Rabindranath Tagore Work in the Brahmo Samaj

Rabindranath wrote Sandhya Sangeet - Evening songs, a volume of Bengali verse, came out in 1882. Between 1884 and 1890 various volumes of his poems appeared, together with a profuse output of prose articles, criticism, plays and novels. Tagore married when he was 23. At this stage, beyond his literary pursuits, he had begun sharing his father’s religious responsibilities. In 1911, Tagore took over the leadership of the Adi Brahmo Samaj. Under the influence of Rabindranath, Adi Brahmo Samaj was showing signs of revival. The old rule of allowing Brahmins to the pulpit were being relaxed and men of other castes were being invited into it. The Tattwabodhini Patrika had secured a new band of writers and young men trained under Rabindranath came forward to take up the work of the Samaj. Rabindranath was also intimate with Trailokyanath Sanyal who inspired him in the composition of Brahmasangeet. Rabindranath stated a Boys Boarding school - the Brahamacharyashram (or Ashram) School was inaugurated on 22 December 1901 with only a few pupils, his son being one of them, and with an equal number of teachers. It was to be run on the pattern of teachers and pupils living together amidst natural surroundings and willingly accepting an austere standard of living, often working with their own hands in Shantiniketan.The boys were trained to habits of economy, moderation, self control and due reverence of their teachers and their spiritual interests were taken care by encouraging habits of daily devotion. In 1912 Tagore left for the United Kingdom. Some of his poems and writings had already been translated into English and had attracted the attention of the well-known English painter Sir William Rothenstein and the poet W B Yeats. He made such an impression on the British writers and intellectuals that he was at once accepted as a great poet and intellectual. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in November 1913.