PREVIOUSLY ASKED IN:
PSC Miscellaneous Prelims 2018
Answer
Rabindranath Tagore
Explanation
Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore was the first Indian, as well as the first Asian, to receive the prestigious Nobel Prize. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 for his profoundly sensitive, fresh, and beautiful verse collection, 'Gitanjali' (Song Offerings). The English translation of Gitanjali, which featured an introduction by W.B. Yeats, brought him global literary acclaim.
Key Points
- > Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913.
- > The award was specifically cited for his poetry collection 'Gitanjali'.
- > He was the very first non-European to win a Nobel Prize in Literature.
- > C.V. Raman was the first Indian to win a Nobel in Science (Physics, 1930).
- > Mother Teresa won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979.
- > Amartya Sen won the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences in 1998.
- > Tagore is the only person to have penned the national anthems of two countries (India and Bangladesh).
Additional Information
First Tier of Indian Nobel Laureates
| Laureate Name | Field | Year | Key Highlight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rabindranath Tagore | Literature | 1913 | First Indian & Asian |
| C. V. Raman | Physics | 1930 | First Indian in Science (Raman Effect) |
| Mother Teresa | Peace | 1979 | First Indian woman |
| Amartya Sen | Economics | 1998 | Welfare Economics |
| Kailash Satyarthi | Peace | 2014 | Child rights activism (Shared with Malala) |
Memory Tips
- 1913 Milestone: Remember the year 1913. It was the year India was firmly placed on the global intellectual map thanks to Tagore's poetic genius.