Rabindra Nath Tagore in Dalhousie - 1873

Nobel Laureate R.N. Tagore, at the young age of 11 visited Dalhousie Hills. His stay of a few months had a life long impact on him. He accompanied his father, Maharishi Debindra Nath Tagore. Tagore described the memories of his visit to Dalhousie in his autobiography "My Reminiscences."

This was the first time in his life that he came in close contact with his father. Senior Tagore encouraged his young accomplice to experiment with poetry, storytelling, and singing. He also personally tutored him in Sanskrit and studies of English literature. The love, attention, and encouragement he got from his father during the trip and from the rest of the family after the trip, brought Tagore out of his shell, and gave him a lot of self confidence. He also relived how his spirits uplifted with beauty of nature.

They left Calcutta in Feburary of 1873. Before going to Dalhousie, they stayed at Amritsar for sometime. Tagore wrote in his memoirs, "The last few days in Amritsar seemed as if they would never pass, the Himalayas were calling me so strongly." They left Amritsar in mid-April for Dalhousie.

He was so enamoured witht he natural beauty of the palace, he wrote, "The terraced hillside, as we went up in Jhampan, were aflame with flowering spring crops. Every morining we made a start after bread and milk, and before sunset took shelter in the next staging bungalow. My eyes had no rest the entire day, so much did I fear missing something.----Why had we ever to leave such spots, cried my thirsting heart. Why could we not stay on for good?"

R.N. Tagore left Dalhousie in late June with his attendant Kishori. On June 27, 1873 his father wrote from Bakrota, "I am sending Rabindra to you all as a live letter."

Rabindra during his sojourn in Dalhousie had discovered himself. He wrote in his reminiscences, "On my return I acquired some rights. My very proximity to others ruled me our of mind before, by going away and coming back. I came into focus------My arrival was not merely a homecoming, but also a return from exile in the servants quarters to my rightful place in the inner apartments.----I now occupied a seat of honor."

Rabindranath Tagore - Chronology, Profile, Writings