 1880 returned to China, specializing in literature. 1884, he left the city to the countryside to manage his ancestral tenants. Here he familiarized himself with the life of the lower classes and observed his native land and nature. 1901, in order to realize his educational ideals, he founded a school in Niketan, a holy place near Bolpur in Bengal. This school later developed into a famous international university.
After 1905, the national movement into the climax of the period, the people of Bengal and all of India rose up against the decision of the partition of Bengal, the formation of a vigorous anti-imperialist patriotic movement, Tagore resolutely committed to this movement, full of passionate patriotic campers filled with righteous indignation, wrote a large number of patriotic poems. However, it did not take long for Tagore to disagree with other leaders of the movement. He was not in favor of the so-called "direct action" of the masses burning British goods and abusing the British. He favored more "constructive" work, such as going to the countryside to develop their own industries and to eliminate poverty and ignorance. However, some of the masses did not accept his views, and due to disappointment, he withdrew from the movement. From then on, for a long period of time, he lived a life of seclusion away from the reality of the struggle, and buried himself in literary creation.
In 1915, he met Gandhi. It was a meeting of two giants of Indian history. He had long been associated with the Indian National Congress (INC) and had attended its congresses. However, his relationship with the Congress Party was always a long way off. With Gandhi, he had a very genuine personal friendship. However, he did not approve of some of Gandhi's practices. These two extraordinary personalities did not try to hide their differences of opinion. At the same time morally and in their social activities they always respected and supported each other.
Tagore came to Japan in 1916, and he had a lot of feelings about a new and vibrant country like Japan. Later, he traveled from Japan to the United States and made many reports on the topic of "Nationalism". He denounced the "statism" of the East and the West. He never had a good feeling about the United States, and he hated the national discrimination there. American newspapers and detective agencies often gave him trouble in terms of public opinion and action. His subsequent visits to England were uneventful, and in 1929, when he arrived in the United States after a visit to Canada, he was again detained and questioned by U.S. immigration officials.
In 1919, there was the 'Amritsar Tragedy', in which the British army shot dead more than 1,000 Indian civilians. Rabindranath Tagore was so angry that he wrote a letter of protest to the Viceroy of India and renounced the title of "Sir" given to him by the King of England.
In 1924, he visited China. He had longed for this ancient and rich Oriental country since he was a young boy, and sympathized with the situation of the Chinese people, writing an angry denunciation of the opium trade of the British colonialists. This visit finally realized his wish of many years.
In 1930, Rabindranath Tagore visited the young socialist Soviet Union. He saw a magical world there, which made him extremely excited and excited, and wrote a book called "A Brief History of Russia" in praise of the Soviet Union. Although he could not fully understand socialism, he longed for this new society and wanted to bring this amazing world to the people of India. His yearning for the world's first socialist country remained unchanged, and in his 80th birthday essay, he emphasized and praised the achievements of the Soviet Union. The attacks of others did not affect the favorable image of the Soviet Union in his mind.
Tagore's own letter.
In 1934, the Italian fascist army invaded Abyssinia (Ethiopia), and Tagore immediately condemned it harshly.In 1936, when a rebellion broke out in Spain against the government of the **** and the country, he sided with the government of the **** and the country, and explicitly opposed the retrograde actions of the fascist leader Franco.In 1938, when the German fascists invaded Czechoslovakia, he wrote to his friends there, expressing his sympathy for the people of Czechoslovakia. In 1938, German fascists invaded Czechoslovakia, he wrote to his friends there to express his concern and solidarity with the people of Czechoslovakia. 1939, the German fascists blatantly launched a world war, he should be the way of friends in Europe, wrote an angry denunciation of the German "leader" of the unjust behavior. Tagore has always hated fascism. But to the oppressed weak people, he expressed unlimited sympathy. Especially for China, he is always hold good feelings and hope. He has always been a true and faithful friend of the Chinese people.
On August 6, 1941, Rabindranath Tagore passed away peacefully in his ancestral home in Calcutta, where he was buried by thousands of citizens.
Representative Works
Gitanjali, Gora, The Crisis of Civilization
Synopsis:
His works reflect the Indian people's strong desire to change their destiny under the oppression of imperialism and the feudal caste system, and depict their indomitable struggle against it, full of the distinctive spirit of patriotism and democratism. At the same time, it is rich in national style and national characteristics, has high artistic value and is loved by the people.
Many of his creations are based on real life in India, reflecting the tragic fate of the Indian people under the oppression of colonialism, feudalism, ignorance and backwardness, depicting the changes in Indian society and the awakening of the new generation under the impact of new ideas, and at the same time, documenting the course of his personal spiritual exploration. In terms of creative techniques, he absorbed the nutrients of national literature and drew on the advantages of Western culture, and his artistic achievements were quite high. In particular, his poems are fresh in style, beautiful in verse, peculiar in imagination, beautiful in rhyme, rich in lyricism, and at the same time full of profound philosophical and religious thoughts, social and life ideals, which touch the heartstrings of the readers. Some of the poems are mystical due to the influence of religious ideas in the Vedas and Upanishads, but still have a unique artistic charm.