Rabindranath Tagore: The ultimate guru

As India celebrates Tagore’s 164th anniversary, his contributions beyond poetry often go unnoticed

In the autumn of 1924, Raktakarabi (Red Oleander) was published in the then famous Bengali magazine Prabasi. A tale of desperation of the underground gold miners in a dark city ruled by a greedy King, Tagore’s novel sent ripples of reaction across the world of literature, not only in homeland but also across Europe and the Orient. Three years later, Metropolis by Fritz Lang released to the world audience and reflected the same imageries of a fictional dystopian city with aggressive industrialisation. Though Tagore did not have had any audience with Lang, it is quite evident that they had some similarities in their views on the onslaught of the advances of mindless mechanised industrialisation. It was this want of freedom — the need of breaking the chains of slavery — the need of integrating demands of the time with the soul of a country — that defines Rabindranath Tagore. However, that does not mean that Tagore was not open to industrialisation. On the contrary, he was much more open to the use and integration of technology and modern science in Indian education, agriculture as well as art and culture. In fact, his consideration for welcoming machines into the arena of development was much more pronounced than many other political thinkers and philosophers of his time. Russiar Chithi (Letters from Russia, 1931) in fact, expresses his admiration for the use of industries and technology for mass education and agriculture that he witnessed during his travels in Russia. He had just one condition: machines should not create discord — they should not destroy unity - rather they are to be integrated into the social consciousness of the country. He had been constantly promoting the same in Santiniketan and Sriniketan, where he was integrating global knowledge with his profound understanding of the traditional Indian Ashram Shiksha.

In his series of essays (mostly speeches at various occasions and gatherings) on education, he had time and again presented his ideas of a new Indian method of teaching and learning. Sikshar Herfer (Vagaries of Education, 1892) is one such critical observation by Tagore where he openly criticises the imposition of a foreign language — based education system upon the Indian culture. While he was all praise about British literature and poetry, he was one of the strongest critics of the colonial education system as promoted in India. That, according to him, was nothing but a process of creating a line of servants who would toil for the sustenance of the colonial rule in India. It, according to him, had no contribution towards the creation of thoughtful individuals who would contribute to social development. It is interesting to note that the current National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, being implemented in India bears a strong reflection of the Tagorean views of a holistic education. On one hand it emphasises interdisciplinary learnings, trying to integrate science with arts and commerce — on the other hand it is also trying to improve skills among the students’ community.

Early Life and Education

Rabindranath Tagore was born on 7 May 1861 in Calcutta (now Kolkata), India, into the distinguished Tagore family, known for its contributions to literature, art and social reform. His father, Debendranath Tagore, was a prominent philosopher and religious reformer associated with the Brahmo Samaj movement.

Tagore’s early education was unconventional; he was tutored at home in a variety of subjects, including literature, mathematics, and music. At the age of 11, he accompanied his father on a tour of India, which exposed him to various cultures and philosophies, influencing his worldview.

Educational Reforms & Visva-Bharati University

Tagore was a visionary educationist who founded an experimental school in 1901 at Shantiniketan, which later became Visva-Bharati University in 1921.

He aimed to blend the best of Eastern and Western educational philosophies, promoting holistic learning in a natural environment.

Classes were held outdoors, encouraging creativity and critical thinking. The university attracted students and scholars from around the world and became a centre for cultural exchange and intellectual discourse.

Artistic Endeavours and Contributions to National Anthems

In his later years, Tagore turned to visual arts, creating thousands of paintings characterised by bold forms and lively colours. His artworks reflected his philosophical beliefs on harmony between humanity and nature. Tagore’s philosophy centred on universal humanism, advocating for spiritual freedom.

Tagore’s influence extended to national symbols; he composed the national anthems of two countries. “Jana Gana Mana,” written in 1911, was adopted as India’s national anthem. “Amar Shonar Bangla,” penned in 1905 during the partition of Bengal, became the national anthem of Bangladesh in 1971.

Legacy for the world

Rabindranath Tagore passed away on 7 August 1941 in Calcutta, after a prolonged illness. His legacy endures through his extensive body of work, which continues to inspire generations.

Visva-Bharati University remains a testament to his educational vision. Tagore’s contributions to literature, music, art, and education have left an indelible mark on Indian and global culture, embodying the spirit of a true polymath.

Nayi Talim, by Mahatma Gandhi, published in 1937 in Harijan, bore a striking similarity to Rabindranath’s ideas of Education that he had emphasised in Asramer Siksha (Education of the Ashram) in 1936. However, while Gandhiji focused more on practical, community — based education for self-reliance and national upliftment, Tagore, on the other hand, promoted a more liberal, cosmopolitan education that fostered creativity, intellectual freedom, and a global perspective. Children are not introduced to books right away, but to nature, soil, birds and to the joy of exchange. As one walks down the paths of the university campus in an early morning, s/he will witness a joyous scene where children, clad in yellow kurtas and white pyjamas, are flocking around a teacher under a tree shade. Well, they are classes that are going on!

But this oneness with nature — this globality in thought and application — is probably the simplest identity of an otherwise diverse character. With his experiments with education as well as rural reconstruction in the hot, arid terrain of rural Bengal, he was trying to create a soul of the country by integrating science and philosophy of the West and the East. It saw the arrival and prolonged stay of international personalities, successive establishments of various departments on oriental studies and a direct contribution towards rural reconstruction in India.

However, his outgoing approach to embrace the world community had once fallen in an embarrassing mud hole as well. This was when Benito Mussolini had tried to use Tagore’s persona to improve his image before the world community. After meeting Mussolini in Rome in 1926, Tagore — not much aware about the deeds of the great dictator — was so impressed by his charms and warm hospitality that he publicly expressed his appreciation for the fascist dictator. Though later, after meeting Romain Rolland and Giacinta Salvadori (wife of the exiled professor Guglielmo Salvadori), his opinions shifted. He wrote two letters to Charles Andrews (published in Manchester Guardian) where he openly expressed his embarrassments and criticised the exercise of brute force to conquer the voice of dissent. He toured more than thirty countries. Met people that ranges from Albert Einstein to Victoria Ocampo. Back home, he denounced nationalism as propagated by the European culture, as he firmly believed it was not inclusive and would only promote violence and social divisions. He even distanced himself from the Swadeshi movement. For him, the Charkhawas absolutely not the route to freedom — and the forceful burning of foreign goods was nothing but inflicting violence on the poor. Tagore is a personality that cannot be described with a few sketches. While the global community tries to identify him as the ultimate Indian guru of art and poetry, it is nothing but toning down an otherwise vast and complex machinery of multiple discourses into a small and safer compartment. He was otherwise, a radical. He was the biggest critic of himself too. In his last public address Sabhyatar Sankat (Crisis of Civilisation, 1941), a few months before his death, he held no bar in stating how he had grown up in a time, an environment and under a leadership that was going soft about the colonial rule in India. He then goes on to express in unequivocal terms the extent of damage that the colonists have caused to India (and also to other colonies). He forecasts, ‘The wheels of fate will someday compel the British to give up their Indian empire. But what kind of India will they leave behind? What stark misery? When the streams of their centuries’ administration runs dry at last, what a waste of mud and filth will they leave behind them?’

Not just an educator or social scientist, but a political commentator disguised in the form of an author — a radical dressed up in the feathers of a diplomat — Tagore was a light at the end of a long bleak tunnel, that India could not utilise.

The Sacred Core of Tagore’s Literary Words

Literary Contributions

Tagore was a prolific writer who reshaped Bengali literature and music. He introduced new prose and verse forms and used colloquial language, moving away from classical Sanskrit models. His notable works include “Gitanjali,” “Gora,” “Ghare-Baire,” and “Manasi.” He is credited with introducing the short story genre to Bengali literature, with his first short story, “Bhikharini,” written in 1877. His songs, known as Rabindra Sangeet, combine classical Indian music with folk traditions and remain popular in Bengali culture.

Soulful connection

Gitanjali is Rabindranath Tagore’s most celebrated collection of poetry and the work that earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. This made Tagore not only the first non-European, but also the first Asian and the only Indian to receive this prestigious honour. The English translation, titled Song Offerings, introduced Western readers to the spiritual and lyrical richness of Tagore’s writing. Its motto, “I am here to sing thee songs”— sets the tone for its introspective.

— The author is an Assistant Professor, Department of Journalism at St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Kolkata