Rathindranath Tagore

Rathindranath Thakur (anglicised as Rathindranath Tagore, 27 November 1888 – 3 June 1961) was an Indian educationist, agronomist, painter, leathercraftsman, and a woodworker. He served as the first vice-chancellor of Visva-Bharati University, which was founded by his father, Rabindranath Tagore.

Early life and education

Rathindranath Tagore was born on 27 November 1888 to Rabindranath Tagore and Mrinalini Devi at Jorasanko Thakur Bari in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India.

He was one of the first five students at the Brahmacharya asrama at Shantiniketan. After completing their schooling, he and a classmate, Santosh Chandra Majumdar, were sent to Japan in 1906. From there, they moved to the United States and graduated in agricultural science from the University of Illinois in 1909.

After his return from Illinois, Tagore spent about four decades at Santiniketan, serving Visva Bharati in various capacities. Having been trained in the agricultural sciences, he played the most significant role in greening the entire brahmacharya ashram. The planting of several historic trees inside the ashram was supervised by Tagore. At different times Tagore was a teacher and an administrator, serving as Karma Saciva, Santiniketan Saciva and the in-charge of Sriniketan. He made an enormous contribution to developing the Rabindranath Tagore memorial and archives. Once Visva Bharati was formally established, Tagore initially served as a faculty-member and subsequently as its chairman. In later years, especially after the death of his father, Rabindranath Tagore, in 1941, Tagore found this job to be unfulfilling. In a letter to the wife of Arthur S. Abramson Tagore called his responsibilities a moral burden that were thrust upon him. Eventually, the allegations brought against Tagore could not be proven in the court of law.

Tagore continued his friendship with Mira and Nirmalchandra despite criticism from his family and some residents of Shantiniketan. In an undated letter to Mira, Tagore expressed the wish to spend his remaining days in peace with her and said that "Miru" was the only one who mattered to him. Though he kept indifferent health, they stayed together in Dehradun for eight years until Tagore's death.

1948, Paintings and Woodwork by Rathindranath Tagore, All India Fine Arts & Crafts Society, New Delhi

1952, An Exhibition of Paintings and Woodwork, Government College of Art

Legacy In 2013, Visva-Bharati University set up a museum in the memory of Rathindranath Tagore. Guha-Ghar, which was built by Tagore and served as his residence at Shantiniketan, houses the museum and displays many of his art works.

Works Pranotattwo Pitrismriti (a Bengali biography of Rabindranath Tagore)