Did you know Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore introduced Judo in India?

Rabindranath Tagore, Judo players in action (Pic: iStock)

Having been born and brought up in Kolkata, the name, works, and plaster-of-Paris busts of the great Tagore have become an ingrained element of Bengali collective memory and identity. Moreover, we are no strangers to the fact that his songs were selected for both the Indian and Bangladeshi national anthems, tying his aesthetic to that of national pride. Now clearly it is in this ambivalence between, 'Tagore the patriot' who brings Indian rhythms, scenes, and fantasies to the world, and 'Tagore the internationalist' that brings a vision of a future world to India, that we might understand why he remains so profound.

Yes, the polymath Tagore left his mark in every sphere of life. Be it romanticism, culture, politics, or nationalism, it is impractical to find any topic under the sky that remained untouched by him.

Some may wonder, what about sports? Was he involved in that jurisdiction as well? The answer is yes. If one dug deep, it can be found that Tagore was solely responsible for introducing Judo in India. As an educationalist, he had developed thoughts on physical culture as no education is complete without physical education. And yet Tagore's quest for the physical culture that he found compatible with his educational philosophy remains still unknown to many.

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In his autobiographical work 'Chelebela‘, Tagore reminiscences his childhood experiences of taking lessons of wrestling from a wrestler, whom he refers to as 'Kana Palowan'. He was also made to learn gymnastics under the guidance of an instructor during his boyhood years.

Tagore, who was fond of traditional Japanese culture, had always been an ardent admirer of Jiu-jitsu. What evokes wonder is Gurudev‘s endeavour to transplant it into alien soil. He had invited Judo instructors to his school in Shantiniketan. The history of the introduction of jiu-jitsu in Shantiniketan dates back to 1902, the year which marks a historic meeting of two minds, Tagore and Tenshin in Kolkata.

Tagore had also requested eminent Japanese writer and art critic Tenshin Okakura to send a Jiu-jitsu teacher to his school. Responding to his invitation, Jinnotsuke Sano, who had been a student of Keio University, was sent to Tagore‘s Ashram by Fukazawa of Keio University. In 1934, Subimal Ray, Satyajit Ray's youngest uncle, decided to learn Judo and took his nephew along with him to meet the great sensei Shinzo Takagaki, who came to Shantiniketan upon the invitation of Tagore.

During his three-year-long stay at Shantiniketan, Jinnutsuke Sano taught Jiu-jitsu to the students. Interestingly, Tagore and his generation's Jiu-jitsu became an important symbol of Japanese nationalism. Japan succeeded to thwart the onward march of Western imperialism and its victory over Russia in the war of 1904-1905 enkindled the nationalistic impulses of Bengal‘s intelligentsia of the early 20th century.

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