Narrated by
Satyajit Ray, the film begins with the
funeral procession of Rabindranath Tagore. Briefly mentioning about
Kolkata, then known as "Calcutta", the documentary explains the
Tagore lineage, starting with
Dwarkanath Tagore. While documentary mentions Dwarkanath Tagore's elder son
Debendranath Tagore's association with an Indian religious, social, and educational reformer
Raja Rammohun Roy and introduces some of his children out of fourteen, it moves to the birth of child Rabindranath Tagore, fondly called as "Robi". The film then narrates Robi's initial schooling days, his trip to northern India with his father, publication of his first poem in his father's magazine and his failed attempt for higher education at London. The documentary showcases some of the scenes of Tagore's first drama-opera,
Valmiki Pratibha (The Genius of Valmiki), where he used western classical music along with
Raga-based songs to narrate sage
Valmiki's story and himself acted in the lead role. Mentioning about his marriage with Mrinalini Devi, the documentary explains his aim to form a new school at
Santiniketan and its different education system, death of his wife and children in the short span of time and his association in
Indian independence movement. It then narrates Tagore's visit to England in 1912 where his English translated poems from
Gitanjali were introduced to English painter
William Rothenstein, who in-turn showed them to the Irish poet
W. B. Yeats. This helped
Gitanjali for its publication in England and fetched Tagore the
Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913 and a
Knighthood in 1915. While showcasing Tagore's formation of
Visva-Bharati University, the documentary mentions his renouncement of his knighthood, in response to the
Jallianwala Bagh massacre in 1919. It also documents his world journey for fund collection for his school, his paintings and his 70th birthday where a book,
The Golden Book of Tagore, was published with the testimonials by intellectuals of the world, including
French dramatist Romain Rolland,
German theoretical physicist Albert Einstein,
Greek poet
Kostis Palamas, Indian Polymath
Jagadish Chandra Bose and Indian political leader
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. The documentary ends while mentioning about Tagore's last days, his last message to the world
Civilization in Crisis and his death at his birthplace at the age of 80 on 7 August 1941. ==Credits==