Abanindra Rachanabali Vol-2 by Abanindranath Tagore: An Unbound Collection of Selected Works.
Title — Abanindra Rachanabali Vol-2,
Author— Abanindranath Tagore,
Genre — Collection Books, Children Book,
Format—PDF, PDF Size —14MB,
Edition— Digital,
Abanindra Rachanabali Vol- 2: Abanindranath Tagore: The Child Who Dreamed in Color and Words
‘Abanindra Rachanabali Vol-2‘ is an unbound collection of selected works by Abanindranath Tagore, known for his contributions to modern Indian art and children’s literature. This specific volume was originally published in 1954 and is part of a larger compilation of his writings and artwork. The second volume of Abanindra Rachanabali contains a variety of his creative output, which was primarily in Bengali. Abanindranath is a revered tradition in the history of Bengali language and culture. Many of his children’s literary works have been published in the second volume of Abanindranath’s works.
The revered poet Shankha Ghosh has helped in editing this collection of selected works of Abanindranath, a unique writer in Bengali children’s literature. Moreover, the revered Milada Gangopadhyay, Mohanlal Gangopadhyay, Shri Shobanlal Gangopadhyay, Shri Sanat Kumar Gupta, Shri Rana Basu and Shri Subimal Lahiri have helped in various ways from the beginning of the compilation of this second volume of the collection.
Abanindranath Thakur (1871–1951) was more than an artist or writer — he was an entire imagination that breathed new life into India’s cultural soul. He belonged to a family where literature, music, and art flowed like air — the Tagores of Jorasanko, Calcutta — a house that shaped modern India’s artistic conscience.
But unlike many who are born into privilege, Abanindranath’s genius was not a result of inheritance; it was a flowering of an inner world that remained childlike till the end of his life.
Childhood: The World Inside a Courtyard
Abanindranath was born on August 7, 1871, in Jorasanko Thakur Bari, the same home that nurtured Rabindranath. From childhood, he was fascinated by stories — those his grandmother told, those he heard in the family gatherings, and those he imagined on his own.
He loved to sketch what he saw — the pigeons on the terrace, the people at the temple, the lights during Durga Puja. His childhood was steeped in a world where art and life were inseparable. In that large house of poets, philosophers, and reformers, every room had its own rhythm — songs in one corner, discussions in another, and the smell of colors and ink everywhere.
Abanindra Rachanabali Vol. 2 — Abanindranath Tagore: The Eternal Artist of Imagination
This atmosphere nurtured in him a sense of wonder, and more importantly, the habit of observation. Abanindranath would later say that art begins not with the hand, but with the eyes — the ability to see what others overlook.
Education: The Making of a Visionary
He received his early education at the Oriental Seminary and then at Sanskrit College, Calcutta. But formal education never held his full attention. He was far more enchanted by music, painting, and stories.
He studied European painting under Signor Gilhardi, an Italian artist who introduced him to oil painting and Western realism. Later, he learned from Charles Palmer, a British painter. Yet, something in those foreign techniques felt incomplete to him. The subjects were alien, the light was unfamiliar, and the soul — missing.
He began to search for an art that belonged to his own soil — an art that breathed the fragrance of Bengal’s rivers, temples, and myths.
The Artist: Founder of the Bengal School of Art
That search gave birth to what we now call the Bengal School of Art — a movement that turned the tide of colonial aesthetics. At a time when British academic realism dominated art education in India, Abanindranath reimagined Indian painting as something spiritual, symbolic, and deeply connected to the national identity. The Rachanabali series collects his literary and artistic works. This volume contains a selection of his stories, essays, and some other forms of writing.
His masterpiece Bharat Mata (1905) became a cultural icon — a saffron-robed mother blessing her children, symbolizing the nation as a living goddess. This was not merely art; it was an awakening.
He revived the delicate techniques of Mughal miniatures, Persian wash paintings, and Japanese ink work. His series of paintings like The Passing of Shah Jahan, Krishna-Lila, and Bageshwari Paintings reflected both historical emotion and mystical vision.
For him, art was not about external beauty but inner truth. He often said, “To see beauty, you must first be beautiful within.”
The Writer: From the Brush to the Pen
Even as his paintings gained fame, Abanindranath’s imagination overflowed into words. He began writing — not grand philosophical essays, but stories, fables, and rhymes — for children.
His first major work, Rajkahini (1909), was a retelling of the Rajput legends — tales of bravery and sacrifice that glowed with poetic beauty. He followed it with Khirer Putul (The Doll Made of Condensed Milk), a delicate fairy tale that became one of the most beloved stories in Bengali literature.
Then came Buro Angla, a whimsical story of an old man and magical lands — a blend of humor, fantasy, and gentle wisdom.
Other works like Shakuntala, Nalok, Thakurmar Jhuli, Alor Fulki, Bhutpatrir Deshe, and Arabya Rajani showcased his mastery over tone and texture.
His language was simple, yet rhythmic — full of the sweetness of spoken Bengali, often resembling music or painting more than prose. Each story was like a watercolor — soft, fluid, luminous.
Themes: The Eternal Child
A central thread runs through all his creations — childhood as the truest form of creativity.
He believed that every human being carries an inner child — curious, sensitive, and capable of wonder. Civilization, he warned, often silences that voice. His mission was to awaken it again — through stories, colors, and laughter.
His characters — from princesses to talking animals — are all explorers of that inner world. Even when he wrote of kings and battles, the tone remained gentle and playful, never pompous or didactic.
He did not write to preach but to play, to let imagination dance freely.
His Artistic Philosophy: The Indian Renaissance
Abanindranath’s art and literature were not separate disciplines; they were one continuous act of creation. For him, painting was silent poetry, and poetry was a painting with words.
He sought to reconnect Indian art with its roots — not as nostalgia, but as renewal. He believed that India must modernize without losing its soul. His aesthetics influenced generations — from Nandalal Bose and Asit Haldar to Satyajit Ray, who was his grand-nephew and deeply inspired by his visual storytelling.
Satyajit Ray once said that it was Abanindranath’s stories that first taught him how images could move, how words could paint. Without Abanindranath, there might not have been the cinematic imagination that Ray embodied.
Personal Life and Character
Abanindranath was gentle, introspective, and often shy. He preferred quiet company, music, and long evening walks in his garden. Friends described him as “Buro Bacha” — the “Old Child.”
He never chased fame. He was content to sit with children, tell them stories, sketch alongside them, or listen to the rustle of the trees. His humility was legendary — even at the height of his fame, he saw himself as a learner.
When he grew old, he wrote less but dreamed more. He often said that old age is not the end of life, but a return to childhood — a second innocence.
Legacy: The Everlasting Glow
Abanindranath Thakur’s legacy cannot be confined to art galleries or textbooks. His influence continues in the way Bengalis imagine beauty, innocence, and storytelling. His aesthetic shaped not only painting and literature but the very idea of Indian creativity.
He showed that art could be both national and personal, ancient and modern, serious and playful — all at once.
In his final years, when he was asked about success, he simply smiled and said,
“The work I began was never mine alone — it was the play of a child in the garden of imagination.”
That garden still blooms — in the minds of artists, children, and dreamers across generations.
Conclusion: The Child Who Became Eternal
Abanindranath Thakur’s life was a long dialogue between innocence and art. He never stopped learning, never stopped playing, never stopped seeing the world with wonder.
Whether through the serene face of Bharat Mata, the magic of Khirer Putul, or the laughter of Buro Angla, he taught us one eternal truth:
“To create is to remain young forever.”
And that is why — more than seven decades after his passing — Abanindranath Thakur still stands as “Chirokaler Sera” — Rachanabali, collection his golden works.
- the best for all time,
- the artist who never ceased to dream,
- the child who never grew old.
We believe that Abanindranath’s writings still fascinate not only the young but also the old. This is our small effort to hand over this collection to those eternal readers; therefore, the PDF of the collection Abanindranath’s works, Volume -2, has been given on this web page. If the readers like it, our small effort will be worthwhile.