Top 7 Similarities of Satyajit Ray and R.N. Tagore

The connection between the two of India’s most celebrated creative beings, Rabindra Nath Tagore and Satyajit Ray is like that of an idol and his follower. One of India’s most prolific film makers, Satyajit Ray, grew up under the whirlwind of Tagore’s legacy.

At the time of Satyajit Ray’s birth, Tagore or Gurudev was already a Nobel Laureate by then. But his influence over the young Satyajit Ray was immense. Here are some stunning similarities between the lives and times of these two Bengali polymaths that you don’t know.

1) Both have common roots:

Both Satyajit Ray and Rabindranath Tagore belonged to ‘Brahmo Samaj’, a societal component of Brahmoism distinctive of Hindu religion. The ancestors of both Ray and Tagore worked hard for Bengal Renaissance and socio reform movement. Linguistically, both were Bengalis.

2) The Top-Most Honor:

Both are the recipient of the world’s top award in their respective fields. While Gurudev Tagore got the coveted Nobel Prize in literature for Geetanjali, director Satyajit Ray earned the prestigious Oscar Lifetime Achievement Award. And both were the first Indian to be honoured so.

3) Trilogy Connection:

‘Apur Sansar’ trilogy was widely acclaimed for its astute direction by Satyajit Ray, and ‘Teen Kanya’, an anthology of three Bengali stories penned by Tagore was also much popular. Interestingly, it was Satyajit Ray who brought more fame to ‘Teen Kanya (three daughters) by directing it in three-part film.

4) Multi Faceted Personality:

Fascinatingly, what connects both the icons to each other is the fact that they were multi-talented. Tagore was a great writer, poet, painter and lyricist. Similarly, Satyajit Ray was also a versatile director, screenwriter, author, poet, calligrapher and music composer as well.

5) International Fame:

It won’t be wrong to say that both legends have brought Indian creativity and talents to the global limelight within their own ambit. Ray’s perfection in film making was widely admired bringing him in league of the world’s top notch film directors at that time while Tagore’s works were often compared with the iconic ‘Bard of Avon’ William Shakespeare.

6) Eloquent Nicknames:

Tagore got the nicknames; Kobiguru and Gurudev while Satyajit Ray was referred to as Manik and God.

7) Turbulent Childhood:

Both the icons faced tumultuous times in their early days. Tagore lost his mother when he was a little boy, while Satyajit Ray lost his father when he was an infant. Unfortunately, Both the Bengali stalwarts failed to receive complete love of parents when they needed it most.