By Sohaib Shams
A previously unseen private family archive of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore has gone on public display for the first time at Christie's in Mumbai, offering an intimate glimpse into the Indian poet, painter and philosopher's creative process and personal relationships during his final years.
Archive drawn from Tagore's stays in Mungpoo
The collection originates from Tagore's visits to the family home of his protege, Maitreyi Devi, in the village of Mungpoo, Darjeeling, between 1938 and 1940. Tagore died in 1941. The materials — artworks, manuscripts, letters, photographs and personal effects — were preserved by Devi's family and are now exhibited at Christie's south Mumbai space.
Manuscript reveals educational philosophy
Exhibition curator Nishad Avari, head of South Asian modern and contemporary art at Christie's, highlights a 1940 manuscript that appears to be a draft of Tagore's memoir "Chelebela" (My Boyhood Days). The document reflects on his upbringing in Calcutta and the changing world, echoing the educational philosophy he practiced at Santiniketan, his experimental school where learning took place in the open, free from rigid structures.
Close relationship with Maitreyi Devi
Avari notes that this manuscript is the only one in the collection dictated to Devi, whose father was a close friend of Tagore's. The archive includes hundreds of letters between Tagore and Devi, along with doodles among corrections that illustrate how his literary and artistic practices intertwined. Personal items such as a kurta and lungi left behind at the family home are also displayed.
Artworks include portrait and landscape
Among the artworks is a portrait of Devi, notable because Tagore's figure studies were rarely attributed to specific individuals. A landscape depicting the forests of Mungpoo, which Tagore embraced as a retreat, is also featured. Tagore's paintings command significant prices internationally; a watercolour sold at Sotheby's this year for £1.02 million.
Exhibition runs through December
The exhibition, titled "Rabindranath Tagore and Mungpoo," runs from 10 November to 18 December at Christie's in south Mumbai. Organisers hope the materials will provide historians, scholars and admirers with additional perspectives on Tagore's life and work beyond his established legacy.
