Dwijendranath Tagore (11 March 1840–19 January 1926) was a poet, song composer, philosopher, mathematician, and a pioneer in Bengali shorthand and musical notations.^[1]   (IPA: [] Bengali: কলকাতা) (formerly  ) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. ... Santiniketan (Bangla: শান্িতিনেকতন Shantiniketôn) is a small town near Bolpur in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, India, approximately 180 kilometres north of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). ... March 11 is the 70th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (71st in leap years). ... 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... January 19 is the 19th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar). ... Bengali or Bangla (বাংলা, IPA: ) is an Indo-Aryan language of the eastern Indian subcontinent, evolved from Prakrit, Pāli and Sanskrit. ...

Formative years

The eldest son of Debendranath Tagore and grandson of Dwarkanath Tagore of the Jorasanko branch of the Tagore family, he was mainly educated at home, but later studied for some time in St.Paul’s school and Hindu College of Kolkata (then Calcutta).^[2] He was always close to his next brother Satyendranath (1842 – 1923), but the two brothers differed considerably. While Dwijendranath was comfortable with traditions in society, Satyendranath enjoyed breaking down conservative rules and developing a modern society.^[3] A simple person he spent his time in cultivating poetry, acquiring knowledge and conducting various experiments.^[1] His wife died at a considerably young age and he remained a widower the rest of his life.^[1] Debendranath Tagore (Bangla: দেবেন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর Debendronath Å¢hakur)(May 15, 1817 - January 19, 1905) was an Indian Bengali philosopher from current-day West Bengal, in India. ... Dwarkanath Tagore (Bangla:দ্বারকানাথ ঠাকুর, Darokanath Å¢hakur) (1794-1846), one of the earliest entrepreneurs from India, has been remembered by the posterity for an altogether different reason: that of being the grandfather of Nobel laureate poet Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941). ... Jorasanko is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata. ... The Tagore family, with over three hundred years of history [1], has been one of the leading families of Kolkata, and is regarded as a key influence during the Bengal Renaissance[2]. The family has produced several persons who have contributed substantially in the field of business, social and religious... Located at 86/1, College Street, in Kolkata, India, Presidency College, Calcutta offers undergraduate and graduate degree courses in natural sciences, humanities and social sciences. ...   (IPA: [] Bengali: কলকাতা) (formerly  ) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal. ... Satyendranath Tagore (1842-1923) writer and INS officer. ...

Poetry

His first contribution to Bengali literature was the Bengali translation of Kalidasa’s classical Sanskrit work Meghaduta in 1860, before Rabindranath Tagore (1861 – 1941), his younger brother and Nobel-prize winning poet, was born. Dwijendranath was only twenty years old at that time. It was the first time that the great Sanskrit poetic work was translated into Bengali. He had used two different Bengali rhythmic styles for the translation.^[1] To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Sanskrit language ( , for short ) is an old Indo-Aryan language from the Indian Subcontinent, the classical literary language of the Hindus of India[1], a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... MeghadÅ«ta (literally cloud messenger) is a lyric poem written by Kālidāsa, considered to be one of the greatest Sanskrit poets. ... Rabindranath Tagore ( ; Bangla: ; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941), also known by the sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali poet, Brahmo Samaj (syncretic Hindu monotheist) philosopher, visual artist, playwright, composer, and novelist whose works reshaped Bengali literature and music in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. ... The Nobel Prizes (Swedish: ) are awards in physics, chemistry, literature, peace, and physiology or medicine. ...

His second great work of poetry was Swapnaprayan, published in 1875. Even when it was written Rabindranath was an adolescent. This poem describes the travels of a young man to different places. He had displayed a remarkable control over the use of different rhythmic styles in the book. The book is of historic value and was a trend-setter.^[1]

Michael Madhusudan Dutta was at the height of his success, when Dwijendranath started writing poetry. On return to Kolkata from Chennai (then Madras) in 1856, Michael Madhusudan worked with marvellous devotion for six years till he sailed for Europe, producing such plays and poems as Tilottama (1859), Padmavati (1860), Meghnadbadh Kavya (1861), Vrajangana (1861), Krishnakumari (1861), Virangana (1862), and so on, each scintillating with a new grace that raised ‘Bengali literature to the highest pinnacle of glory’ through brilliant successors such as Bankim Chandra Chatterjee and Rabindranath Tagore.^[4] It was an age when Michael Madhusudan influenced all Bengali poets but Dwijendranath was free from any such impact.^[1] On the other hand, Michael Madhusudan had hailed Dwijendranath as a poet of the future in whose honour he could dip his hat in respect.^[5] Chennai   (Tamil: ), formerly known as Madras  , is the capital of the state of Tamil Nadu and is Indias fourth largest metropolitan city. ... Bankim Chandra Chatterjee (Chattopadhyay in the original Bengali; Chatterjee as spelt by the British) was an Indian poet and author, most famous as the composer of Vande Mataram. ...

Dwijendranath was a highly talented poet but a disorganised person. Rabindranath said that so many pages of Swapnaprayan used to float around the Jorasanko Thakur Bari that if it could be collected and published it would have been a valuable volume.^[1] The Thakurbari or the house of the Tagores, is in Jorasanko, north of Calcutta. ...

Philosophy

Dwijendranath was ‘a true philosopher.’ He consorted with the learned of the National Society and the Biddvajjan-Samagam, both of which he helped to found. He delved deep into the philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita.^[6] Bhagavad Gīta भगवद्गीता, composed ca the fifth - second centuries BC, is part of the epic poem Mahabharata, located in the Bhisma-Parva chapters 23–40. ...

His philosophical work, Tattwabidya ("Knowledge of Principles"), published in three volumes between 1866 and 1868, was a pioneering effort in Bengali. Never before had such a work been published in that language. In 1896, he published Adwaita Mater Samalochana (Criticism of Adwaita philosophy) and in 1999, Aryadharma O Boudhya Dharmer Ghat-Protighat (a book on the conflicts of Aryan religion [Hinduism] and Buddhism).^[1]

Activities

He edited Tattwabodhini Patrika for 25 years from 1884 and was founder of Hitabadi.^[7] He was keen on extending Tattwabodhini Patrika but his younger brother Jyotirindranath Tagore (1849 – 1925) proposed a new magazine, Bharati. Although he was editor, it was effectively run by his younger brother.^[1] Tattwabodhini Patrika (Bengali: )(Tattwabodhini means truth-searching and Patrika means newspaper or magazine) was started by Maharshi Devendranath Tagore in 1843 and continued up to 1883. ...

His contribution in the field of Bengali literature was acknowledged with his being elected president of Bangiya Sahitya Parishad from 1897 to 1900. He presided over the 1914 session of the Bangiya Sahitya Sammelan.^[1]

Dwijendranath was always busy with experiments of various types. He was a pioneer in the field of Bengali short hand and even coded it in the form of poetry.^[1] He pioneered the use of notations (swaralipi) for Bengali music. The only other person who could claim credit for it was Keshetra Mohan Goswami, asistant to Raja Shourindramohan Tagore.^[3] In 1913, he wrote a book Boxometry about construction of boxes.^[2] He was adept in folding paper into different shapes.^[3]

He was secretary of the Adi Brahmo Samaj from 1866 to 1971^[7] and used to serve as acharya or minister for upasanas or Brahmo prayers. He had accompanied his father Debendranath to Dhaka when Dhaka Brahmo Samaj was in its formative years under the leadership of Braja Sundar Mitra.^[8] Dhaka (previously Dacca; Bangla: ঢাকা Đhaka; IPA: ) is the capital of Bangladesh and the Dhaka District. ...

Closely associated with Hindu Mela, he was its secretary and composed patriotic songs for it.^[2] Composing songs came naturally to him. One of his devotional songs, karo tanr nam gaan, jato din rahe dehe pran (sing his praise as long as there is life in the body) has been sung with the prayers on 7th of Poush for many years.^[5] He wrote many other devotional songs broadly classified as Brahmasangeet, sung with prayers of Brahmo Samaj.^[9] One popular patriotic song he composed for the Hindu Mela was: 'malin mukhachandrama Bharat tomari' (pale is your face, o India).^[7] Poush is the 9th month in both the Bangla Calendar used in Bangladesh and in the Bikram Sambat calendar used in Nepal. ...

At Santiniketan

Dwijendranath spent the last twenty years of his life at Santiniketan, in one-ness with nature, still learning and writing. He wrote humorous four-line rhymes on people in Santiniketan, which were published in Santinketan Patrika. His sense of humour was a talking point for many years.^[5] His friendship with sparrows, squirrels and crows became legends in Santiniketan.^[3] Santiniketan (Bangla: শান্িতিনেকতন Shantiniketôn) is a small town near Bolpur in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, India, approximately 180 kilometres north of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). ...

He follwed the advice of the Upanishads – After acquiring knowledge remain a child at heart. There was no limit to his acquisition of knowledge but his main field of study was philosophy. He read his papers at the majlis or gathering of learned men, including Rabindranath. Whenever he was stuck with some intellectual poblem, there were learned persons such as Bidhusekhar Sastri and Kshiti Mohan Sen to help him out.^[5]

Rabindranath used to call him borodada (reverential way of saying eldest brother). Right from the time Mahatma Gandhi and C.F.Andrews first visited Santiniketan, on their return from South Africa, both used to have the highest regard for Dwijendranath and used to address him as borodada.^[5] While forwarding a letter written by Dwijendranath to a newspaper for publication, Mahatma Gandhi wrote, “You know Dwijendranath. He is the eldest brother of Sri Rabindranath Tagore and is leading, like his father the late Devendranath Tagore, practically the life of a sannyasi.”^[10] Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (Gujarati: , Hindi: , IAST: mohandās karamcand gāndhÄ«, IPA: ) (October 2, 1869 – January 30, 1948), was a major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian independence movement. ... Charles Freer Andrews (1871 - 1940) was an English priest who admired the philosophy of Mohandas Gandhi and worked with him in the Indian civil rights struggle in South Africa and in the Indian Independence Movement. ... Samnyasa (IAST , also spelled , Sannyasa) in Hinduism symbolizes the conception of the life of a monk, a person is now integrated into the spiritual world after wholly giving up material life. ...

Works

In Bengali: Bhratrbhab (1863), Tattvabidya (1866-68), Sonar Kathi Rupar Kathi (1885), Sonay Sohaga (1885), Aryami ebang Sahebiana (1890), Samajik Roger Kaviraji Chikitsa (1891), Advaitamater Samalochana (1896), Brahmajnan O Brahmasadhana (1900), Banger Rangabhumi (1907), Haramanir Anvesan (1908), Gitapather Bhumika (1915), and Prabandhamala (1920). ^[7]

In English: Boxometry (1913), Ontology (1871), and a book on geometry.^[7]

He published innumerable writings in different magazines such as Jnanankur, Pratibimva, Tattwabodhini Patrika, Bharati, Sadhana, new look Bangadarshan, Manasi, Sahitya Parishad Patrika, Santiniketan, Budhbar, Shreyasi, Prabasi, Sabujpatra, and Suprabhat.^[7]

Descendants

Dwijendranath had five sons — Dipendranath, Arunendranath, Nitindranath, Sudhindranath and Kripendra. Amongst his sons, Sudhindranath (1869–1929) was a talented author. He wrote poems, novels and short stories. He introduced a new literary magazine, Sadhana in 1891 and was its first editor. Later, Rabindranath edited it and subsequently it was merged with Bharati.^[1]

Amongst his grandsons, Dinendranath (1882–1935), son of Dipendranath, had exceptional talent for music. He could remember the tune of any song he heard once. Rabindranath used to compose tunes for the songs he wrote but found it difficult to remember and codify them. The task was largely done by Dinendranath. He used to listen to the song and then develop its notations (swaralipi). Rabindranath used to call him the storekeeper of his songs.^[1]

Another grandson of his, Soumendranath Tagore (1910–1974), son of Sudhindranath, was a great orator. His was a name to reckon with in the cultural arena in the 1960s and '70s.^[1] He was associatd with the communist movement from his younger days.^[11]

References