Rabindra Jayanti 2027

About Rabindra Jayanti

Rabindra Jayanti is the birth anniversary of Rabindranath Tagore, the poet, composer and painter who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. West Bengal and Tripura mark it on 25 Boishakh of the Bengali calendar, known as Pochishe Boishakh, which in 2027 falls on Sunday, 9 May 2027. Elsewhere in India it is often marked on 7 May, his birth date in the Gregorian calendar.

Rabindranath Tagore was born on 7 May 1861 at Jorasanko Thakurbari, the Tagore family house in north Kolkata, the youngest of the thirteen surviving children of Debendranath Tagore and Sarada Devi. In the Bengali calendar that day was 25 Boishakh 1268. Bengal kept the Bengali date, and so for most Bengalis his birthday is simply Pochishe Boishakh, "the twenty-fifth of Boishakh".

Why is Rabindra Jayanti not on 7 May in Bengal?

The Bengali calendar is solar, and its months start when the sun enters a new sign of the zodiac. Boishakh begins on 14 or 15 April, depending on when that moment falls, so the 25th of the month lands on 8 or 9 May. The two calendars have slipped against each other by a day or two since 1861.

If you are wishing a Bengali friend, send it on their date, not 7 May. It is a small thing, and they will notice.

The man being remembered

Tagore wrote poems, novels, short stories, plays and essays, and composed about 2,230 songs, a body of music now called Rabindrasangeet. In 1913 he won the Nobel Prize in Literature for *Gitanjali*, the first non-European to receive it. Two national anthems are his: India's "Jana Gana Mana" and Bangladesh's "Amar Shonar Bangla".

He also painted, late in life, and his work was shown in Paris and London around 1930. In 1901 he moved to Santiniketan in Birbhum and opened an experimental school, which grew into Visva-Bharati University. He was knighted in 1915 and gave the title back in 1919 in protest at the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Bengal calls him Kobiguru, the poet-teacher, or Gurudev. He died at Jorasanko on 7 August 1941, in the house where he was born.

How Bengal marks Pochishe Boishakh

The day starts early. In Kolkata, groups set out on a prabhat pheri, a dawn walk through the neighbourhood singing Tagore's songs, women in saris and men in dhoti and kurta. Jorasanko Thakurbari, his family home, hosts the biggest set of programmes, with songs, recitation and dance running through the day.

Almost every para, school and housing society holds a Kabipranam, a tribute programme. A garlanded portrait of Tagore is set on a small stage. Children recite poems such as "Birpurush" that they have rehearsed for weeks, older students dance to his songs, and the singers work from a well-thumbed Gitabitan, the collected edition of his songs.

At Santiniketan, Visva-Bharati holds its own observance. For years the university marked the birthday on Pohela Boishakh along with the new year; in 2016 it was reported to have moved the celebration to 25 Boishakh itself. Check the university's notice if you plan to visit. Bengali associations across India and abroad hold evening programmes, often on the nearest weekend.

In 2011, for the 150th anniversary of his birth, the Government of India issued a commemorative five-rupee coin.

What to write

A Rabindra Jayanti message works best with a little Tagore inside it: a line from a song the person loves, or a mention of the programme they are taking part in. The usual Bengali greeting is "Pochishe Boishakher shubhechha" or "Rabindra Jayantir antorik shubhechha". "Kobiguru ke pronam" is a respectful way to open.

Pochishe Boishakh

The twenty-fifth day of Boishakh, the first month of the Bengali year; Tagore's birthday.

Kobiguru

"Poet-teacher", the name Bengal uses for Tagore.

Kabipranam

A tribute programme of songs, poems and dance held on his birthday.

Prabhat pheri

A dawn procession through the streets, singing as it goes.

Rabindrasangeet

The songs Tagore wrote and set to music, about 2,230 of them.

Gitabitan

The collected edition of Tagore's songs, kept in many Bengali homes.

Thakurbari

"The Tagore house", the family home at Jorasanko in north Kolkata.

The Bengali year itself opens on Pohela Boishakh, 24 days earlier. Readers who love poetry and Bengali may also want World Poetry Day and International Mother Language Day, which began with the Bengali language movement.

How to wish someone on Rabindra Jayanti

A Rabindra Jayanti wish is a small tribute, so it reads best when it carries a line of Tagore or names a song. "Kobiguru ke pronam" (salutations to the poet) is the classic opener. Mention the morning programme, a child's recitation, or the Gitabitan on the family shelf. For a Bengali friend far from Kolkata, say you know where their mind is today. Keep it gentle; this is a cultural day, not a religious one, and people of every faith in Bengal join in.

Write a few lines in your own words, pick a design and share it as one link on WhatsApp, Instagram or anywhere else. They open an animated card made just for them, with no app and no sign-up.

Language tip: English, Bengali.

When is Rabindra Jayanti in each year?

Rabindra Jayanti is set by the Bengali solar calendar, so it falls on a different date each year.

Frequently asked questions