Rabindranath Tagore was a prominent figure regarded as a poet, philosopher, musician, writer, and educator. He was also a member of a prosperous Brahmin family. In 1913, he became the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize in Literature for his collection of poems called Gitanjali. Gurudev was his nickname, while Rabindra sangeet was the name of one of his compositions. The Jana Gana Mana and the Amar Shonar Bangla, both from his collection of Rabindra Sangeet, are currently used as the national anthems of Bangladesh and India, respectively.

Tagore travelled across India with his father when he was 11 years old in 1873. Once they arrived in the Himalayan hill town of Dalhousie, he spent the most of his time reading autobiographies, contemporary science, Sanskrit, and Kalidasa's classical works.