Rabindranath Tagore

Rabindranath Tagore, born on 7 May 1861 in Calcutta, was the youngest of thirteen children in a family prominent for their patronage of art and literature. Disliking formal education, he thrived on experiential learning and wrote mature poetry by 1877. Sent to England for law studies, he soon returned to Bengal to manage the family estate and focus on writing. In 1883, he married Bhabatarini Roy Choudhury, with whom he had five children. At Santiniketan, he founded an experimental school. His "Gitanjali" earned him the Nobel Prize in 1913. A vocal critic of colonialism and the caste system, Tagore returned his knighthood in 1919. He travelled the world giving lectures until his death on 7 August 1941.