Gurudev Rabindranath is one of the prolific and versatile author and poet not only in Asia but throughout the world too. We call him” Viswakabi “or World-Poet. The first love of Rabindranath Thakur is undoubtedly to nature, but his first love to a woman is a girl of Maharashtra. Therefore, it is an interesting subject that will be discussed here heading the title ” the first love of Rabindranath Thakur”.

Although he was a lover of nature and humanity. Both nature and human life is interlinked in his literature. During his childhood days, he was governed by the servants. Even he couldn’t go out alone. So, he used to notice the beauty of nature through his windows. He tried to manifest this relationship in different forms.

But after all, he was a human being. He had a personal life. Naturally, like others, love came into his life. Today we will talk about the first love of Rabindranath Thakur.

• RABINDRANATH AND HIS FAMILY:THE STORY OF THAKURBADI

• Rabindranath Thakur had a strong and beautiful physique. He brought up in an aristocratic and well-to-do family of Jorasanko. He was not interested in traditional education. He attended very less time in school than to study in home.

Kadambaridevi, his sister- in- law, (wife of his elder brother, Jotirindranath Thakur who was also a great artist,) was an intimate companion to Tagore in his boyhood. She was 2/3 years older than Rabindranath. He loved to stay in the natural surroundings. What he gathered from the nature, dipicted all these feelings in poetry.

• Today I will discuss here about his personal life and his first love to a lady in his youth. Probably it was his first love as a girl friend who was not a Bengali. She was a Maharashtrian. We know that the poet last love was with a foreign lady, Victoria Ocampo.

• Like common people, the genius of this world has had love affairs. And Rabindranath was not aloof from it. During his long tenure as a fabulous writer and activists, he came close to various women.

He lost his wife, Mrinalini in immature time when he was in the middle of the forties. So he was alone.

• Love Of Great People: First love of Rabindranah Thakur:

• However, some others great geniuses of the World were also addicted to love. Although it is their personal matter, but its repurcation has been shadowed in their creativities.

• Love is not exclusively for common people, it’s also a inner characteristics of human beings. Hence, we see that many great geniuses are involved in romantic love affair.

• So it’s not a matter of wonder if any great man be involved in love affair. There are so many such love story in the history of mankind.

• Mapassan, the great short story writer of the world, or Flabeyer who became famous writing ” Mother Boverie” – they have the same story of love affair like Rabindranath. ‘Mai’, the mother of Mopanssa, was the lover of Flabeyer.

• On the other side, Moppanssa, the disciple of Flabeyer, used to spend day after day in red light area.

• Balzac, one of the eminent writer and novelist, used to change lady lovers like dress changing. Even these ladies were married. In this regard, he was a Bohemian, never contented in a fixed lady.

• Another world distinguished man, Russo who had been attracted by the beautiful ladies and used to spend time with them. His writing ” Social Contract” became famous and he got worldwide fame.

• But his life was somewhat strange and restless. He lived with a lady like a husband-wife under the roof of a home who was a daughter of his maid Servent. And they had four children.

• All that great men involved with their lovers before and after they got familiar. Tagore’s love life was not like them. He was not Bohemian like them. His first love was with Anna, a Maharashtrian girl. Tagore named her “Nalini”. Though Anna requested him to let her give a name.

• Devendranath Tagore, father of Rabindrabath was thoughtful about his younger son’s education. His second son, Satendranath was then an ICS officer ( first ICS in India) and working as a Magistrate in Ammedabad.

• Satendranath Thakur’s decision about Rabindranath’s Education:

• Being learnt about his brother’s education, he advised to send him in England to study Barrister. Devendranath agreed. So the preparation started. Satendranath brought Rabindranath to his service place. He stayed in a old Palace to teach him modern culture and English speaking.

THE FIRST LOVE OF RABINDRANATH TAGORE :

After a few days, Satendranath Thakur

sent him to his friend’s house in Bombay( Now Mumbai). His friend, Dr. Pandurangak Turkhad was a modern man who introduced Parthana Samaj. It was like Brahma Samaj. Both were refined sect of Hindu religion.

Like Devendranath, he was also a reformist of Maharashtrian society. Here young Rabindranath came near to his first lover, Annapurna or Anna.

Tagore was so impressed with her love that he couldn’t forget her. He wrote a poem by imagining her love.

“Oh! Nalini open your eyes
Is sleep still to abandon its ply
See standing at your door
The rising sun’s first score
Hearing my morning song
See all around the shroud of sleep has gone.”

—the English translation of an excerpt from Tagore’s poem Probhati.

Fondly referred to as  “Gurudev” or “Viswakabi” or ‘Kobiguru’, poet laureate and versatile genius Rabindranath Tagore lives on through his timeless literary work. 

But for many, his enduring legacy is nowhere better expressed than in his original songs and poems. There are over 2500 songs (lyrics) and over 4000 poems respectively.

His songs can melting down our hearts. We sing Tagore songs in living rooms, during festivals, and at the turn of every season. Rabindra Sangeet is rich repertoire includes some outstanding odes to love.

How much does it impact in listeners mind? Let’s learn the speech of Anna. Anna ( Nalini) told the poet, ” Oh dear Poet, I can survive from the death bed listening your song.

• His immortal Songs:

• Let’s take an example of his song . “Bhaalobese sokhi, nibhrite jatane Amar naamti rekho tomar moner mondire” — “Do inscribe my name, my darling, with utmost care and affection, in the temple of your soul.”

• So it’s not very surprising that the Bengali icon is often familiar with the ‘poet of romance’. However, few know the story of Tagore’s love for Annapurna Turkhad of Bombay.

As a 17-year-old, the future Nobel laureate was in deep love with the young Marathi girl. Therefore, he would go on to immortalise her in many of his poems.

• Interestingly, Priyanka Chopra’s production has picturized this little known romance in Hindi.

We portrayed before how and when poet came close to Anna, the first woman he loved.

• Here’s the story of Annapurna Turkhad. This is the girl Tagore fondly called ‘Nalini’.

Image: kalpatarurudra.org

Anna or Annabai, or Annapurna was her call name. Belonging to a highly educated family, and being educated in Europe, she was very modern.

As such, her father’s circle of friends were reformists and eminent citizens from across the country.

• Hoping that his younger brother’s English would improve if he stayed with the anglicised Turkhund family, Satyendranath convinced 17-year-old Tagore to stay with the Turkhud family. Debendranath agreed.

It was before his first voyage to Britain in 1878 (where he was going to pursue further studies). I think it was to pursue Ber-at-law.

• So, for two months in mid-1878, a teenaged Tagore lived at Atmaram’s household. He used to have  lessons in spoken English from Anna.

• She was about three years elder to Rabindranath. Annapurna had just returned from England and was comfortably conversant with the English language.

• We believe that they have a mutual attraction during these days. Krishna Kripalini, the biographer of Tagore, described vividly their platonic relationship in his book Tagore —A Life.

• According to this book, as affection bloomed between them, Tagore gave Anna the nickname ‘Nalini’. And even inspiring by her he wrote several poems.

However, the youthful love did not transform into a future together. The destiny was willing otherwise.

Also read: Rabindranath Tagore in depression/kalpatarurudra.org

TAGORE’S SONGS / Rabithakurer Gaan (TAGORE’S SONGS )//kalpatarurudra.org/RabindranathTagore As A Doctor

Tagore stayed two-month in Bombay. Therefore, he bid adieu to Anna. Because he departed for England on a ship.

• NEW LIFE OF ANNA :

• Two years later, Annapurna married Harold Little dale. He was a Scottish. Besides, he was the vice-principal of Baroda High School and College. Subsequently, the couple left India for England and settled in Edinburgh.

But unfortunately, Annapurna died in relative obscurity in 1891. She was then only 33 years old.

• Interestingly, evidence suggests that both Annapurna and her father, Dr Pandurang decided their marriage between Tagore and Annapurna.
.. It seems clear that Atmaram had agreed but Debendranath (Tagore’s father) rejected it. Because his son was very young and Annapurna was older than his son.

• According to the book The Myriad Minded Man (writers:  Krishna Dutta and W. Andrew Robinson), Atmaram and Annapurna travelled to Calcutta in early 1879. And they paid a visit to Debendranath at Jorasanko Thakur Bari, the family residence of the Tagores.

• What passed between them remains shrouded in mystery. But the authors believe that Debendranath mooted and rejected this negotiation.

Kalpatarurudra.org

• However, the fact is that Annapurna continued to use ‘Nalini’ as her literary moniker. And she named one of her nephews as Rabindranath.

• So it shows that it was not just a momentary flirtation for the two. The first love of Rabindranath Thakur too continued to write both poetry and prose.

Rabindranath composed poetry by the name of Nalini. Therefore, he used it in the most endearing of manners.

• Tagore never forgot about Annapurna. Naturally, he would often reminisce about her in his old age. He recalls that ‘Nalini’ had once asked him,

” Why do you have a beard hiding in outline of your face?”

The Nobel laureate remarked this at the age of 80,

“Everyone knows that I have not followed that advice. But she herself did not live to see my disobedience proclaimed upon my face.”

Thus Rabindranath and Anna’s first love became immortal.

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