Rabindranath Tagore - a Poet, a Novelist, a Composer and a Painter

Each nation has its special and most worshipped people. They have the respect of its countrymen and represent the best qualities of the national character. Rabindranath Tagore is such a man for India and the Indians.

He was born in 1861 in Bengal (today Calcutta). He was the youngest child in the family of Debendranath Tagore and Sarada Devi. His father was a leader of a new religious movement called Brahma Samaj. The family was wealthy and the young Rabindranath had the chance to live better, than many of its coevals. As a boy he wanted to become a lawyer so he was sent to teach in University Collage London but never actually graduated. After the time spent in England he came back to India and started to work with his father. He married to a woman called Mrinalini and they had 5 children among which 3 survived to adulthood.

Work
Mr. Tagore wrote 8 novels like “Ghare Baire”, “Shesher Kobita”, “Gora”. He wrote also many essays, lectures, stories and poems. Big part of his work is in Bengali language.
Rabindranath Tagore has influence on music also, with his compositions like the national anthem of India for example whose words were also written be him. He is the author of the national anthem of Bangladesh also and this makes him the first person ever whose songs were chosen for anthems of two different countries.

Political carrier and views
Although he was a friend and supporter of Gandhi and wrote many songs about the independence movement, he didn't supported the Swadeshi Movement. Furthermore he wrote and essay named “Cult of the Chakra” in which he denounced this movement.

Rabindranath Tagore died in 1941 after sever years of illness but for the people from Bengali he is still alive in his works.

Mahatma Gandhi

Known as the “Father of the Nation” Gandhi was the most charismatic Indian leaders.

Mahatma Gandhi

He was born in October 1869 in the family of Putlibai and Karamchand Gandhi. At the age of 13 he completed his studies in Rajkot.

Mahatma Gandhi went to London to study Law in 1891 but decided to return to India and started law practice in Bombay. Then after 2 years he was asked by Indian company in South Africa to be a legal advisor. Discriminated and abused because of the inferior race and colour, and a common problem for all Indians , Gandhi decided to join the fight for freedom for the Indian nation. He used two main weapons for his campaign: Satya and Ahimsa (truth and non-violence). In 1914 his demands were accepted by the government of South Africa. After that he returned to India and created new Non-cooperative movement.

After his return to India, Gandhi's movement known as Swaraj, inspired the people to boycott British goods and to refuse possession of land. This helped the Indian Economy because the industry was destroyed by the British Empire. After that he recommended the renewal of Indian industries and began to use a spinning wheel as a sign of return to village life. To achieve Indian Independence he constantly promoted satyagraha and swaraj. Then in August 1947 the British were forced to leave India.

In January 1948 Gandhi was murdered by Nathuram Godse and his mortal frame was turned into ashes. Today Mahatma Ghandi is living in the hearts of the Indian Nation as a Symbol of Free India.