Rabindranath Tagore is celebrated for his poetry, paintings and music, but there is still much to discover about the person behind these works. A collection preserved by a family that was close to the Nobel laureate is now set to bring some of his lesser-known experiences into public view.
The private archive will be exhibited at Christie's in Mumbai from November 10. The collection offers an opportunity to explore a chapter of Tagore's life that has remained within the family for decades.
(Also Read: Italian chef in Australia fired after refusing to put pineapple on pizza, calls it 'insult to culture')
Unseen manuscripts reveal Tagore's creative process
The collection was preserved at the family home of Maitreyi Devi, a writer and close associate of Tagore, in Mungpoo, a village in Darjeeling. The poet visited the family between 1938 and 1940, during the final years of his life. He died in 1941.
A report by The Guardian says the archive contains 10 complete manuscripts, hundreds of letters, artworks and personal belongings. Among the documents is a 1940 manuscript believed to be a draft of Tagore's memoir, Chelebela, also known as My Boyhood Days.
{{/usCountry}}A report by The Guardian says the archive contains 10 complete manuscripts, hundreds of letters, artworks and personal belongings. Among the documents is a 1940 manuscript believed to be a draft of Tagore's memoir, Chelebela, also known as My Boyhood Days.
{{/usCountry}}The writing looks back at his childhood in Calcutta, now Kolkata, and the changes taking place around him as electricity and motorcars became part of everyday life. It also touches upon his views on education and how children should learn.
Nishad Avari, Christie's head of South Asian modern and contemporary art and the exhibition curator, told The Guardian that Tagore compared restrictive education to prison. His belief in freedom and curiosity shaped Santiniketan, where students often learnt outdoors, sitting under trees with their teachers.
Letters and personal belongings offer intimate details
The manuscripts and correspondence also tell the story of Tagore's relationship with Maitreyi Devi and her family. One of the documents was dictated by the poet to Devi, reflecting the close association they shared.
The archive includes copies of his books signed for her, as well as letters exchanged with her father and later with Devi herself.
Some of the manuscripts also contain small doodles among the corrections, offering a glimpse into the connection between Tagore's writing and visual art. The family has preserved a kurta and a lungi that he left behind during his visits.
The collection also features a portrait of Devi and a landscape depicting the forests of Mungpoo, which served as a retreat for the poet.
(Also Read: Danish comedian secretly filmed over 4 months for reality show, TV channel apologises)
Exhibition to open in Mumbai this month
Tagore became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature, receiving the honour in 1913 for Gitanjali. His compositions also include the national anthems of India and Bangladesh.
His works are already held by major institutions, including Visva-Bharati in Santiniketan and the National Gallery of Modern Art. The family collection, however, offers material that has remained outside public view.
Titled Rabindranath Tagore and Mungpoo, the exhibition will be held at Christie's space in south Mumbai from November 10 to December 18.