Rathindranath Tagore

When Kabiguru Spoke: Rare Speeches from the Rathindranath Tagore Estate

Among the lesser-known archival treasures preserved in the estate of Rathindranath Tagore are several rare speeches of Kabiguru Rabindranath Tagore, some of which are believed to have been written and corrected by Tagore himself. These speeches are important not only as historical documents, but it also carries the voice of an ageing poet-philosopher reflecting upon art, education, spiritual crisis of the modern civilization, and the changing social atmosphere of Bengal and Santiniketan during the final years of his life. 

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Rathindranath Tagore's Theatrical Treasures

Among the handwritten treasures once preserved in the estate of Rathindranath Tagore, is a fascinating, dramatic manuscript dated simply “22nd Poush, 1322” (7th January 1916). Written on both sides of the pages, the manuscript appears to have been intended for stage performance. One of the plays of this manuscript, Phalguni has a strong resemblance to Rabindranath Tagore's celebrated dance-drama of the same name, suggesting that these manuscripts may represent adaptations of the original text. Its dramatic structure, language, and humor speak vividly of the cultural milieu from which it emerged.

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Leathercraft at Santiniketan

Leatherwork in Santiniketan originated from a broader movement to revive the traditional crafts of rural Bengal and reintroduce skilled occupations to village life. In the early decades of the twentieth century, Rabindranath Tagore turned his attention to the villages surrounding Santiniketan and began to organise a programme of rural reconstruction that placed work, skill, and livelihood at the centre of education.

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Santiniketan in Correspondence

At Santiniketan, correspondence played an essential role in artistic life. Letters, postcards, and small drawings circulated steadily between students, teachers, administrators, and friends, creating a working network through which ideas, images, and observations moved across distances. These exchanges were not incidental. They were closely aligned with Rabindranath Tagore’s educational vision, in which learning extended beyond the classroom into daily life, travel, and conversation, and in which artistic practice was embedded within lived experience rather than confined to formal instruction.

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A partial speech by Rabindranath Tagore from the Mandir at Santiniketan

...have hurt my ears severely. In entire India, it is only in Bengal, that Sanskrit pronunciation is such non-Aryan. Mutilation of Sanskrit in such a manner, I have not seen in any other state. Especially convolution of utter-able mantras is to be considered a blunder. Since it has hurt me, I had to say this.

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Atul Bose and the Art of Portraiture

The art of portraiture seems much more enticing today when we live in a world where ‘portraits’ can be created at the click of a button with a single handheld device. There is something enigmatic about how artists in the past captured personalities with strokes of the brush and immortalized them in portraits. There is something romantic about the notion of portraits themselves, and how a sensitive artist could capture the physical characteristics as well as the psychological aspect of the subject of the portrait. 

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Rathindranath Tagore (1888 - 1961)

Rathindranath was not only one of the first five boys of the Santiniketan Brahmacharyasrama, but he was also one of the reasons for its existence. Rathindranath was the most representative product of Rabindranath’s educational ideal.

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Memories of Mitali and my Jethu - Rathindranath Tagore

My earliest memories are swathed in the scent of mountain pines and a constant leitmotif of a rattling train that would carry me back to our home in Dehradun named Mitali on Rajpur Road – my magical El Dorado – where I spent my childhood with my mother, Meera ma, my maternal grandmother, Lal dida, and my Jethu and foster father, Rathindranath (Tagore).

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