Rabindra Sangeet (Bengali: রবীন্দ্রসঙ্গীত Robindro shonggit, IPA: [ɾobind̪ɾo ʃoŋɡit̪]), also known as Tagore Songs, are songs written and composed by Rabindranath Tagore. It is a distinctive genre in the music of Bengal, popular in India and Bangladesh.
Rabindra Sangeet used Indian classical music and traditional folk music as sources.[dead link][citation needed] Tagore wrote some 2,230 songs.[citation needed]
The collection is sometimes known as the Gitabitan (garden of songs). The six major parts of this book are Puja (worship), Prem (love), Prakriti (Nature) and Bichitra (Diverse), swadesh and aanushthanik (celebration).
Rabindra Sangeet has had a very strong influence on Bengali culture. These songs are regarded as cultural treasures of Bengal in both West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh.
The Rabindrasangeet, which deal with varied themes are immensely popular and form a foundation for the Bengali ethos that is comparable to, perhaps even greater than, that which Shakespeare has on the English-speaking world. It is said that his songs are the outcome of 500 years[citation needed] of literary & cultural churning that the Bengali community has gone through.