Jyotirindranath Tagore

Tagore was born into rich family and is noted as a playwright, a musician, an editor and a painter. He also had some business ventures into indigo planting and steam shipping but both failed.

His grandfather Dwarkanath Tagore was a pioneering and legendary figure in business activities. He had earned so much and lived so lavishly that people called him ‘Prince’. Jyotirindranath earned some profits from indigo cultivation. He could not continue with indigo cultivation as result of the drop in demand subsequent to discovery of chemical indigo in Germany. He was eager to invest his profits in some business venture. At that time, there was a need for a steamer link between Khulna and Barisal.

He bought the shell of a steamer and on fitting it with engines was pressed into service as “Sarojini”. That was in 1884. An English company Flotila also entered the fray and soon competition emerged. Jyotirindranath bought four more steamers. After naming them “Swadeshi”, “Bharat”, “Bangalakshmi” and “Lord Ripon”, those were launched in his steamer company. Both the companies started reducing the fares. Jyotirindranath started incurring heavy losses but still persisted with the business. In 1889, while cruising in the Hooghly River, “Swadeshi” hit a jetty and sank. At that point of time, Flotila offered a fair price for his other steamers. Jyotirindranath sold them and opted out of the competition.

In early childhood he was taught at home by his elder brother Hemendranath. Thereafter, he studied at St. Paul’s and Montague’s school, and passed Entrance Examination from Hindu School in 1864. The renowned historian and writer Romesh Chunder Dutt was his class friend. While studying for the First Arts examination in Presidency College, he developed interest in the theatre and left his studies. He formed a home theatre group and staged dramas. He also wrote several plays. In 1867, while staying with his elder brother Satyendranath Tagore in Ahmedabad, he learnt many things – how to play the sitar and painting. He picked up the French and Marathi languages. He translated books from different languages into his native Bengali, the focus being on plays. He was an expert in playing the piano, violin, harmonium and sitar and was attracted towards drawing and sketching.

Endowed with an outstanding talent, he had the rare capability of spotting talent in others. He played a major role in the flowering of the talents in his younger brother, the first Asian Nobel Prize winner Rabindranath Tagore.