Rabindranath Tagore, a multi-dimensional man

I can remember my early childhood days, when on every 25th Baishakh, we gathered together to perform recitation, song, drama……..the purpose was to pay homage to great philosopher Rabindranath Tagore.
My sister had bought a small statue of Tagore.
The person with long beard, wore a long suit.....it created an enormous amount of curiosity in my mind. I was hardly 10, or may be less!

Today, 25th baishakh, is the birth anniversary of the great man, Rabindranath Tagore.

Who was he?

In my childhood, he was a poet. I was not able to understand the meaning of the poems, but I liked them…the language, the words, the tune, the flowability. Frankly speaking I did not knew why I liked the poems of Rabindranath! But I liked them!

During my adolescent days, I came to know about his paintings. Painting teacher of our school, Mr. Panchanan Chakraborty, who himself was a great painter, had encouraged me lot to conceptualize Tagore’s painting.

As I grew up, I liked his essays. During my college days, I had read few of his essays, which really had touched me!

Now a day, I really like his songs…the lyrics, the music…it create a pleasure in my soul!

I have not read much of Tagore’s dramas, and stories. In my early childhood, I had read about Tagore’s brave heart. The story of renouncing the knighthood, to protest Briton’s torture at Jalinwalabag, had created a heroic image in my mind.
Today, I have realized that, he was a not a revolutionary like his contemporary freedom fighters. But he had a view on freedom. Everybody does not behave in the same fashion. So same was Tagore. I feel, we were fortunate that Tagore had not echoed in the same fashions like other freedom fighters, like Mahatma Gandhi, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. If he had involved deeply in freedom movement, then we might have missed some of his cultural attributes! He had acted parallel to other freedom fighters. He had stressed on education. His concept of Santiniketan had deep root in India’s traditional vedic education system. He knew that a country can prosper only when it has an educational backbone…….starting from primary education to higher studies. So he had established Shantiniketan. During my college days, with my friends I went to Shaktiniketan, and stayed there for few days in a hostel, with my friend’s brother, Kanuda. Kanuda was student of Shantiniketan. I still remember those days of Shantiniketan. It was altogether different. Shantiniketan is Tagore’s most precious gift to modern India.

To me, Tagore “is” a great visionary, a thinker…a man who is equally close and far to me….. When I close my eyes, I see a handsome man of great personality…..with long beard and long suit…looks like a philosopher.... is walking on the roads of village Bengal (part of India), ……keeping his hands back, keeping his head little lower….…walking slowly, silently……and a folk singer (baul) is just following him with his musical instrument (ektara)….dancing on the road and smiling…… and singing “ei gram chhara oi ranga matir poth… (the red coloured road of my village……).” Both the persons, the philosopher and the folk singer, are Rabindranath Tagore to me!

Pictures of Tagore's House at Shillong:
Rabindranath Tagore had emotional link with Shillong (Meghalaya). The noble poet had written his poem "Shillonger Chithhi" and drama "Raktakarabi" at his Shillong house. During my visit to Shillong (at November 2010), I had captured some photos of Poet's residence.



Rabindra Nath Tagore's House at Shillong; Photograph by Nirjhar Chakravorti



Lanes of Tagore's House at Shillong; Photograph by Nirjhar Chakravorti

Tagore's House at Shillong; Photograph by Nirjhar Chakravorti

Entry of Tagore's House at Shillong; Photograph by Nirjhar Chakravorti



In memory of Rabindra Nath Tagore, at Shillong; Photograph by Nirjhar Chakravorti



Other House of Tagore, at Shillong (under repair); Photograph by Nirjhar Chakravorti



All the photographs posted at nirjharchakravorti.blogspot.com on February, 2011