Rabindranath Tagore was a leading figure in the Bengali Renaissance. His poetry, novels, short stories, and essays continue to inspire authors and artists around the world to this day. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913, for his acclaimed collection of poems, Gitanjali. He was a visionary educationist who transformed classroom education. Tagore set up a university on his own called the Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan, West Bengal. The Bard of Bengal used the cash prize he received from the Nobel Prize to establish the university. It was Tagore who conferred the ‘Mahatma’ title on Gandhiji, as the two were close associates despite their disagreements on several issues.Guru Rabindranath’s birthday is celebrated ceremoniously by Bengalis across the world by holding a number of cultural programs in his memory. Plays, dance dramas, poetries and songs, all written and composed by the legend himself, are performed in various institutes and theatres on this day. In Kolkata, the festival is celebrated as Poncheeshe Boishakh and all the cultural activities are held at Jorasanko Thakurbari (Tagore’s ancestral home) and Rabindra Sadan (cultural centre). Shantiniketan in Birbhum, West Bengal also hosts grand celebrations to celebrate the birthday of its founder.
