Discuss the contribution of Rabindranath Tagore to English Literature.

Discuss the contribution of Rabindranath Tagore to English Literature.

Ans.

Rabindranath embodies the quintessence of Indian culture. He was a renowned scholar, poet, novelist, playwright, lyricist and painter. With over a thousand poems, two thousand songs, eight novels, twenty four plays, volumes of short stories and a mass of prose, this creative genius has been responsible for reshaping India’s literature and music scene.

His collection of songs. Rabindra Sangeet, has carved itself as a unique genre of music. His songs covers diverse themes and range from devotional hymns to erotic compositions. Tagore has composed the national anthem of two nations-India’s ‘Jana Gana Mana’ and Bangladesh’s ‘Amar Shonar Bangla’.

In 1913, Rabindranath Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature for Gitanjali, his most acclaimed work. A collection of 157 poems, Gitanjali was first published in 1910.

What is Tagore’s contribution to English literature produced by Indian poets and writers?

According to a modern English critic, the question is asking to assess what Tagore gave to Indian literature translated into English. He writes, “Part of what makes Tagore such a compelling figure in Indian literature is that he is not writing in English. At a time when so many believed that English was right and indigenous forms of expression were wrong. Tagore pretty much invented the short story in Bengali. His embrace of both social realism and transcendent themes were all composed in his native tongue, making his contribution to Indian literary canon powerfully compelling and highly significant. Tagore was also one of the first artists of a globalized world. This means that his contributions were even more significant because they spoke for a condition of Indians, as well as people all over the world. This was because Tagore has been exposed to literature that many in India had not experienced. Tagore integrated these artists’ work into his own.” Tagore studied many great poets and writers of various languages and owed a great deal to them.

His ability to combine other literary voices into his own is what makes Tagore responsible for a giant contribution to Indian English literature.

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