Chirag Paswan pays tribute to Rabindranath Tagore on death anniversary
Synopsis
Union Minister Chirag Paswan marked the 85th death anniversary of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore on 7 August 2026, honouring the poet-philosopher who composed India's national anthem and became the first non-European Nobel Literature laureate in 1913.
Key Takeaways
7 August 2026 marks the 85th death anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, who died on 7 August 1941 .
Union Food Processing Minister Chirag Paswan offered a tribute on X, calling Tagore the composer of the national anthem, world-renowned poet, philosopher, and Nobel laureate.
Tagore received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 , becoming the first non-European to win the honour.
Jana Gana Mana , composed by Tagore, was adopted as India's national anthem by the Constituent Assembly in 1950 .
Tagore founded Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan and left a vast legacy spanning poetry, music ( Rabindra Sangeet ), drama, and painting.
On the death anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore — Nobel laureate, composer of Jana Gana Mana, and one of the most luminous figures in world literature — Union Food Processing Minister Chirag Paswan offered his homage on 7 August 2026, joining a nation that pauses each year to remember the man who gave India its voice.
Paswan wrote in Hindi: 'भारतीय राष्ट्रगान के रचयिता, विश्वविख्यात कवि, साहित्यकार, दार्शनिक और नोबेल पुरस्कार से सम्मानित गुरुदेव रवीन्द्र नाथ टैगोर की पुण्यतिथि पर विनम्र श्रद्धांजलि।' — 'Humble tribute on the death anniversary of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore, composer of the Indian national anthem, world-renowned poet, litterateur, philosopher, and Nobel laureate.'
Tagore, born in 1861 in Calcutta, died on 7 August 1941 — 85 years to the day. His Nobel Prize in Literature, awarded in 1913, made him the first non-European to receive the honour. The anthem he penned, Jana Gana Mana, was adopted by the Constituent Assembly in 1950 and has opened every formal occasion of the Indian republic since.
Tagore's enduring hold on Indian public life
Tagore was not merely a poet. He founded Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan, West Bengal, composed thousands of songs — the body of work known as Rabindra Sangeet — wrote plays, painted, and shaped the philosophy of a generation that would go on to build independent India. Mahatma Gandhi called him 'Gurudev'; the honorific has stuck across eight decades.
His death anniversary on 7 August is observed nationally, with institutional events at Visva-Bharati and cultural programmes across West Bengal and beyond. Ministers and officials across portfolios mark the occasion — a ritual of national memory that crosses party and ministerial lines.
Point of View
Making his anniversary a safe but genuinely meaningful occasion for cross-party homage. For a minister whose portfolio is economic and industrial, invoking Tagore reinforces the government's broader pitch that development and cultural heritage are complementary projects. The ritual also keeps Visva-Bharati and Bengal's literary identity in the national conversation at a time when the ruling coalition has strategic interests in the state.
NationPress
7 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
When did Rabindranath Tagore die?
Rabindranath Tagore died on 7 August 1941 . His death anniversary is observed nationally each year with tributes from political leaders, cultural institutions, and Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan.
Why did Chirag Paswan pay tribute to Rabindranath Tagore?
Chirag Paswan , Union Minister of Food Processing Industries, paid tribute on Tagore's death anniversary — a widely observed national occasion. Indian ministers across portfolios routinely mark cultural anniversaries of major national icons on social media.
What is Rabindranath Tagore famous for?
Tagore is renowned as the composer of India's national anthem Jana Gana Mana , as a Nobel Prize-winning poet (the first non-European to win the Literature prize, in 1913 ), and as the founder of Visva-Bharati University in Santiniketan, West Bengal.
Who is Chirag Paswan?
Chirag Paswan is the Union Minister of Food Processing Industries in the Government of India and the national president of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) .
When was Jana Gana Mana adopted as India's national anthem?
Jana Gana Mana , composed by Rabindranath Tagore, was adopted as India's national anthem by the Constituent Assembly on 24 January 1950 .
