Four Great Polymaths

Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was a Benedictine nun, who became an Abbess. She had mystical visions, including that of "The Cosmic Egg" which is strikingly similar to the Hiranyagarbha of the Rigveda. She was also one of the first composers in the Western Classical Music canon who composed "Symphonia". In the recorded classical music repertoire, hers is the earliest name. She created a new language, Lingua Ignota. She also wrote "The Book of Simple Medicine", a compendium of knowledge on herbs, trees, animals, gemstones, metals & rivers, in each case showing the use of these natural objects for human health & well-being & "The Book of Compound Medicine", dealing with the human body, health & the cure of ailments.

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) is primarily known as the creator of "Mona Lisa" & "The Last Supper". But he was very much more than that. The noted physicist, Fritjof Capra, in his books "The Science of Leonardo" & "Learning from Leonardo" has explained lucidly, his various other achievements. These include his pioneering studies in Fluid Dynamics, Geology, Botany, Anatomy, Mechanics &  Aerodynamics. More importantly he was probably one of the first to adapt a systemic, holistic view of life as opposed to the Cartesian separation of body & mind.

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) is well remembered as one of the founding fathers of the USA. He was the youngest son of his father's 17 children. To the end of his life, he identified himself as a "Printer". But as Leonardo above, he was infinitely more than that. His life is chronicled by Walter Isaacson in "Benjamin Franklin - An American Life", the definitive biography & in "A Benjamin Franklin Reader", an annotated, comprehensive selection of his writings. Franklin initiated the admirable Public Library System of USA & was the first to install street lighting. He also held the top post office job. Some of his scientific inventions are bifocals, copperplate press design, lightning rod, storage battery & urinary catheter.

Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) was the youngest of the 13 children of his father. He was primarily a poet & was the first Asian to win the Nobel Prize for Literature for his collection of poems "Gitanjali". He was also a writer, playwright, composer who pioneered a new musical form called "Rabindra Sangeet" (after him), philosopher, painter & educationist who started the Vishwabharati University in Santiniketan. Films have been made based on his stories by both Satyajit Ray & Tapan Sinha. Ray, in addition, has made a one hour documentary on Tagore, which, in Ray's words, "was a back-breaking job & took as much time as two or three feature films!"