RABINDRANATH TAGORE
1. Fill in the blanks:
(a) Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize for
literature in the year 1913.
(b) Rabindranath Tagore composed the national
anthem of India.
(c) The foundation stone of Visva-Bharati at
Santiniketan was laid in the year 1918.
(d) Rabindranath Tagore developed the concept of
syncretic civilization as the basis of nationalism
and cultural unity in India.
2. Answer in one-word terms:
(a) When was Tagore awarded a knighthood? →
1915
(b) Which magazine did Tagore publish his early
poems in? → Bharati
(c) Which foreign nation has its national anthem
directly composed by Rabindranath Tagore? →
Bangladesh
(d) Tagore regarded British administration in India
as a political symptom of our social disease.
(e) Who was sometimes referred to as the "Bard of
Bengal"? → Rabindranath Tagore
3. Answer in two or three sentences:
(a) Jorasanko Mansion → It is the ancestral home
of Rabindranath Tagore, located in Kolkata. It is
now part of Rabindra Bharati University and
houses a museum dedicated to Tagore's life and
works.
(b) Gitanjali → It is a collection of poems by
Rabindranath Tagore, originally written in Bengali.
The English translation won him the Nobel Prize in
Literature in 1913.
(c) Bhanusimha → It was the pen name used by
Rabindranath Tagore during his early years of
writing poetry. He wrote in Brajabuli, a literary
language derived from Bengali and Maithili.
(d) Poet Rabindranath Tagore → He was an
Indian poet, philosopher, and artist, best known
for composing the national anthems of India and
Bangladesh. He was also the first non-European to
win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
4. Answer each within 75 words:
(a) "Where the mind is without fear" → It is a
famous poem by Rabindranath Tagore from his
collection Gitanjali. It envisions an ideal society
where knowledge is free, people are fearless, and
unity prevails over division.
(b) Santiniketan’s Visva-Bharati → Founded by
Rabindranath Tagore in 1921, it is a unique
university that blends Indian and Western
traditions of education. It emphasizes the
importance of learning in a natural environment.
(c) Tagore’s literary work → Tagore wrote poetry,
songs, novels, plays, and essays. His famous works
include Gitanjali, Gora, Chokher Bali, and
Kabuliwala.
(d) International Education → Tagore believed in
universal humanism and education beyond
borders. He founded Visva-Bharati University to
promote cultural exchange and global learning.
(e) Tagore as an artist → Apart from being a
poet, Tagore was also a painter. He started
painting in his later years, creating abstract and
symbolic art with a unique style.
Tagore was an advocate for India’s independence
but opposed militant nationalism. He renounced
his knighthood after the Jallianwala Bagh
massacre in 1919. He also engaged in dialogue
with global leaders and thinkers on India’s future.
