National Movement 1919 1939

The answer to the question of why Rabindranath Tagore renounced his knighthood is due to the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy. During this tragic event on April 13, 1919, British troops, led by General Dyer, fired upon a peaceful gathering at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar, leading to the deaths of hundreds of Indian men, women, and children. This brutal act of violence deeply affected Tagore, who was a vocal critic of British colonial rule in India. In protest against this atrocity and as an expression of solidarity with his fellow Indians, he decided to return his knighthood, which had been conferred upon him by the British government in 1915. This act was significant as it symbolized his stance against the oppressive policies of the British and his support for India's struggle for independence.