This Special edition carries our tribute to Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), one of the most widely respected Indian literary giants of all time. He was a charismatic representative of Indian culture whose international influence and popularity could only be compared to those of Gandhi and Nehru. An exceptionally gifted and creative person, he was a poet, songwriter, composer, novelist, playwright, educator, philosopher, humanist and, in later years, a painter, of international acclaim. He translated a selection of his own poems, Gitanjali, from Bengali to English and became the first ever Asian to win the Nobel Prize in 1913.

Tagore modernised Bengali art by spurning rigid classical forms. His verse, short stories, and novels were acclaimed for their lyricism, colloquialism, naturalism, and contemplation. With over 2000 songs he composed in Bengali, he popularised the distinctly unique Rabindra Sangeet. Anthems of both India and Bangladesh are his renderings. No other person has had such an overwhelming influence on Bengali culture and intellect.

Writes Amrit Sen, the editor of the special section : ‘Born at a moment of flux in history, his ideas and aesthetics remain strangely visionary, operating across time. It is this aspect that we seek to explore in this issue of Muse India. >>>