Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c10.s2.t20.11

v2.c10.s2.t20.11

A famous drop-out who briefly enrolled in different schools in Calcutta, and a champion of the concept of de-schooling, Tagore was primarily educated at home during his early years. Although he was sent to England for formal schooling, he did not complete any prescribed curriculum. He started writing poetry at the age of eight and at the age of 17, he published his first collection of poems titled '*Kavi-kahini*' (1878), followed by a series of books of poems in the next five years, including *Banaphul* (1880), *Bhagnahriday* (1881), *Sandhyasangit* (1882) and *Prabhatsangit* (1883), until he brought out an absolutely mesmerising collection of songs composed in the medieval style under the pseudonym Bhanusingha in 1884. By 1881, he had composed a dance-drama – *Balmiki-Pratibha* as well as a verse-play – *Rudrachanda*. Though Tagore created all genres of literature including novels and essays, his creative genius is largely enshrined in poetry, short stories and music. While he rejected rigid classical forms and linguistic strictures, he enriched the Bengali language by introducing new prose and verse forms and by use of colloquial language. His works are acclaimed for their lyricism, universalism and naturalism; *Gitanjali* (*Song Offerings*), and the novels *Gora* (*Fair-Faced*) and *Ghare-Baire* (*The Home and The World*) are some of his best-known works. Two of his compositions have been chosen as national anthems of two nations, namely, Bangladesh and India. He has also left behind a very large body of paintings, sketches and doodles created quite late in life.