Rabindranath Tagore was a Bengali polymath who reshaped Bengali literature, music, and Indian art with Contextual Modernism during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer, and painter who significantly contributed to the Bengal Renaissance.

Tagore's most celebrated work, Gitanjali, is known for its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse." In 1913, he became the first non-European to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, making him the first lyricist to achieve this honor.

Known as "the Bard of Bengal," Tagore was referred to by various sobriquets such as Gurudeb, Kobiguru, and Biswokobi. A Bengali Brahmin from Calcutta, Tagore wrote poetry from a young age and released his first poems under the pseudonym Bhānusiṃha or "Sun Lion." He graduated to publishing short stories and dramas under his real name by 1877.

Tagore was a humanist, universalist, internationalist, and an ardent critic of nationalism. He denounced the British Raj and advocated for India's independence from Britain. He founded the Visva-Bharati University, contributing to his enduring legacy. Tagore's compositions were chosen as national anthems by India and Bangladesh, and his influence extended to Sri Lanka's national anthem.

He modernized Bengali art by resisting rigid classical forms and linguistic strictures. His novels, stories, songs, dance dramas, and essays addressed both political and personal themes. Some of his notable works include Gitanjali, Gora, and Ghare-Baire.