Snippets of Information
Personalities - Rabindranath Tagore
(poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, dance revivalist and painter)
* 18 Nov 2025
Rabindranath Tagore is known for his literary works but he was also a
genius in dance and music. Tagore was a dance revivalist. When dance was
in a degenerated condition due to social immoralities, Tagore by his
creativity and intelligentsia shaped his own dance form 'Rabindra Nritya'
where he inspired women of respectable families to perform on stage. He
realised the importance of dance in education and society. He
established Vishwa Bharati in 1921. He showed the path of establishing
institution for art and culture. "Our body carries the weight of major
and minor limbs and is directed by their momentum. Momentum gives the
mass beautiful postures and movements When these mass and velocity fuse
together, a beautiful artform appears. This creation is not for
livelihood but for the happiness of creation. This is called dance."
Such observations show his respect for dance forms.
Tagore had interest in and was influenced by various kinds of Indian
classical and folk dance forms. At the same time, he was also influenced
by many foreign dance forms like Kandyan, Lancer Gallop and Hungarian
style. He applied all these forms in his 'Rabindra Nritya'. He was also
open to changing ideas and concepts. He wrote many dance dramas where
dance and music were nicely used. In 1938, Mrinalini Sarabhai visited
Shantiniketan and performed Bajrasen (a character in Tagore's dance
drama 'Shyama') in Bharatanatyam style. Later Kelu Nair came and
performed it in Kathakali style. In 1934, at the request of Rabindranath
Tagore, king of Cochin sent O. Kalyani Amma to Shantiniketan. She
taught Kaikottikali and Kalamuli in the style of folk dances of Kerala
Source: Dance, Tagore and Gaudiya Nritya by Debolina Ghosh, narthaki.com, 18 Nov 2025
* 18 Nov 2025
Tagore applied Mohiniattam in his song "Ogo Bodhu Sundori" choreographed
by Shantideb Ghosh. In 1923, he observed a folk dance of rural
Sourashtra (now Gujarat). There he saw a family singing with cymbals and
dhols and the girls dancing with that. He applied that to his song,
"Dui haate kaler mondira je sodai baje...". The song is in praise of
Nataraja, the time keeper. Raibeshe and Jari are folk dance styles of
Bengal among many others. He used these forms in his song "Ebela dak
porechhe".
When Rabindranath Tagore was 17 years old, he went to England. He was
influenced by the Lancer Gallop dance. He applied it in his song "Aye
tobe sahachari". Hungarian style was used in the choreography of the
song "Sharat tomar arun alor Anjali..." Kandyan style of Ceylon was
applied for the choreography of Prahari's character in Shyama. Even Judo
was used in his song "Sankochero bihwalata nijere apoman". Bengal's
famous folk style Baul was used in his song "Fagun howay howay..." This
is just a glimpse of Rabindranath Tagore's contribution to dance as an
art revivalist.
Source: Dance, Tagore and Gaudiya Nritya by Debolina Ghosh, narthaki.com, 18 Nov 2025
* 17 Sep 2023
The song "Meenakshi me mudam dehi" penned by Dikshitar in ragam Kalyani
and adi talam was sung to Rabindranath Tagore by Savitri, a Carnatic
music student. The poet had composed his lyrics "Basanti hey bhubono Mohini" based on the Dikshitar's bhajan.
Source: The 29th OMC Guru Kelucharan Mohapatra Award Festival by Tapati Chowdhurie, narthaki.com, 18 Sep 2023
* 6 Jun 2023
Pochishe Boishakh on May 9 - the day to celebrate Rabindranath Tagore, the day to sing his timeless "He Nutan".
On Pochishe Boishakh every year, Tagore’s followers and admirers world over mark the day singing the song that celebrates life.
Source: thestatesman.com
The song that he had composed for his own birthday forty-two years back
when he was thirty-eight years old, was - 'Bhoy Hote Tabo Abhoy-maajhe
Nutano Janomo Daao Hey ...'. For the same purpose he had created his
last song, three months prior to his death. He had written a poem
'Pnochishe Boishakh' for the collection 'Purabi' at the age of sixty-two
on 8th May, 1922. The last stanza of this long poem was altered to
recreate this song.
Source: geetabitan.com
* 22 Jan 2022
Rabindranath Tagore is the only known person who has written the
national anthems for three countries. He wrote 'Jana Gana Mana', the
national anthem for India, 'Amar Sonar Bangla', the national anthem for
Bangladesh and 'Nama Nama Sri Lanka Mata', in Bengali, for Sri Lanka.
Source: indiatoday.in
* 20 Jan 2022
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'.
Source: indiatoday.in
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