Rabindranath Tagore remembered in Old Havana

In order to pay tribute to the 147th anniversary of the birth of the National Poet of India, Rabindranath Tagore, his book of poems Ofrenda Lirica (Lyrical Offertory), published by the Editorial Arte y Literature from the Cuban Book Institute was launched in the Casa de Asia (House of Asia) located in Old Havana, Mankind Heritage, in coordination with the Embassy of India in Cuba, last Thursday May 8th. Rabindranath Tagore was born in an illustrious family of Princes in Calcutta, in May 7th, 1861. Being the youngest of 14 brothers, Tagore lived surrounded by an environment of literary magazines publishing, and music and theatre performances. In fact the Tagore family from Jorasanko was the core of a huge social group quite fond of art. One of his brothers was a respected poet and philosopher. Another was member of an ethnic group admitted in the elite corps known as India Social Service, formerly joined only by white people. Besides, another of his brothers was a gifted musician and composer, and one of his sisters. Swarna Kumari Devi became famous as novelist. At the age of 16, the young Rabindranath Tagore went to England to study Laws, but very soon he returned to his country to remain as a writer. Tagore's literary career was indeed fruitful along his 80 years of life. His inspiration was devoted to poetry, drama, novel and philosophy. In all his writing he develops a mystical, lyrical, and religious feeling, proving that the sense of beauty of universe is an invisible whole; as well as his love for childhood, for simplicity and for nature, going back to the inner spirit of the divine in itself. Through his person and works Tagore transmits the wish of dreaming with the mystery of universe. He is one of the best representatives of his own literary culture, coming from the greatest times of Sanskrit and Classics. Among his numerous works it should be mentioned the poems: Full Moon, Gitanjali, The Gardener, the Harvest and the Fruit; the dramas: Sanjasi, The King of the Dark Chamber, the Post Office, and his novels: Today and the World, Gora, and some philosophical texts, being among them: Sadharma, Nationalism, and Personality. All the Hinduistic poems are characterized by expressing a tender and sweet feeling, as well as by admiring the natural beauties linked to the deeply rooted religious feeling, even the previous hymns and poetries share that already described melancholic environment. Tagore reached the supreme magnificence of a modern poet in his works. In 1913 he was honored with the Literary Nobel Prize by "Gitanjali", his transcendental group of 103 poetries, also translated into English by him. Some years later the Spanish Poet Juan Ramon Jimenez and his wife, translated this work into Spanish. Tagore also wrote several songs supporting the Indian movement of independence. In 1915 the title of Knight of the British Empire was conferred to him by the Crown, but he refused it as a protest against the massacre of Jaliyaanwala Bagh (Amritsar). His deepest feeling was that his nation could only be awakened by educating everybody. These points of view were landmarks in his School of Santiniketan. Along his life, Tagore kept in different contacts with numerous intellectuals of his time, being among them: Henri Bergson, Albert Einstein, Robert Frost, Mahatma Gandhi, Thomas Mann, George Bernard Shaw, H. G. Wells, Romain Rolland and Albert Einstein. At the age of sixty he started to paint and opened several successful exhibitions in different parts of Europe. Finally, in August 7th, 1941 the National Poet of India, died in Jorasanko, his hometown. This date is remembered in public acts not only by the Bengali speaking language people, but by India.

Cubarte News News posted on 6/16/2008 4:31:25 PM

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