Nearly 4,000 kilometres away from his birthplace in undivided Bengal, a bust of Rabindranath Tagore adorns a bustling street in Seoul’s Jongno district, near Marronnier Park, quietly observing the multitude of passers-by.
Erected in 2011 in a university neighbourhood by the South Korean government to mark the Nobel laureate’s 150th birth anniversary, the monument stands as a joint effort with the Indian embassy.
While statues and plaques honouring Tagore are found worldwide, particularly in countries he visited, such as the US and Japan, the memorial in South Korea holds a distinct significance. Despite never setting foot on the Korean Peninsula, Tagore’s influence resonated deeply with the people of Korea during their struggle for independence from Japanese colonization.
Although Tagore never visited Korea during his lifetime, he did journey to nearby China and Japan from 1916 to 1924. It was during this period that Tagore had the chance to comprehend the socio-political developments taking place. These developments greatly contrasted with the perceptions he had developed while residing in his homeland.
Rabindranath Tagore, born on May 7, 1861, in Calcutta, India, who passed away on August 7, 1941, in the same city, was a multifaceted Bengali figure. He excelled as a poet, short-story writer, composer of songs, playwright, essayist, and painter. Tagore revolutionized Bengali literature by introducing innovative prose and verse forms, along with the use of colloquial language, breaking away from classical Sanskrit traditions. His profound influence extended beyond literary realms, as he played a pivotal role in bridging Indian culture with the West and vice versa. Widely acclaimed as the preeminent creative force of early 20th-century India, Tagore made history in 1913 by becoming the first non-European recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature.
