Ravi in school

Tagore's Education The Oxford India Tagore: Selected Writings on Education and Nationalism (Oxford Illustrated Classics):

Ravi as he was called began his first formal lessons in Kolkatta’s Oriental Seminary. It is here that he developed some kind of disliking for formal education. He did not like the treatment and punishments given to the students in the school. He could not tolerate the impatience, injustice and partiality shown by his teachers towards the students. Later for another few years, he studied in normal school, the institution established by Eshwar Chandra Vidyasagar. Next, he went to St Xavier’s School. His remained unhappy even here. He went irregularly to school, and was not able to continue with his studies here. However, he began to pursue his education at home.

In 1973, after the thread bearing ceremony, with a shaven head he was accompanied by his father to Himalayas. This was a significant event in his life. They started from Bolpur and went to Sahibganj,Dinapur, Allahabad, Kanpur and stopped at Amritsar at last. Ravi was fascinated by the The Golden temple at Amritsar. After about a month’s stay there, they started for Dulhousie hills. It was first time experience for Ravi to be so closely in touch with the beautiful nature outside. This trip brought him close with his father. Child was overwhelmed with father’s unique personality. Debendranath taught him Sanskrit. When Ravindranath returned from the Himalayas he already had left behind his childhood. And education also broke free of the institutional clutches. And at last the rule of servants came to an end too. Ravi was exposed to an open atmosphere that was abuzz with art, music and literature. Music was in the blood of the family. His brother who continuously filled him with enthusiasm liked to play piano and spent days in creating new tunes. Little Ravi sat by him and tried to find suitable words to fit the tunes. Thus he cultivated music since his early childhood. And as he says in his Jeevansmriti”that allowed him to imbibe music into my whole being withougt effort.”

At this stage he began learning Sanskrit, English literature, Physics, Mathematics, History, Geography, Natural Science, from teachers at home. His pursuits for drawing, music, and gymnastics continued. He also found the new joy of writing poetry.

In 1874, his maiden poem, “Abhilas”was published in the Tatvabodhini Patrika in Agrahyan. Tagore was at a great advantage with the literary conferences held at his house. He could read his work in front of noted journalist, renowned writers and thinkers invited for these literary programes organized by his brothers. So he read his first two poems, Abhilas and Bharatbhumi (published in Bangadarshan) in one such programme and became known to prominent people for his initial efforts at creative writings. Thus he continued to write regularly alongside taking education. Few of his works that were published serially in the periodicals at this time were: KaviKahini (Bharati1878); and

Banphul in (Jnanankur and Pratibimba1880). Both these magazines were important since Bhrati was started by Dwijendranath and published by Tagore whereas the Jnanankur was known for the writings of famous writers.Despite the disdain for formal education he enjoyed the creative activities he liked to indulge in. The atmosphere in the family was such that artistic and literary activities of the children got nurtured, and encouraged. Ravindranath could get his work published and earned recognition at an early age.

His constant source of inspiration for creativity was his fifth brother Jyotirindranath .

Who knew that though Ravi’s education at home continued he remained disinterested in education prevalent in that period in Bengal. Looking at this, his elder brother Satyendranath convinced his father to send Ravi to England for studying Law. In 1878, Ravi went to England with his brother to become a barrister. He was first sent to public school in Briton and later to London University College. His effort at pursuing education was short lived. Ravi returned to India after about a year’s time. Though his formal education could not be completed even abroad, England impressed and influenced him in many ways. The life, culture and music of England was something the young writer was greately impressed with. He went on and on hearing European music.He says in Jeevansmriti “I cannot claim that I felt the soul of European Music,but what little I came to understand from the outside attracted me greately in ine way. It seemed so romantic. To analyse what I mean by that word is somewhat difficult. What I have in mind is the diversity, the superfluity of waves on the sea of life, of the ceaseless play of light and shade over their undulations. There is the opposite aspect- of infinite extension, of the untwinkling blue of the sky, of the silent hint of immeasurability in the distant circle of the horizon. Notwithstanding , let me repeat, lest I am not perfectly clear, that whenever I have been moved by European music, I have said to myself: it is romantic, it translates into melody the evanescence of life”

The outcome of the stay in England was certainly not obtaining any degree. The stay awarded him differently. He studied the manifestations of European music and composed Valmiki Pratibha(1881), a musical drama where in few lyrics were tuned to western music. Tagore house saw its first performance wherin, Ravindranath himself performed the role of Valmiki. His niece Pratibha acted as Saraswati. From this time onwards Ravindranath concentrated his creative energies on composing poems and songs.

He soon published Sandhya Sangeet 1882 and Prabhat Sangeet in 1883.

The tyranny of education ended as Tagore completely took up to writing poems and prose in the subsequent years. He never matriculated, let alone took a university degree. His abhorrence for all kind of formal education bore the seeds of new era of education which he established later in life and won world fame.

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Ravindranath Tagore

Ravindranath as a child

Family history and childhood


Ravindranath Tagore was born on 7 th May 1861 in Kolkata. Tagore the wealthiest and culturally renowned family of Jurasanko Tagores. He was the youngest of the fourteen children of Maharshi Devendranath Maharshi Devendranath Tagore (Makers of Indian literature)and Sharada Devi. His grandfather Prince Dwarkanath was a not only a successful businessman but also a philanthropist. He and his son Devendranath had influenced the Bengal Renaissance of the ninteenth century. They played an active role in the movements for reforms in religion and society at that period in Bengal.The leading reformer and monotheist of the day, Raja Rammohan Roy was Dwarkanth’s close friend . Rammohan’s ideas had a great influence on Dwarkanath, Debendranath and Ravindranath and family business.

Ravi as he grew was under the strong influence of his father known for honesty, spirituality and liberal ideas of reforms in religion education and society. He often took time away form the hustle of life to spend time in the Himalayas for meditation, in pursuit of spirituality. Their family was the center of literary, cultural and musical and theatrical activities. Ravindranath’s personality was no doubt nurtured in this fertile atmosphere. Other children of the family too had succeeded in various fields. Ravindranath’s oldest brother Dwijendranath Tagore was a philosopher and a poet. Another brother Satyendranath Tagore was the first Indian member of the ICS. Yet Another brother, Jyotindranath Tagore was a composer and a playwright. Among his sisters, Swarna Kumari Devi earned fame as a novelist.

All the children of the family were looked after by an army of servants. As described by Ravindranath in his autobiography: My Rminiscences(a translation of Jivansmriti), the children were under the rule of survocracy. Servants who had full liberty in managing the children often turned tyrants and restricted the children either by rule or roost. The palatial Tagore house in Jorasanko had water tanks, gardens, and all kinds of enchanting spots that attracted the young boy. But children were not allowed to venture out on their own. Servants devised few techniques to keep the children under their control to ensure that with little efforts they are looked after. One of Ravi’s servants called “ “ , Tagore narrates in Jeevansmriti, found a novel way to keep Ravi from going out of the confinements of servant’s quarters. He drew a circle around young Ravi with a chalk and warned him of the consequences of transgressing the circle. The small child had to sit by the window that overlooked a water tank and wonder what the outside world looked like. His attraction for the unseen outer world found place through his imagination in many of his writings later in life.