Rabindranath Tagore Birthday: Rabindranath Tagore, India’s reverred polymath who holds the unique distinction of being the creator of the national anthems of two countries, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. He not only became the first Indian, but also the first non-European and the first Asian to have been chosen for the coveted Nobel. The award went to the Bengali poet for the English translation of Gitanjali, a collection of his 157 poems.
According to the Nobel website, the Nobel Prize in Literature 1913 was given to Tagore "because of his profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse, by which, with consummate skill, he has made his poetic thought, expressed in his own English words, a part of the literature of the West".
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'Peace Of The Soul In Harmony With Nature'
About Rabindranath Tagore's work, the Nobel website says his writing is "deeply rooted in both Indian and Western learning traditions". "Apart from fiction in the form of poetry, songs, stories, and dramas, it also includes portrayals of common people's lives, literary criticism, philosophy, and social issues."
It acknowledges that though Tagore was originally a Bengali poet, he reached the audience in the West after translating his work into English. "In contrast to the frenzied life in the West, his poetry was felt to convey the peace of the soul in harmony with nature," the Nobel website page reads.
Tagore was perceived as a thinker and philosopher too who extensively travelled the world, gave lectures, held conversations, acting as a spokesperson for the independence of India from British rule.
His famous meetings with personalities such as Albert Einstein and HG wells, and the conversations they held, are still talked about.