Bangalees observe 74th death anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore today

Rabindranath Tagore is not just a name in Bangla literature, he is the joy in our celebrations, hope in our plight and inspiration in our struggle for a better world.

The greatest of all Bangalee writers dealt with the subject of death in many of his poems, songs, plays and prose pieces, and pondered whether death was the ultimate truth of life.

He journeyed to the beyond on this day, 22nd Srabon in 1348 of the Bangla calendar or August 7, 1941.

But we all know how death has failed to separate him from us. Even 74 years after his death, he remains as ubiquitous in our lives as he was while alive. The vast body of his unsurpassable creations touches us in so many ways that we feel his ubiquity every so often. 

Born on 25th of Baishakh, 1261 (Bangla year) or May 7, 1861, the nobel laureate left his mark on all the genres of Bangla literature: songs, poetry, novels, essays, short stories and dramas.

During his lifetime, he wrote 52 poetry collections, 38 dramas, 13 novels, 36 essays and 95 short stories.

National anthems of three countries -- Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka -- are credited to his name. He composed more than 1,900 songs comprising Rabindra Sangeet, one of the most popular genres of music in the Indian Subcontinent.

His work inspired Bangalees of East Pakistan to break free from the oppression of West Pakistan that tried to wipe out his name from the hearts of Bangalees during its 22-year rule. 

The cultural movement that started in the early 60s through the celebrations of Tagore's birth anniversary defying an unofficial ban on Rabindra Sangeet hardened our resolve for liberation.

Tagore's brilliance touched every fields of art while his philosophies regarding science, society, economics and politics put him in lively debate in great minds like Mahatma Gandhi and Einstein.

His creation Visva Bharati in Shantiniketan, India is the epitome of education, which has been striving to open the minds of students through interaction with nature and philosophies of life.

Tagore spent a considerable time in the eastern part of Bengal, present-day Bangladesh, where he not only wrote many of his masterpieces, including Chhinnapatra, but left his mark in the hearts of ordinary people who lived under his father's land tenancy, by introducing modern agriculture methods as well as opening a bank.

On every 22nd Srabon, Bangalees remember Tagore not with the sadness of loss but with pride that the rare genius left indelible cultural richness on us for ages to come.