The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (2405 page)

’ as
Tafs
r al-Man
r
.

 
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(1817–1905).
Hindu reformer and leader of
Brahmo Sam
j
. He was primarily interested throughout his life in religion and education, especially in the role both can play in social reform and national development. He thus helped to lay the foundations of modern Indian society and political structure. From 1843, he successfully led the
Brahmo Sam
j
and founded
Tattvabodhini Patrika
, a journal of serious discussion, emphasizing the importance of maintaining the mother tongue, the need for the study of both science and religion, and the acceptance of both the best of Western culture and whatever was admirable in traditional Indian culture.

 
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(1861–1941).
Probably the greatest modern Indian poet, and certainly the one most widely known internationally. He was the son of Debendranath
Tagore
, and achieved recognition as a national poet when only in his twenties. The Eng. version of his lyrics,
Gitanjali
, won him the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913. In addition to poetry, he excelled as a dramatist, essayist, and novelist. In 1912 he received an honorary doctorate from Calcutta University, and in 1913 a British knighthood; the latter he subsequently resigned in protest at the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. He was a close friend of Mohandas
G
ndh
, who, like so many others, honoured him with the title
Gurudeva
, and derived from him the inspiration to stand against the seemingly invincible strength of the British presence.

 
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