Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali poet who was awarded the Nobel prize for literature. He was heavily involved with members of the Theosophical Society in England and India.
Tagore and Theosophical Society
Tagore and Besant Theosophical College
Besant Theosophical College is one of the oldest colleges in the Rayalaseema Region of Andhra Pradesh. The college started on 19 July 1915. (It was established decades before Sri Venkateswara University.) Initially it was affiliated to Madras University. In 1917 it was obliged to dissociate itself from Madras University and became part of National University. Dr. Rabindranath Tagore was the chancellor of the university.
In 1919, Tagore visited the college and during this time translated the lyrics of the Indian national anthem, "Jana Gana Mana", which he had previously written, from Bengali to English. Margaret Cousins (an expert in European music and wife of Irish poet James Cousins, then vice-principal of the college) set down the notation to the national anthem in the college, which is followed only when the song is sung in the original slow rendition style.
During Tagore's visit, the Scout Movement and "All India Women Association" were inaugurated at Madanapalle.
In 1923, the college was re-affiliated to Madras University and continued for almost 30 years. After the separation of Andhra State and Madras State, the college was affiliated to Andhra University (1954–1956) and then to Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati.
Additional resources
- Rabindranath Tagore at The Open University's website on "Making Britain: Discover how South Asians shaped the nation, 1870-1950." Accessed November 3, 2016.