Enduring Rabindranath*****

Had he composed the lyrics only through which he penetrated into the "secret lonely room of my heart," he would have become equally famous as he is to-day. His elegant short stories alone that tells the tales of Ratan, Rai Charan, Fatik Chakrobarti, Prova, Apurba Krishna and Mrinmoyee, Rahmat and Mini, Shoshi Bhushon, Hoimonti, Bindu and Mejbou, Shurobala, Kadambari, Hobi Kha, Bhupoti and Charu, Adyanath and Baidyanath, Kushum and many many more; would have made him the supreme monarch in the literary arena as he is today. His novels that portrays the contemporary history and politics, and vividly depicts the picture of the society, would have brought the same name and fame he enjoys today. Rabindranath wrote them all. He is a creator in all branches of literature, poetry and lyrics, short stories; novels, dance drama, essays and what not. He modernised Bengali art. Rabindranath Thakur is thus many in one; he is more than himself and surpassed his own self. He is a complete man - a littérateur, a historian, a social reformer, a romantic hero and at the same time a zaminder. He is second to none, and there is none second to him. Rabindranath Thakur, whom the British rulers named Tagore, is the only poet, only author who penned the national anthems of two nations comprising nearly 1.37 billion people, more than one fifth of the world population. No armed sentinels can prevent Rabindranath from traversing country to country; no barbed wire fences can restrict his movement. He has no frontier. He penetrates deeply the secret heart of every human being. He gives clarion call to the people, Aryans and non-Aryans, belonging to all religions, races, castes and creeds to unite for a noble cause. Tagore's writings, not only inspired the freedom fighters at the war front during the Liberation War of Bangladesh, his verses became synonymous to the independence as another poet then chanted "freedom thou art the verses of Rabi Thakur." The works of Rabindranath are acclaimed for their lyricism, naturalism, contemplation, and above all for their ever contemporary appeal. Tagore is not only contemporary for all time, he is ahead of time. His works never get old. Rabindranath is a wonder. The more the days pass by, he is discovered anew. He is ever new. Rabindranath is our refuge. For expressing our love and hatred, emotions and feelings, pain, sorrow and happiness, time and again we return to Rabindranath. All his works are reflection of life. He wrote what he saw. He clarified his own position, "There was a time, and I sailed through one river to another and saw the diversified life of rural Bengal. My stories are never devoid of reality. I wrote what I saw myself, and what I felt with my heart." He cites examples of what he saw: a girl going to her in-laws home by boat, rural households within shady trees, girls fetching water, boys jumping in water, farmers going to their land with cattle, fishing boat, bank of eroded river, the grazing meadows, rural market and vast sandy banks of the Padma. Side by side he mentions of the day to day well and woes of his tenants, their complaints seeking litigations. All these enriched the experiences of the wizard writer. "My Galpaguchchha (a collection of short stories) is an outcome of the experiences I gathered through roaming about in the rural Bengal." The mesmeric quality in Tagore makes him a bridge between souls and a bridge between nations. He is the turning point of Bengali literature. As often said, Rabindranath Thakur lives in the heart of every Bengalee, he is the relation of our soul. As the first non-European to be awarded Nobel Prize in literature, and the first in Asia, Rabindranath created a bridge between Bengali literature and the west. He remains an all time solid bridge between Bangladesh and India. According to a joint communiqué signed between the two countries during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India last year, the 150th anniversary of birth of the poet is being jointly celebrated in the two countries. High-power delegations comprising artists and litterateurs attended the celebrations in each other's capital that brings the two nations even closer. At the inaugural ceremony of the three-day programme in Dhaka on Friday, Indian Vice President Hamid Ansari termed the event of joint celebration as "a momentous occasion and first of its kind in the history of the two nations." Bangladesh Prime Minister termed Rabindranath as a "bright light house in the individual and social life of the Bengalees". Sheikh Hasina revealed that she named the recently introduced train that runs between Dhaka and Kolkata, as "Shonar Tori" after the name of a book authored by Rabindranath. A similar programme at the Indian capital got underway on Saturday which was inaugurated by Indian Prime Minister Monmohan Singh and attended, among others, by Sonia Gandhi. Bangladesh delegation there is headed by planning Minister A K Khondoker. Rabindranath had his base and root in Bangladesh in many ways. He spent much of his lifetime in Shilaidaha, Shahjadpur, and Patishar to look after their zamidari estates. Beautiful villas known as "Kuthibari" were constructed in these places for accommodation and functioning of office of the zamidar prince. He spent many days and nights in boats on his way to these places. The poet created many of his famous works on board and during his days at Shahjadpur, Shilaidaha and Patishar. Another place called Dakkhin Dihi near Khulna is matrimonially linked with the poet himself and with his father as well. The attractive villas now stand with the memories of Rabindranath. Household utilities and personal belongings of the poet are of great attraction to the people. These places along with the exhibits, no doubt, are object of interest not only for Rabindra fans, but for the general people as well. It can draw huge number of tourists and researches from home and abroad, particularly from West Bengal. It has, therefore, economic potentials for the country and for the local residents in particular. However, there are reports that poor maintenance and lack of adequate tourist facilities are frustrating the visitors. Many objects bearing the memories of the poet have either been lost or damaged due to the carelessness of the people who are responsible to take care of them. Recent news reports said some valuable letters at Patishar have been destroyed by insects, while a bath tub used by the poet has been recovered from a nearby house where it was being used for feeding fodder to the cattle. At Shahjadpur, a decade or more ago when the reformation work of the Rabindra Kuthibari was going on, it was found that all the belongings and exhibits were haphazardly dumped in a room with the risk of their getting damaged, while the guard was using the poet's cot as his own bed. Many items are also being stolen or lost, reports say. There are many socio-cultural organisations in Bangladesh who are devoted to the promotion and research of Rabindra culture and literature in the country. They organise various programmes on Rabindranath and thus carry him to the general people. The 150th anniversary of birth of the poet is being celebrated throughout the country in a grand manner. In one cultural programme held in the capital on this occasion, an office bearer of the organisation arranging the event, while delivering his speech, quoted Rabindranath in English and later rendered Bengali translation though the people attending the function were Bengalees. With the increase of literacy in the country, Rabindra readership is growing faster. Publication technology in the country has also made tremendous improvements. More books on Rabindranath with attractive get ups are being published. Reading habits of the people have increased in general, and so has the book purchasing ability. More people now study Rabindranath. Economic condition of the people are also marking an upward trend, particularly the number of affluent people in the country is rising fast. There is a trend of sending the children of the well to do families to English medium institutions, where the children receive education under a different curriculum. Their number is on fast increase. Bengali literature and language receive little or no importance in these curricula. Thus a section of our young generation from their very childhood is being kept away from Rabindranath. These youngsters are more inclined to western culture and literature where J K Rawlings, Stephen King, Jeffery Archer, and Sydney Sheldon matter more to them than Rabindranath. Saleque0707@yahoo.com