Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore: A Tribute on His Birth Anniversary-Puri
Jaswant Singh Puri/ royalpatiala.in News/ May 7,2025
Rabindranath Tagore, born on May 7, 1861, was a towering figure in Indian and world literature. A poet, philosopher, musician, and reformer, Tagore became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for his poetic masterpiece Gitanjali. His ideas, deeply rooted in Indian tradition yet universal in appeal, emphasized humanism, harmony, and spiritual freedom.
Tagore’s contributions went beyond literature. He founded Visva-Bharati University at Santiniketan, promoting holistic and inclusive education. A visionary, he was in close intellectual dialogue with leaders of India’s freedom movement. He shared a unique bond with Mahatma Gandhi, whom he called the “Mahatma.” Tagore also interacted with Jawaharlal Nehru and Subhas Chandra Bose, encouraging freedom through knowledge and culture rather than violence alone.
His legacy was immortalized further by Satyajit Ray’s 1961 documentary Rabindranath Tagore, produced on the poet’s birth centenary. Through his timeless compositions and institutions, Tagore remains a symbol of India’s cultural and intellectual renaissance.
On his birth anniversary, we celebrate the noble laureate whose words still echo in our hearts and whose vision of education and peace continues to inspire.
Note: The views expressed by the writer are personal.
