Nobel Laureate Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore

The year 2001 was the 150^th birth anniversary of our first Nobel laureate Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore.

Rabindranath Tagore was born on 7^th May 1861. He though has given a number of classic contribution to the Bangla and English literature but his best-known novel Gitanjali is always remembered because of its highly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verses. In the year 1913, he was awarded the Nobel prize, then he was the first Non-European Nobel laureate. His poetry was viewed as spiritual and mercurial and was highly garnered and appraised in the western countries. But many of his elegant prose and poems remain unknown to the rest of world, outside Bengal. His Novels, stories, dance and dramas spoke of politics and society of that time.

Some of his best-known works known to the world are Gitanjali, Gora and Ghare Baire. Rabindranath Tagore’s grandfather Dwarakanath Tagore was among the founders of Aadi Dharm. His son Debendranath Tagore and the father of Rabindranath Tagore formulated the Brahmoist philosophy espoused by his friend Ram Mohan Roy.

In the year 1901, Rabindranath Tagore moved to Shantiniketan to build the Ashram and a prayer hall. This place includes a temple, Grooves of trees, flower gardens and books.

Timeline of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore

• 7th May 2020 - on the 159th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, Israel paid him a heartwarming tribute by naming a street after him in Tel Aviv. The information was shared by the official Twitter handle of Israel in India.

His famous Gitanjali

আমার এ গান ছেড়েছে তার

সকল অলংকার
তোমার কাছে রাখে নি আর
সাজের অহংকার।
অলংকার যে মাঝে প'ড়ে
মিলনেতে আড়াল করে,
তোমার কথা ঢাকে যে তার
মুখর ঝংকার।

তোমার কাছে খাটে না মোর
কবির গরব করা-
মহাকবি, তোমার পায়ে
দিতে চাই যে ধরা।
জীবন লয়ে যতন করি
যদি সরল বাঁশি গড়ি,
আপন সুরে দিবে ভরি
সকল ছিদ্র তার। 

Amar e gan chheŗechhe tar shôkol ôlongkar
Tomar kachhe rakhe ni ar shajer ôhongkar
Ôlongkar je majhe pôŗe milônete aŗal kôre,
Tomar kôtha đhake je tar mukhôro jhôngkar.
Tomar kachhe khaţe na mor kobir gôrbo kôra,
Môhakobi, tomar paee dite chai je dhôra.
Jibon loe jôton kori jodi shôrol bãshi goŗi,
Apon shure dibe bhori sôkol chhidro tar.

Tagore's free-verse translation: "My song has put off her adornments. She has no pride of dress and decoration. Ornaments would mar our union; they would come between thee and me; their jingling would drown thy whispers. My poet's vanity dies in shame before thy sight. O master poet, I have sat down at thy feet. Only let me make my life simple and straight, like a flute of reed for thee to fill with music."

"Klanti" (ক্লান্তি; "Weariness")

ক্লান্তি আমার ক্ষমা করো প্রভু,
পথে যদি পিছিয়ে পড়ি কভু॥
এই-যে হিয়া থরোথরো কাঁপে আজি এমনতরো
এই বেদনা ক্ষমা করো, ক্ষমা করো, ক্ষমা করো প্রভু॥
এই দীনতা ক্ষমা করো প্রভু,
পিছন-পানে তাকাই যদি কভু।
দিনের তাপে রৌদ্রজ্বালায় শুকায় মালা পূজার থালায়,
সেই ম্লানতা ক্ষমা করো, ক্ষমা করো, ক্ষমা করো প্রভু॥

Klanti amar khôma kôro probhu, Pôthe jodi pichhie poŗi kobhu. Ei je hia thôro thôro kãpe aji êmontôro, Ei bedona khôma kôro khôma kôro probhu. Ei dinota khôma kôro probhu, Pichhon-pane takai jodi kobhu. Diner tape roudrojalae shukae mala pujar thalae, Shei mlanota khôma kôro khôma kôro, probhu.

^{Gloss by Tagore scholar Reba Som:}

"Forgive me my weariness O Lord Should I ever lag behind For this heart that this day trembles so And for this pain, forgive me, forgive me, O Lord For this weakness, forgive me O Lord, If perchance I cast a look behind And in the day's heat and under the burning sun The garland on the platter of offering wilts, For its dull pallor, forgive me, forgive me O Lord."