Celebrating Tagore's Legacy Today

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We are celebrating the life and work of one of the world's greatest literary figures - 1st Asian Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. A myriad minded  humanist whose magically vast oeuvre of poetry, songs, dance drama, novels, essays, his lyricism and ineffable beauty of his work continue giving pleasure to millions all over the world. 

Rabindranath Tagore came from an illustrious family. They were at the forefront of Bengali renaissance. The family was seeped in literature, theatre and recitals of Bengali and Western music. Of his three brothers two excelled in poetry, philosophy, music composition and playwright. The third brother was the first Indian to be appointed into the elite all-European Indian Civil Service. His sister was a novelist. Their father hosted famous professional classical musicians at their home so that the children were taught Indian classical music. Tagore had the opportunity to blossom in an environment like this. No wonder he was the first non-European and the first lyricist to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.  He was also an early nationalist. His first publication of short stories and plays were published under his own name in 1877. His vast variety of works included paintings, sketches, texts, doodles and two thousand songs. He founded Visva-Bharati University that continues to educate generations of youth in India.  One of the greatest tributes to Tagore is the fact that there is no other person whose compositions were chosen to be the national anthems of two countries – India and Bangladesh. 

Although Tagore had visited Singapore twice before, once in 1916 and again in 1924, his 1927 trip had the most impact. World poet and Nobel laureate Gurudeb Rabindranath Tagore arrived in Singapore onboard the Amboise from Chennai in July 1927. Not only was he met with an overwhelming warmth and a great reception by senior government officials, a large crowd was said to have gathered at Tanjong Pagar just to catch a sight of the first Asian Nobel Laureate in literature. But, Tagore did not come to Singapore for self - promotion. His focus was international friendship. Tagore’s speech on collaboration between India and China and how Indians needed to study the history of China to better understand their own past, left an indelible mark on the masses and dignitaries alike.

What he took back from here perhaps shaped the design of his plans when Visva-Bharati, a university founded by Tagore established the foundations of Cheena Bhavan (Institute of Chinese Language and Culture), a first of its kind in India at Santiniketan in 1937.  At the inauguration, Tagore said, “This is, indeed, a great day for me, a day long looked for, when I should be able to redeem, on behalf of our people, an ancient pledge implicit in our past, the pledge to maintain the intercourse of culture and friendship between our people and the people of China, an intercourse whose foundations were laid eighteen hundred years back by our ancestors with infinite patience and sacrifice.”

"Don't be afraid to walk alone for what you believe in."   His song "Ekla cholo re" is world famous. As one of the earliest educators, he envisioned an education that was deeply rooted in one's immediate surroundings but also connected to the cultures of the wider world.

His Thoughts - the highest education is that which does not merely give us information but makes our life in harmony with all existence. He once wrote "Without music and fine arts a nation lacks its highest means of national self expression and the people remain inarticulate.

He was a nature lover. His teachers conducted their classes under trees in natural surroundings in Visva-Bharati University. His dancers have performed amid greenery to reconnect with nature and intensify the importance of the environment through their movement and monologue. Tagore's 1926 poem "Briksha Bandana" (homage to the tree) outlines his vision of nature as being important to human civilization. Written on the occasion of the tree planting festival "Briksha Ropana", the poem warns against the indiscriminate exploitation of natural resources. 

Where the mind is without fear. Tagore's creativity identifies various aspects of his human concern. The prolific creator of the 20th Century, Tagore touched the lives of many of us. No one was such a visionary to remain prescient about what India will face 125 years later. The above poem is a commentary of bigotry, cast, politics, and corruption of mind that stultifies our society even today. 

Tagore was a true romantic and epitome of romanticism which is summed up in the first line of his poem "Ami". In the colours of my consciousness, the emerald became green. It is said that Tagore is such a vast ocean that it is virtually impossible to reach its depth and one has to explore this literary icon continuously to understand him. He sought the light of knowledge, wisdom. harmony and spirituality through his compositions. His meaningful and melodious songs are used in Kolkata to treat mental patients by the doctors. He believed no art is limited through its regional roots just as no art can be just rootlessly global. 

If Tagore was in Singapore again, he would have been very pleased as,

1. Singapore has achieved something that eludes many communities in the world. Our multicultural and multi-ethnic communities not only live in harmony but also believe in our motto "Unity in diversity".

2. Endless Green: Singapore has an expansive green network, parks, park connectors, tree lined roads, abundance of natural flora and fauna. To commemorate Singapore's green heritage and 50 years of island's greening, a line from his poem is inscribed in Fort Canning Park "Trees are earth's endless effort to speak to the listening heaven" (Fireflies - 1928). We are also concerned about our environment and we have taken positive steps towards climate change.

3. Singapore is a place of positivity, hope, light and a place for better tomorrow. 

For firing up our next generation, Tagore's work reminds us of rebirth, regrowth and renewal. Despite the COVID-19, Singapore's measures towards it have been significant, innovative and positive. As humanity gets plunged into a deeper hole of darkness due to this Pandemic, we have the courage to celebrate our indomitable spirit of humankind, renew our hopes and celebrate life and we will be constantly reminded by Tagore's legacy that love, humanity, acceptance, harmony, peace, friendship, and empathy are the strongest bond between human beings we should cherish.