Brookside Bungalow Rabindranath Tagore Museum

The museum preserves the personal belongings and memorabilia of poet and Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore at the Brookside Bungalow, where he lived in October 1919 in protest against the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. The bungalow originally belonged to a British official and was later purchased by K.C. Dey, whose wife was a relative of Tagore’s. The poet came to the house seeking solitude and refuge from the aggravated political scenario in Calcutta.

Many of his personal possessions and artworks are still displayed at the bungalow, including his queen-size bed, looking glass, handwritten scrolls and writing desk. A number of paintings in his distinctive style grace the walls of the bungalow and provide an insight into the poet’s mind at the time. The bungalow was used as the SIB office for a while until the combined efforts of SIB officer A.K. Samanta and erstwhile chief minister P.A. Sangma led to it being donated to the Government of Meghalaya.

The Rabindra Bhavan was instituted on January 22, 1992, coinciding with Meghalaya Day. The museum is preserved by the Arts and Culture Department, under the supervision of the Government of Meghalaya. Various local artists have contributed paintings and artworks that adorn the halls of the poet’s living quarters. The museum has a dedicated staff that conducts guided tours and walks through the bungalow, providing information about the history of the villa and its famous resident.