Rabindranath Tagore Jayanti, also known as Rabindra Jayanti, is commemorated annually on May 7 to mark the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, an Indian poet, writer, philosopher, painter, and social reformer.

Born on May 7, 1861, in Kolkata, Tagore went on to earn sobriquets like the Bard of Bengal and Gurudev. 

He was fondly known as Gurudev by Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, the father of the nation. In return, Tagore referred to Gandhi as ‘Mahatma’, as a term of endearment.

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His most acclaimed literary works include the Indian national anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’, The Postmaster, Kabuliwala, and Gitanjali. 

In 1913, Tagore won the Nobel Prize in Literature for Gitanjali, a collection of poetry revolving around, love, desires and inner conflicts.

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His most popular artworks are Dancing Woman (1940), Head Study (1929), and Woman’s Face (1931). 

As the country celebrates his 161st birth anniversary, we take a look at some of his most inspirational quotes. 

1. “Reach high, for stars lie hidden in you. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.”

2. “You can’t cross the sea merely by standing and staring at the water.”

3. “I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.”

4. “A mind all logic is like a knife all blade. It makes the hand bleed that uses it.”

5.  “If you cry because the sun has gone out of your life, your tears will prevent you from seeing the stars.”

6. “The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough.”

7. “I seem to have loved you in numberless forms, numberless times, in life after life, in age after age forever.”