Online Desk: The 82nd death anniversary of Biswakabi Rabindranath Tagore, who reshaped Bengali literature and music as well as arts of Indian subcontinent with contextual modernism, is today. Tagore died at the age of 80 on August 7 in 1941, according to the Gregorian calendar. But, his death anniversary is observed in Bangladesh on Sraban 22 of the Bangla calendar.

The different government and non-government institutions and cultural organizations have taken various programmes to mark the day. Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar and other private televisions and radio stations will air special programmes and dramas on the occasion. The youngest of thirteen surviving children, Tagore, nicknamed “Rabi”, was born on 25th of Bengali month of Baishakh 1268 (May 7, 1861) in the Jorasanko mansion in Calcutta to Debendranath Tagore and Sarada Devi.

In his long seven decades of endeavors in different genres of Bangla literature, the great poet enriched the Bangla language and literature and elevated their positions in the global arena. His novels, short stories, songs, dance-dramas and essays spoke to political and personal topics. Gitanjali (Song Offerings), Gora (Fair-Faced) and Ghare-Baire (The Home and the World) are his best-known works and his verse- short stories, and novels-were acclaimed-or panned-for their lyricism, colloquialism, naturalism, and unnatural contemplation.

Author of Gitanjali and its “profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse”, Rabindranath became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. Sometimes referred to as “the Bard of Bengal”, Tagore’s poetic songs were viewed as spiritual and mercurial.

His compositions were chosen by two nations as national anthems: Bangladesh’s Amar Shonar Bangla and India’s Jana Gana Mana. The Sri Lankan national anthem was inspired by his work.