Skip to main content

Primary sourceSpeech1932

Recitation of 'Birpurush'

Rabindranath Tagore · 1932

A 1932 audio recording of Rabindranath Tagore reciting his own Bengali poem 'Birpurush'.

This 1932 recording preserves Tagore's own voice reciting one of his well-known poems.

Ask Rabindranath Tagore about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Rabindranath Tagore reciting 'Birpurush', 1932. Audio recording.

About this source

What it is

This is an audio recording made in 1932 of Rabindranath Tagore reciting his Bengali poem 'Birpurush', which he wrote himself.

Why it matters

This dated recording lets students hear Tagore's own voice late in his career, reciting a poem that is still widely known in Bengali literature and childhood education. It is a primary document of how the poet himself wanted his work to be heard.

Look closer

  • What mood or feeling do you notice in the way he recites the poem?
  • Why might this particular poem have remained popular over time?
  • How does a 1932 recording survive, and why is that important for history?

This speech is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Rabindranath Tagore on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Rabindranath Tagore sources

Meet the AI Rabindranath Tagore →
Title page of the book Gitanjali (Song Offerings) by Rabindranath Tagore, a collection of prose translations made by the author from the original Bengali, with an introduction by W. B. Yeats, published by Macmillan and Co., London, 1913.Book

Primary source

Song Offerings

Rabindranath Tagore · 1912

Black and white photograph of Rabindranath Tagore leaving a building, Sigtuna, May 1921.Photograph

Primary source

Tagore Leaves the Sigtuna Foundation

Bertil Waldén · May 1921

Title page of Gitanjali (Song Offerings) by Rabindranath Tagore, a collection of prose translations made by the author from the original Bengali, with an introduction by W. B. Yeats. Macmillan and Co., Limited, London, 1913.Book

Primary source

Gitanjali

Rabindranath Tagore · 1910

Black and white photograph of Rabindranath Tagore standing with K.B. Westman and M. Björkqvist, Sigtuna, May 1921.Photograph

Primary source

Tagore with K.B. Westman and M. Björkqvist

Bertil Waldén · May 1921

Piano sheet music score titled 'Jana Gana Mana' by Rabindranath Tagore, in D minor/F major key with 4/4 time, tempo 96, two staves (treble clef) with dynamics like f, p, ff and a fermata at the end.Document

Primary source

Jana Gana Mana

Rabindranath Tagore · 11 December 1911

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Rabindranath Tagore now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions