5 nation building contributions of Rabindranath Tagore

RABINDRANATH Tagore is an integral part of the nation’s history and no lesson on the independence movement would be complete without exploring the remarkable contributions made by Rabindranath Tagore to building India. The freedom struggle began in India in the 1850s and when Rabindranath Tagore was a child, he saw and experienced the beginnings of the struggle for self rule happening around him. Even though he had a privileged childhood with access to world class education, when the first stirrings of independence began to be felt across British India, Rabindranath Tagore stepped forward to make his contributions toward building the new nation. But first, independence had to be won. 

 

Rabindranath Tagore was educated in Great Britain and focused on the works of Shakespeare and other authors while exploring his own literary prowess, upon his return to the Indian Subcontinent. This exploration culminated in the publication of Gitanjali which made him the first Asian to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Now in Santiniketan, he was beginning to get involved in the freedom movement and supported the freedom fighters even going so far as to reject a knighthood conferred on him in 1915 in response to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre which happened four years later. Throughout the freedom struggle, Rabindranath Tagore made significant contributions to the nation that would come to be known as India in 1947.

 

Here are 5 nation-building contributions of Rabindranath Tagore:

 

Conferred the title of Mahatma on Gandhi 

Rabindranath Tagore was a great admirer of Gandhi, who is seen around the world as the leader of the Indian Independence movement. In a letter written by Tagore to Gandhi around 1915, the former refers to the latter as Mahatma which means great soul in Sanskrit. This title was said to be conferred in reference to the admirable spiritual qualities of the leader which was evident during the Quit India movement as he prioritized helping and empowering disadvantaged communities such as agricultural workers and those who have long been oppressed. The title Mahatma is spoken around the world and came from the insight of Rabindranath Tagore. 

Inspired 3 national anthems in South Asia 

In the knowledge that it was Rabindranath Tagore who penned Jana Gana Mana, the national anthem of India, people are aware that the national anthem is considered a beautiful piece of writing due to its emphasis on inclusion and its descriptive language. Chosen in 1950 to be the national anthem of a new nation, this renowned poet and author did more than contribute to shaping India’s identity. The national anthem of Bangladesh Amar Shonar Bangla was taken from Rabindranath Tagore’s writing from the early 1900s and also contributed to the music of the national anthem of Sri Lanka titled Sri Lanka Matha. 

 

First Indian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature

Rabindranath Tagore was the first person from the Indian subcontinent to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913 for his collection of poems titled Gitanjali which was published in 1910. This prestigious award elevated not just Rabindranath Tagore as a writer but also the entire subcontinent region and did its part to play a role in boosting morale throughout South Asia. This had even more significance due to the fact that Rabindranath Tagore also penned works of resistance against British rule and sought to put forth his ideas on national self-determination and the importance of self-rule through his literary works. 

First Indian to receive (and reject) a knighthood by the British Crown

It was around this time in 1915 that the British Crown also gave the first person from the Indian subcontinent a coveted knighthood for his contributions to the world of literature. But four years later, the Jallianwala Bagh massacre occurred in Amritsar which led to the deaths of anywhere between a few hundred to 1,500 people. In protest of this loss of innocent civilian life, Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood stating his shame in receiving an honor from those who would humiliate and degrade his fellow countrymen. This renunciation was an act of defiance that served to strengthen the resolve of people across the subcontinent.

 

United diverse people-groups across India

Through his writings, Rabindranath Tagore expressed the positive nature of India’s unique diversity and how this is one of the nation’s greatest strengths. This is evident in the national anthem which includes the various ethnicities that make India what it is. In this spirit of unity in diversity, Rabindranath Tagore advocated making India a shining example to the world of how people from diverse backgrounds can not only live amongst one another in peace and harmony but also forge a common identity under the banner of the Indian nation. He also believed in how this nation could serve as an example to the rest of the world.

 

Happy Rabindra Jayanti

Rabindra Jayanti is celebrated across India on May 7th and on May 9th in other parts of the world to honor the incredible nation-building contributions of Rabindranath Tagore. In honor of the day of his birth, Rabindra Jayanti is celebrated in schools and communities across India by students and those who are admirers of his writings. In schools, children write poems, paint pictures and learn lessons that were put forth by Tagore during his lifetime while bibliophiles get together in homes or parks to read Tagore’s works and discuss the ideas that challenged the norms of the time and created great change. Happy Rabindra Jayanti!

 

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