While the world is well aware of the creative genius of Rabindranath Tagore, the great Bengali poet. But in Victorian Bengal, there did exist another Tagore whose musical capabilities and work as a musicologist had won him laurels from across the world and had earned him the respect of many royalties and respected personalities. His name was Raja Sir Sourindro Mohun Tagore and unlike the Nobel laureate who belonged to the Jorashanko branch of the family, Raja Sir Sourindro Mohun Tagore belonged to the much wealthier Pathuriaghata branch of the Tagores.
Early Life
Both the branches of the family were connected through a common ancestor and for some time even engaged in business collaborations, as was evident in the relationship between The Hon'ble Prosonno Coomar Tagore and 'Prince' Dwarknath Tagore, who were both cousins. Sourindro Mohun Tagore was born sometime in the year 1840 at Pathuriaghata, Bengal Presidency to Hara Kumar Tagore. His elder brother was Jotindra Mohun, who later became famous as Maharaja Sir Jotindra Mohun Tagore Bahadur and was one of the leading zamindars or landholders of his time. Just like his father who was a noted scholar of music, Sanskrit and other subjects, young Sourindro Mohun started blossoming from an early age and showed a deep inclination toward music. He studied at the Hindu College and developed a deep interest in the history and origin of music on a global scale, something which he studied vigorously.
Globally Respected
Rajah Sir Sourindro was a student of both Eastern and Western schools of music and he continued his work through the Bengal Music School and Bengal Academy of Music, both of which were founded by him. He also sent collections of rare musical instruments to museums and royalties around the world. During the Indian trip of the Prince of Wales in the mid-1870s, Rajah Sir Sourindro Mohun came up with the unique idea of setting up a European-style orchestra comprising of modified Indian instruments. This set up which was the first of its kind included various sized 'Esraj' to compensate for the western cello and the double bass. This orchestra greatly impressed the touring prince.
Scholarly Work
Rajah Sir Sourindro wrote quite a few books during his lifetime. Though most of them dealt with music there were some exceptions as well. Some of his works on music were 'The Universal History of Music', 'English Verses Set To Hindu Music In Honor Of His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales', 'Yantra Kosha', 'Victoria Samrajyan or Sanskrit Stanzas On The Various Dependencies Of The British Crown', 'Hindu Music From Various Authors', 'The Twenty Two Musical Strutis Of The Hindus', 'Fifty Tunes Composed And Set To Music' and so on. Some of his non-musical writings included 'Mani-Mala Or A Treatise On Gems', 'The Caste System Of The Hindus' and 'The Orders Of Knighthood British and Foreign With A Brief Review Of The Titles of Rank and Merit In Ancient Hindusthan(In Three Parts). The diversity of his literary career provides a clear glimpse of the versatile genius that he was in real life.
Honours
Alongside honorary doctorates in music from both the United States of America and England, he was knighted by multiple countries including honours from Belgium, Austria, Sweden, Nepal, Venezuela, Hawaii, and France to name a few and was conferred titles by the Persian and British Empire. The gifted Raja's son Prodyot Coomar Tagore was later adopted by Sourindro Mohun's elder brother Maharaja Sir Jotindro Mohun Tagore and succeeded in his vast estates. Raja Sir Sourindro Mohun Tagore breathed his last on the 5th of June 1914, the same year when Rabindranath Tagore, a relative of his became the first Asian to win the Nobel prize.
