A special feature of the shellac records in the the Humboldt University Sound Archives is the Tagore’s signature engraved in the wax plate of the recording. Wilhelm Doegen always added his signature too. These closing words of a speech that Tagore gave in English were recorded in the university’s main lecture theater on June 1, 1921 (and again the following evening in view of the interest shown in it). Read more
One of the most striking illustrations of the theme of Tagore and Freedom is his linguistic innovation. Tagore was a pioneer in spurning rigid classical forms in Bengali arts, and nowhere is this more evident than in his creative exploration of the Bengali language. He is credited with inventing, at a very early age, the Bengali-language short story genre, and he promoted the use of colloquial language throughout his literature, in poems, plays and songs. Read more
Rabindranath Tagore founded several schools and a university at Santiniketan, West-Bengal, and was one of the most progressive educators of his time. He envisioned a holistic education that was deeply rooted in one’s culture and surroundings but also connected to the wider world. Tagore was a pioneer in education for intercultural understanding and peace, for respect and intimacy with nature, for rural reconstruction and social engagement and for artistic abilities and creativity. Read more
Tagore’s Ghare Baire is set in the backdrop of the tumultuous period of history of Bengal. Partition of Bengal in 1905 and the anti-partition upheaval in the following decade shaped Tagore’s thoughts. Ghare Baire is a social document of the time, the Zamindari system, British misrule, religious riots and the Swadeshi movement. Read more
If there is one book that changed the whole literary scene of a country or even a continent, it is most likely to be ‘Gitanjali: Song Offerings’ by Rabindranath Tagore. The book contains a small collection of poems and is written in an Indian context but is at the same time universal; it is philosophical but at the same time musical. Read more