Tagore and the Copyright Regime

Abstract

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941), the Nobel Prize winning Bengali poet, author, songwriter, philosopher, artist and educator has been a rare literary and cultural exponent raised from our land. In his 150th birth anniversary year, a fierce debate has been raging on whether notations should be sacrificed at the altar of popularity. Today, newer, remixed versions of his musical works and commercialized versions of his literary works are being lapped up by the masses, especially the younger generation. However, the purists are concerned that such large-scaled unregulated exploitation at times, takes away the spirit of a Tagore creation. The author in this paper has sought to analyze the extent of protecting the sanctity of the bard’s works in an era where the protective cover of statutory copyrightability has been lifted. The paper traces the legislative background of the Indian copyright regime, impact of copyright protection on works of Tagore, the landmark ten year extension in copyright protection, the pros and cons of a copyright free Tagore and the best possible way forward in the future citing the best interests of the Nobel laureate’s honour, reputation and standing in the literary world.