When my fascination with India began piquing my curiosity during my college years, I'd come across the name of Rabindranath Tagore, who, like his contemporary, our very own Jose Rizal, was born in the same year in 1861. Together, they also shared the distinction of being a writer, poet, and passionate social reformer.
Inside Rabindranath Tagore’s House in Kolkata
Searching for the Museum
While my personal library, which contains more than a hundred books—half of which are still unread—only holds one Rabindranath Tagore title: The Postmaster, a collection of short stories published in 1891, I have remained deeply interested in his life. Therefore, upon discovering the transformation of his family's ancestral home in Kolkata into a public museum, I immediately suggested to my friend Aileen that we ought to visit it.
After a cab ride, during which the friendly driver informed us that the museum was "somewhere here, just ask around," we were dropped off and found ourselves walking for nearly an hour in search of the estate. It turns out that Rabindranath Tagore's birthplace isn't your normal, unassuming residence. It covers a staggering 35,000 square meters and has actually housed Rabindra Bharati University since 1962.
Also known as the Jorasanko Thakur Bari (derived from the two attached “sanko” or bridges, and the Bengali translation for "House of the Thakurs," with Thakur being the anglicized version of "Tagore"), the grand residence was originally built in 1784. It sits on a large property provided by a wealthy member of the Sett family to Prince Dwarkanath Tagore, Rabindranath's distinguished grandfather.
Jorasanko Thakur Bari: The House of the Thakurs
Built between two ancient bridges, the Jorasanko Thakur Bari, or House of the Tagores, became an integral pillar of Bengali culture and society. Rabindranath Tagore's family developed close, influential associations not only with the city's prominent business circle but also with the leading intellectuals and creative minds of the era.
The palatial red brick mansion was where the renowned thinker, writer, and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore was born, undertook his early education, and ultimately, where he breathed his last. In between his extensive, worldwide travels across the globe—again, much like our own Jose Rizal—Tagore would always return home to these very walls.
Inside the Rabindra Bharati Collections
He brought home countless mementos, personal letters, and artworks that now make up the impressive core collection of the Rabindra Bharati Museum. The museum was established in his honor following the founding of Rabindra Bharati University in 1961, perfectly coinciding with the birth centenary of Tagore.
The Rabindra Bharati Museum's sprawling collections currently include 2,071 historical books, 770 academic journals, 16 brilliant artworks, 27 sculptures, and 208 personal mementos directly belonging to Tagore. Furthermore, the West Bengal government actively acquired forty of Tagore's original paintings and personal notebooks from his descendants and has prominently displayed them all within the museum.
The museum not only serves as a shrine to Rabindranath Tagore, but it also features wide galleries dedicated to leading figures of the vibrant Bengali Renaissance movement, as well as distinct sections encompassing Western art. My personal favorite, naturally, is the gallery dedicated exclusively to Rabindranath's extensive travels abroad. It showcases an incredible array of rare photographs and travel journals from his intellectual journeys to countries such as China, Italy, Mexico, Japan, the United States, the UK, Sri Lanka, Iraq, and more.
Rabindranath Tagore at a Glance
- Full Name Rabindranath Tagore
- Born May 7, 1861
- Died August 7, 1941
- Nationality Indian
- Occupation Poet, novelist, playwright, composer, philosopher, painter
- Known For Gitanjali, Nobel Prize in Literature, founding Visva-Bharati University
- Nobel Prize Literature (1913), the first Asian Nobel laureate
- Birthplace Jorasanko Thakur Bari, Kolkata, India
- Languages Bengali, English
- Notable Works Gitanjali, The Home and the World, Gora, Kabuliwala, The Post Office
- National Anthems Wrote India's "Jana Gana Mana" and Bangladesh's "Amar Shonar Bangla." His musical style and teachings also influenced Sri Lanka's national anthem, "Sri Lanka Matha," composed by his student Ananda Samarakoon.
- Influenced Mahatma Gandhi, W. B. Yeats, Albert Einstein, Satyajit Ray, Amartya Sen
Timeline of Rabindranath Tagore's Life
Parallels with Jose Rizal
The museum's strict ban on interior photography actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise; it compelled me to disconnect from my camera and concentrate entirely on the exhibits, absorbing the rich captions on the photographs and reading the detailed descriptions of his personal items.
Walking out of Jorasanko Thakurbari had me quietly contemplating the many undeniable similarities between Tagore and Rizal. Both men traveled the world seeking knowledge, and both of their powerful writings profoundly impacted their respective countries—shaping their history, national literature, and ultimate cultural identity.
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