Rabindra Bharati Museum

Location: 6/4 Dwaraka Nath Tagore Lane.

Time to Visit: Sound and Light show:

November to January: 6 P.M.-6.40 P.M (Bengali), 7 P.M.-7.40 P.M (English).

Monsoon break from July to September. No shows are held in this period.

February to June: 7 P.M.-7.40 P.M. (Bengali), 8 P.M.-8.40 P.M. (English).

Preferred Timings: Any of the above-mentioned timing convenient to you.

Admission Fee: Rs.10/-

How to Reach: Local buses, minibuses and metered taxis are readily available from various parts of the city. One can also avail the charming Kolkata tramcars and the highly efficient metro rail.

Photography / Video charges: Strictly prohibited.

Nearest Railway Station: Howrah.

Nearest Metro Station: Park Street.

Nearest Functional Metro Station: Park Street.

Nearest International Airport: Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport.

Time required for sightseeing: About 1 hour.

No trip to Kolkata is complete without a tryst with the legacy of Rabindra Nath Tagore. Although the great poet and seer is no longer alive, his spirit lives on. You would do well to visit the Rabindra Bharati Museum also referred to as the Jorasanko Thakur Bari at 6/4 Dwarkanath Tagore Lane which happens to be the ancestral house of the Tagore family. Today, this house of the Tagores have been converted into a museum and needless to say, the museum is a storehouse of Tagore memorabilia.

This great Bengali poet, novelist and educator was the first Asian to be awarded the coveted Nobel Prize for literature in the year 1913. Rabindra Nath Tagore was far removed from the narrow confines of so called nationalism and right from the beginning he stressed on the need for a new world order based on transnational values.

In his telegram sent to the Nobel committee which was read by Mr.Clive, the then British Charge d Affaires, at the Nobel Banquet at the majestic Grand Hotel, Stockholm on December 10, 1913, he wrote : "I beg to convey to the Swedish Academy my grateful appreciation of the breadth of understanding which has brought the distant near and has made a stranger a brother". This telegram written by the great poet amply reflects his farsighted global vision of universal brotherhood of nations.

The Tagore family played a pioneering role in the 19th century Bengali Renaissance. Not only were they wealthy, they were extremely well read, erudite and cultured. Of all the children, Rabindra Nath was the most gifted and significantly his meteoric rise to the pinnacle of the literary world materialized from his ancestral house at Jorasanko Thakur Bari which has now been converted into a museum.

A visit to the museum reveals the poet's romantic life and a rich collection of artifacts including his personal belongings, his published and unpublished literary works, all of which are displayed at this hallowed museum. On the periphery of the museum premises, there is the Bichitra Bhawan where the great poet enacted some of his famous plays.

There has been an unprecedented surge in interest by literary folks from allover the world to explore the fascinating realms of Rabindra Nath Tagore's philosophy and his works. To satisfy this urge, a spectacular Sound & Light Show is conducted at the Museum premises. The show provides fascinating insight into the 19th century Bengali Renaissance and the pioneering role played by the Tagore family in the renaissance. The show rather artistically depicts the coming of the Tagore family at Kolkata from the district of Jessore (now Bangladesh) to the meteoric rise of Rabindra Nath Tagore at the world stage. The show also provides the great poet's vision of universal brotherhood and his belief on a fearless striving for truth, creativity and imagination.

The Rabindra Bharati University too has its center here at the Museum and the research center, art gallery and the well stocked library are always buzzing with activity with Tagore enthusiasts from India and abroad pouring in to this museum every day.

The ambience inside this hallowed museum is indeed very inspiring. Each room of the museum with its assortment of Tagore memorabilia provides us with clues to the enigmatic personality of this great statesman. Any avid Tagore enthusiast will vouch for the mysterious appeal of the "Southern Room" with its verandah which formed the background of two of his masterpieces - "Ghare Baire" and Dakshiner Verandah". The room still exudes with the nostalgia of those golden days.

Rabindra Nath Tagore was a humanist to the core and the museum is a bold opposition to the so-called modern civilization that we seem to have embraced.

Special Event / Annual Event

Birthday of Rabindra Nath Tagore.

Nearby Tourist Attractions

Chowringhee, Maidan.