📅 May 10, 2025, Post 4: TAGORE @164: ETERNAL VOICE OF THE NATION | Mains Essay / Target IAS-26 MCQs Attached: A complete Package, Dear Aspirants!
🎨 TAGORE @164: ETERNAL VOICE OF THE NATION
May 10, 2025 | PETAL 004 | Category: History & Culture / National Icons
🌺 Intro Whisper:
He gave India its soul-song, Bangladesh its golden anthem, and the world its first glimpse of the East’s lyrical light. Rabindranath Tagore wasn’t just a poet—he was a civilisation in motion.
📜 Key Highlights
About Rabindranath Tagore
• Born: May 7, 1861, Kolkata (Jayanti observed as per Bengali calendar)
• A true polymath: Poet, novelist, composer, philosopher, playwright, painter
• A leading light of the Bengal Renaissance
Major Contributions
🖋️ Literature & Philosophy
• Gitanjali: Devotional poem collection; earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature (1913)
• Gora: Novel exploring identity, caste, and nationalism
• Ghare Baire (The Home and the World): A critique of extreme nationalism
🎶 Music & Anthems
• Composer of:
– India’s national anthem: Jana Gana Mana
– Bangladesh’s anthem: Amar Shonar Bangla
– Banglar Mati Banglar Jol: State song of West Bengal
🏛️ Institution Builder
• Founded Visva-Bharati University in 1921, envisioned as a global learning space blending East and West
🧭 GS Mapping
GS Paper 1 – Indian Culture, Modern Indian History, Literature, Freedom Struggle
GS Paper 2 – Education & Reforms
Essay – Nationalism, Identity, and the Role of Creative Icons
🕊️ Legacy & Titles
• First non-European Nobel Laureate
• Titles:
– Gurudev (Spiritual Teacher)
– Kobiguru (Master Poet)
– Biswokobi (Poet of the World)
• Stood for inclusive nationalism, global humanism, and cultural synthesis
💭 A Thought Spark — by IAS Monk
Some nations are built by warriors, others by words. Tagore sculpted a nation not with flags, but with songs, questions, and dreams that still hum in every corner of the subcontinent.
Shall I now generate a Tablet infographic with a sepia-toned background and poetic accents, featuring Tagore’s image and his multi-dimensional legacy?
Target IAS-26: Daily MCQs :
📌 Prelims Practice MCQs
Topic:
MCQ 1 (Type 1)
Consider the following statements about Rabindranath Tagore:
1. He was the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in any category.
2. He founded the Indian National Congress in 1921.
3. He wrote the national anthems of both India and Bangladesh.
4. His novel Ghare-Baire critiques aggressive nationalism.
How many of the above statements are correct?
A) Only two
B) Only three
C) All four
D) Only one
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation
✅ Correct Answer: B) Only three
🧠 Explanation:
1) ✅ Correct – He won the Nobel Prize in Literature (1913) for Gitanjali, becoming the first non-European recipient. 2) ❌ Incorrect – The Indian National Congress was founded in 1885 by A.O. Hume, not Tagore.
3) ✅ Correct – He composed “Jana Gana Mana” (India) and “Amar Shonar Bangla” (Bangladesh).
4) ✅ Correct – Ghare-Baire critiques aggressive nationalism. ✔️ Three statements are correct.
MCQ 2 (Type 2)
Statement 1: Rabindranath Tagore’s Gora deals with themes of nationalism and identity.
Statement 2: The song Banglar Mati Banglar Jol, composed by Tagore, is the national anthem of Bangladesh.
Which of the above statements is/are correct?
A) Only 1 is correct
B) Only 2 is correct
C) Both are correct
D) Neither is correct
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation
✅ Correct Answer: A) Only 1 is correct
🧠 Explanation:
Statement 1 ✅ – Gora is a philosophical novel centered on identity, caste, and nationalism. • Statement 2 ❌ – “Amar Shonar Bangla” is the national anthem of Bangladesh. Banglar Mati Banglar Jol is the state song of West Bengal. ✔️ Only Statement 1 is correct.
MCQ 3 (Type 3)
Which of the following are works by Rabindranath Tagore?
1. Gitanjali
2. Gora
3. Ghare-Baire
4. Anandmath
Select the correct answer using the code below:
A) 1, 2 and 3 only
B) 2, 3 and 4 only
C) 1 and 4 only
D) All four
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation
✅ Correct Answer: A) 1, 2 and 3 only
🧠 Explanation:
1) ✅ Gitanjali – A collection of devotional poems. •
2) ✅ Gora – A philosophical novel. •
3) ✅ Ghare-Baire – A critique of aggressive nationalism.
4) ❌ Anandmath – Written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, not Tagore. ✔️ Only 1, 2, and 3 are correct..
MCQ 4 (Type 4 – Direct Factual)
Which educational institution was founded by Rabindranath Tagore in 1921?
A) Shantiniketan Gurukul
B) Nalanda Modern Academy
C) Visva-Bharati University
D) Bengal Institute of Arts and Philosophy
🌀 Didn’t get it? Click here (▸) for the Correct Answer & Explanation.
✅ Correct Answer: C) Visva-Bharati University
🧠 Explanation:
• Tagore founded Visva-Bharati University in 1921 at Santiniketan, envisioning a place for blending Eastern and Western knowledge. ✔️ Correct Answer: Visva-Bharati University
