Dwijendranath Tagore
Encyclopedia
See Tagore for disambiguation
Dwijendranath Tagore (11 March 1840 - 19 January 1926) was an Indian
poet, song composer, philosopher, mathematician, and a pioneer in Bengali
shorthand and musical notations.
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 Calcutta (now Kolkata). 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. A simple person he spent his time in cultivating poetry, acquiring knowledge and conducting various experiments. His wife died at a considerably young age and he remained a widower the rest of his life.
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.
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.
Michael Madhusudan Dutta was at the height of his success, when Dwijendranath started writing poetry. On return to Calcutta from Madras (now Chennai
) in 1856, Michael Madhusudan worked with marvellous devotion for six years until 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. It was an age when Michael Madhusudan influenced all Bengali poets but Dwijendranath was free from any such impact. On the other hand, Michael Madhusudan had hailed Dwijendranath as a poet of the future in whose honor he could dip his hat in respect.
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.
.
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 1899, Aryadharma O Boudhya Dharmer Ghat-Protighat (a book on the conflicts of Aryan religion [Hinduism] and Buddhism).
for 25 years from 1884 and was founder of Hitabadi. 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.
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.
As a Zamindar
absentee landlord in 1873 he advocated drastic action for "the restoration of order and tranquility" against peasants participating in the Pabna disturbances, which was severely curtailing his income.
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. He pioneered the use of notations (swaralipi) for Bengali music. The only other person who could claim credit for it was Keshetra Mohan Goswami, assistant to Raja Shourindramohan Tagore. In 1913, he wrote a book Boxometry about construction of boxes. He was adept in folding paper into different shapes.
He was secretary of the Adi Brahmo Samaj from 1866 to 1871 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
.
Closely associated with Hindu Mela, he was its secretary and composed patriotic songs for it. 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. He wrote many other devotional songs broadly classified as Brahmasangeet, sung with prayers of Brahmo Samaj. One popular patriotic song he composed for the Hindu Mela was: 'malin mukhachandrama Bharat tomari' (pale is your face, o India).
, 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 humor was a talking point for many years. His friendship with sparrows, squirrels and crows became legends in Santiniketan.
He followed 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 problem, there were learned persons such as Bidhusekhar Sastri and Kshiti Mohan Sen to help him out.
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. 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
.”
In English: Boxometry (1913), Ontology (1871), and a book on geometry.
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.
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.
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. He was associated with the communist movement from his younger days.
Dwijendranath is an ancestor of the film actress Sharmila Tagore
. One of Dwijendranath's grand-daughters, Latika, is the maternal grandmother of Sharmila Tagore.
Dwijendranath Tagore (11 March 1840 - 19 January 1926) was an Indian
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
poet, song composer, philosopher, mathematician, and a pioneer in Bengali
Bengali language
Bengali or Bangla is an eastern Indo-Aryan language. It is native to the region of eastern South Asia known as Bengal, which comprises present day Bangladesh, the Indian state of West Bengal, and parts of the Indian states of Tripura and Assam. It is written with the Bengali script...
shorthand and musical notations.
Formative years
The eldest son of Debendranath TagoreDebendranath Tagore
Debendranath Tagore was one of the founders in 1848 of the Brahmo Religion which today is synonymous with Brahmoism the youngest religion of India and Bangladesh....
and grandson of Dwarkanath Tagore
Dwarkanath Tagore
Dwarkanath Tagore , was one of the first Indian industrialists and entrepreneurs, was the founder of the Jorasanko branch of the Tagore family, and is notable for making substantial contributions to the Bengal Renaissance.-Childhood:...
of the Jorasanko
Jorasanko
Jorasanko is a neighbourhood in north Kolkata. It is so called because of the two wooden or bamboo bridges that spanned a small stream at this point.-History:...
branch of the Tagore family
Tagore family
The Tagore family, with over three hundred years of history, has been one of the leading families of Kolkata, and is regarded as a key influence during the Bengal Renaissance...
, he was mainly educated at home, but later studied for some time in St. Paul’s school and Hindu College of Calcutta (now Kolkata). He was always close to his next brother Satyendranath
Satyendranath Tagore
Satyendranath Tagore was the first Indian to join the Indian Civil Service. He was an author, song composer, linguist and made significant contribution towards the emancipation of women in Indian society during the British Raj.-Formative years:...
(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. A simple person he spent his time in cultivating poetry, acquiring knowledge and conducting various experiments. His wife died at a considerably young age and he remained a widower the rest of his life.
Poetry
His first contribution to Bengali literature was the Bengali translation of Kalidasa’sKalidasa
Kālidāsa was a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language...
classical Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
work Meghaduta
Meghaduta
Meghadūta is a lyric poem written by Kālidāsa, considered to be one of the greatest Sanskrit poets.A short poem of 111 stanzas, it is one of Kālidāsa's most famous works...
in 1860, before Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
(1861 – 1941), his younger brother and Nobel-prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
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.
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.
Michael Madhusudan Dutta was at the height of his success, when Dwijendranath started writing poetry. On return to Calcutta from Madras (now Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
) in 1856, Michael Madhusudan worked with marvellous devotion for six years until 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. It was an age when Michael Madhusudan influenced all Bengali poets but Dwijendranath was free from any such impact. On the other hand, Michael Madhusudan had hailed Dwijendranath as a poet of the future in whose honor he could dip his hat in respect.
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
Jorasanko Thakur Bari
The Thakurbari The Thakurbari The Thakurbari (Bangla: House of the Thakurs (anglicised to Tagore) in Jorasanko, north of Kolkata, West Bengal, India is the ancestral home of the Tagore family. It is currently located on the Rabindra Bharati University campus at 6/4 Dwarakanath Tagore Lane...
that if it could be collected and published it would have been a valuable volume.
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 GitaBhagavad Gita
The ' , also more simply known as Gita, is a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the ancient Sanskrit epic, the Mahabharata, but is frequently treated as a freestanding text, and in particular, as an Upanishad in its own right, one of the several books that constitute general Vedic tradition...
.
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 1899, Aryadharma O Boudhya Dharmer Ghat-Protighat (a book on the conflicts of Aryan religion [Hinduism] and Buddhism).
Activities
He edited Tattwabodhini PatrikaTattwabodhini Patrika
Tattwabodhini Patrika [Tattwabodhini Patrika ] was established by Maharshi Devendranath Tagore on 16 th August, 1843, as a journal of the Tattwabodhini Sabha, and continued publication until 1883...
for 25 years from 1884 and was founder of Hitabadi. He was keen on extending Tattwabodhini Patrika but his younger brother Jyotirindranath Tagore
Jyotirindranath Tagore
Jyotirindranath Tagore was a playwright, a musician, an editor and a painter. Endowed with an outstanding talent, he had the rare capability of spotting talent in others...
(1849 – 1925) proposed a new magazine, Bharati. Although he was editor, it was effectively run by his younger brother.
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.
As a Zamindar
Zamindar
A Zamindar or zemindar , was an aristocrat, typically hereditary, who held enormous tracts of land and ruled over and taxed the bhikaaris who lived on batavaslam. Over time, they took princely and royal titles such as Maharaja , Raja , Nawab , and Mirza , Chowdhury , among others...
absentee landlord in 1873 he advocated drastic action for "the restoration of order and tranquility" against peasants participating in the Pabna disturbances, which was severely curtailing his income.
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. He pioneered the use of notations (swaralipi) for Bengali music. The only other person who could claim credit for it was Keshetra Mohan Goswami, assistant to Raja Shourindramohan Tagore. In 1913, he wrote a book Boxometry about construction of boxes. He was adept in folding paper into different shapes.
He was secretary of the Adi Brahmo Samaj from 1866 to 1871 and used to serve as acharya or minister for upasanas or Brahmo prayers. He had accompanied his father Debendranath to Dhaka
Dhaka
Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and the principal city of Dhaka Division. Dhaka is a megacity and one of the major cities of South Asia. Located on the banks of the Buriganga River, Dhaka, along with its metropolitan area, had a population of over 15 million in 2010, making it the largest city...
when Dhaka Brahmo Samaj was in its formative years under the leadership of Braja Sundar Mitra
Braja Sundar Mitra
Braja Sundar Mitra , son of Bhabani Prasad Mitra, was founder of Dhaka Brahmo Samaj. He was a social reformer and later founded the Brahmo Samaj at Comilla. He contributed substantially to the cause of women’s education, remarriage of widows, movement against polygamy and consumption of liquor...
.
Closely associated with Hindu Mela, he was its secretary and composed patriotic songs for it. 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
Poush
Poush is the 9th month of both the Bangla calendar and the Nepali Calendar. It overlaps December and January of the Gregorian calendar. It is the first month of the winter season....
for many years. He wrote many other devotional songs broadly classified as Brahmasangeet, sung with prayers of Brahmo Samaj. One popular patriotic song he composed for the Hindu Mela was: 'malin mukhachandrama Bharat tomari' (pale is your face, o India).
At Santiniketan
Dwijendranath spent the last twenty years of his life at SantiniketanSantiniketan
Santiniketan is a small town near Bolpur in the Birbhum district of West Bengal, India, approximately 180 kilometres north of Kolkata . It was made famous by Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore, whose vision became what is now a university town that attracts thousands of visitors each year...
, 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 humor was a talking point for many years. His friendship with sparrows, squirrels and crows became legends in Santiniketan.
He followed 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 problem, there were learned persons such as Bidhusekhar Sastri and Kshiti Mohan Sen to help him out.
Rabindranath used to call him borodada (reverential way of saying eldest brother). Right from the time Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
and C.F.Andrews
Charles Freer Andrews
Charles Freer Andrews was an English priest of the Church of England. He was an educator and participant in the campaign for Indian independence, and became Mahatma Gandhi's closest friend and associate....
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. 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
Sannyasa
Sannyasa is the order of life of the renouncer within the Hindu scheme of āśramas, or life stages. It is considered the topmost and final stage of the ashram systems and is traditionally taken by men or women at or beyond the age of fifty years old or by young monks who wish to renounce worldly...
.”
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).In English: Boxometry (1913), Ontology (1871), and a book on geometry.
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.
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.Amongst his grandsons, Dinendranath
Dinendranath Tagore
Dinendranath Tagore was a Bengali musician and noted singer, a grandson of the eldest brother of Rabindranath Tagore who codified many of the tunes that would appear impetuously to Rabindranath...
(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.
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. He was associated with the communist movement from his younger days.
Dwijendranath is an ancestor of the film actress Sharmila Tagore
Sharmila Tagore
Sharmila Tagore is an Indian film actress. She has won National Film Awards and Filmfare Awards for her performances.She has led the Indian Film Censor Board from October 2004 till March 2011...
. One of Dwijendranath's grand-daughters, Latika, is the maternal grandmother of Sharmila Tagore.