Rabindranath Tagore birth anniversary: Facts about the Nobel laureate

Rabindranath Tagore birth anniversary: He is famous by many names - Gurudev, Kabiguru, Biswakabi and is often referred to as "the Bard of Bengal".

Political leaders paid tributes to Bengali polymath and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore on his 162nd birth anniversary. Remembering the Tagore, Union minister for road, transport and highways Nitin Gadkari tweeted, “Remembering Nobel laureate and true soul of our National Anthem Jana-Gana-Mana Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore ji on his birth anniversary."

Rabindranath jayanti: Rabindranath Tagore birth anniversary: Rabindranath Tagore painting at his desk.(Wikimedia Commons)

The Congress also paid tributes to Tagore. “On his birth anniversary, we remember Nobel Laureate and the man who composed India's National Anthem, Rabindranath Tagore. The Bard of Bengal' contributed immensely to Bengali literature and became the first Indian to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. Today, we cherish his legacy,” the party tweeted.

Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde wrote: “Greetings to Asia's first Nobel laureate, world-renowned Indian poet, writer, philosopher and educationist and composer of the Indian national anthem, Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore on his birth anniversary”.

The official Twitter page of the Nobel Prize is “celebrating the anniversary of the birth of a true great Rabindranath Tagore”.

"We're celebrating the anniversary of the birth of a true great: Rabindranath Tagore, who was born #OnThisDay in 1861 in Calcutta, India. The first non-European literature laureate, he was awarded the #NobelPrize “because of his profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse...”

Facts about Rabindranath Tagore:

1. Rabindranath Tagore was born, according to the Gregorian calendar, on May 7 in 1861, but according to the Bengali calendar, it was the 25th of Baishakh.
2. A poet, musician and artist, reshaped Bengali literature and music, introduced India’s rich cultural heritage to the West and was the first non-European to receive the Nobel Prize. He also composed ‘Jana Gana Mana’, India’s national anthem.
3. He is famous by many names - Gurudev, Kabiguru, Biswakabi and is often referred to as "the Bard of Bengal".
4. The most widely held view is that Sri Lankan composer Ananda Samarakoon wrote the music and lyrics of the Sri Lankan national anthem inspired by Tagore.
5. It was Tagore who gave Gandhi the title of Mahatma. He also regularly corresponded with the eminent scientist Albert Einstein and the duo held each other in great esteem.
6. The Bengali polymath gave the world “Gitanjali”, a collection of sensitive Bengali poems, which won him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913.
7. Some of Rabindranath Tagore's best-known works, apart from Gitanjali, include Gora (Fair-Faced) and Ghare-Baire (The Home and the World), Chokher Bali, Kabuliwallah, The Postmaster and Shesher Kabita, among others.
8. Tagore was married to Mrinalini Devi in 1883 and the couple had five children. His wife passed away in 1902 and he breathed his last on August 7, 1941, aged 80.