Rabindra Jayanti- Birthday celebration of Rabindranath Thakur

Today is 25th of Baishak - one of the very few dates, we, Bengalis ought to remember by the Bengali calender. Today is birthday of Viswa Kabi Rabindranath Thakur- well, he is known to the world as Rabindranath Tagore.



The poet, writer, dramatist, musician, composer ... and the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913... is a pride of Bengal and great son of India.

In Bengal the day is being celebrated with great enthusiasm, love and admiration in schools, collages and by many cultural forums.

For IMers, here is one from his immortal creations-

Clouds and Waves

Mother, the folk who live up in the clouds call out to me-
"We play from the time we wake till the day ends.
We play with the golden dawn, we play with the silver moon."
I ask, "But how am I to get up to you ?"
They answer, "Come to the edge of the earth, lift up your
hands to the sky, and you will be taken up into the clouds."
"My mother is waiting for me at home, "I say, "How can I leave
her and come?"
Then they smile and float away.
But I know a nicer game than that, mother.
I shall be the cloud and you the moon.
I shall cover you with both my hands, and our house-top will
be the blue sky.
The folk who live in the waves call out to me-
"We sing from morning till night; on and on we travel and know
not where we pass."
I ask, "But how am I to join you?"
They tell me, "Come to the edge of the shore and stand with
your eyes tight shut, and you will be carried out upon the waves."
I say, "My mother always wants me at home in the everything-
how can I leave her and go?"
They smile, dance and pass by.
But I know a better game than that.
I will be the waves and you will be a strange shore.
I shall roll on and on and on, and break upon your lap with
laughter.
And no one in the world will know where we both are.

By Rabindranath Tagore (courtsy: poemhunter.com)



Also one very well known to Indians now:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eza8teqslsE

A most astonishing fact of our great poet rabindranath Thakur-

He is behind three national anthem of three great Nations- India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

Anand Samarkun, student from Sri Lanka, came to Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore (he was called with great honor- 'Gurudev' by his students) in Visva Bharati (University established by Tagore). On his request Gurudev wrotee a song for Sri Lanka in Bengali, the first line was – “Sri Lanka Mata…”- means Mother SriLanka. Anand Samarkun translated into Sinhalese language and gave it to the then President of Sri Lanka. The President was charmed and approved of the song as his country’s National Anthem.