The correct answer is (c), Rabindranath Tagore.
Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali polymath who reshaped Bengali literature and music, as well as Indian art with Contextual Modernism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Author of the “National Anthem of India” and “National Anthem of Bangladesh”, he became the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. He was also a pioneer in the development of modern Indian art.
Tagore was born in Kolkata, British India (now West Bengal, India), into a wealthy Bengali family of zamindars (landowners). He was the youngest of 14 children of Debendranath Tagore, a religious reformer and founder of the Brahmo Samaj, and Sarada Devi. Tagore was educated at home by private tutors, and he began writing poetry at a young age.
In 1877, Tagore traveled to England to study law at University College London. However, he soon abandoned his studies to focus on his literary career. In 1880, he returned to India and published his first book of poems, “Sandhya Sangeet” (Evening Songs).
Tagore’s early poetry was influenced by the Romantic poets of the West, but he soon developed his own unique style. His poems are characterized by their lyrical beauty, their use of nature imagery, and their exploration of philosophical themes.
In 1883, Tagore married Mrinalini Devi, the daughter of a Bengali landowner. The couple had five children, two of whom died in infancy.
In the 1890s, Tagore began to write plays and novels. His most famous play is “Chitra” (1892), which is a retelling of an ancient Indian legend. His most famous novel is “Gora” (1907), which is a social satire about the conflict between traditional and modern values in India.
Tagore was also a prolific writer of short stories, essays, and travelogues. He also wrote a number of songs, many of which are still popular in India today.
In 1913, Tagore was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for his “comprehensive, many-sided and artistically significant work, which has exerted an incalculable influence on the literature of his own country.” He was the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.
Tagore continued to write and travel until his death in 1941. He is considered one of the most important figures in Indian literature and culture.
The Jullianwala Bagh massacre was a massacre of unarmed Indian civilians by British Indian Army soldiers on 13 April 1919 in the Jallianwala Bagh garden in Amritsar, Punjab, British India (now India). The massacre was ordered by Brigadier-General Reginald Dyer, who commanded the 3rd Battalion of the British Indian Army’s 1st Punjab Regiment.
The massacre took place on the day of Baisakhi, a major Sikh festival. Dyer had banned public gatherings, but a large crowd had gathered in the Jallianwala Bagh to celebrate the festival and to listen to a speech by a local leader. Dyer ordered his soldiers to open fire on the crowd without warning. The soldiers fired for about ten minutes, killing at least 379 people and injuring over 1,200.
The Jallianwala Bagh massacre was a major turning point in the Indian independence movement. It led to widespread protests and demonstrations against British rule. It also led to the resignation of the British Viceroy, Lord Chelmsford.
In protest against the massacre, Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood, which he had been awarded in 1915. He wrote a letter to the Viceroy, Lord Chelmsford, in which he said:
“The diabolical massacre at Jallianwala Bagh has shaken the foundations of my faith in British justice.”
Tagore’s decision to renounce his knighthood was a powerful gesture of defiance against British rule. It was also a sign of his deep commitment to the Indian independence movement.