Rabindranath Tagore Jayanti 2020: Inspirational quotes, fanous works, lesser-known facts about Gurudev

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Today marks the 159th birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, who was a prolific writer with works ranging from poetry and songs to short stories and plays. A multifaceted personality, Tagore began writing poetry when he was only eight years old and he was only 16 when he released his first collection of poems under the pseudonym 'Bhanusimha'. The author, poet, painter, and dramatist has contributed immensely to the Bengali canon and his work, expansive as they are, remain relevant even today. He was one of the stalwarts who travelled around the world to highlight the richness of the country, and pitched that the diversity in the nation was its strength and not weakness. He was the first non-European to be acknowledged and rewarded with the Nobel award (for literature) in 1913. The Nobel Laureate passed away on August 7, 1941 and left behind a gaping void. On the occasion of Rabindranath Tagore Jayanti 2020, let's remember Gurudev through some of his inspirational quotes, important works and lesser-known facts.

10 inspirational quotes by Rabindranath Tagore 

People can die but their words will resound forever! We list out 10 great quotes from the legend Rabindranath Tagore, which if you follow will sort your life.

The highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence.

Love does not claim possession but gives freedom.

Reach high, for stars lie hidden in you. Dream deep, for every dream, precedes the goal.

It is very simple to be happy, but it is very difficult to be simple.

One has to step in the water to test the rough waves. Stand tall and try to cope up with your problems. This is the only solution to deal with your fears as well as obstacles in your success path!

Let your life lightly dance on the edges of Time like dew on the tip of a leaf.

Everything comes to us that belongs to us if we create the capacity to receive it.

Death is not extinguishing the light; it is putting out the lamp because the dawn has come.

Do not say, ‘It is morning,’ and dismiss it with a name of yesterday. See it for the first time as a newborn child that has no name.

Rabindranath Tagore Jayanti: Famous works of Gurudev

Chokher Bali : A Bengali novel written by Tagore, 'Chokher Bali' or 'A grain of sand' is a story which revolves around an extra-marital affair. It is a story about passion, desires, relationships, unfulfilled dreams as well as honesty. The complexity of relationships and of human character are very well portrayed in this novel.

Gora: Set in the 1880s, Gora is expansive, exhaustive and extremely relevant. The novel dabbles with several themes like religion, gender, feminism, and also posits tradition against modernity.

Ghare Baire: Published in 1916, Tagore’s Ghare Baire works on various levels. It is a story about a married woman constricted in her household trying to find her own identity.

Lesser-known facts about Rabindranath Tagore

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, who is popularly remembered as Mahatma Gandhi has a direct connection with Tagore. Tagore a strong admirer of Gandhi for his ideas on nationalism conferred the title of ‘Mahatma’ on Gandhi to honour him.

He wrote 'Jana Gana Mana', the national anthem for India, 'Amar SonarBangla', the national anthem for Bangladesh and 'Nama Nama Sri Lanka Mata', in Bengali, for Sri Lanka.

Rabindranath Tagore and his interaction with Albert Einstein was widely published after the two had met at latter’s home in Caputh in Germany in 1930. The two Nobel-laureates were mutual admirers.