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, 1417

With best wishes to

HINDOL
on its first issue of the

Tagore 150th

Year series

, 1417

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Translation

45 Ajanta Dutt

Translation

80 Soumya Mukherjee

Novelist Tagore

84 Niraj Kumar Sinha

The Beginning : a true story

, 1417

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, 1417

32

[1873-1900]
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L
MRINALINI
(1873 - 1900)
Born as Bhabatarini to Beni Madhav Roy, an employee in the Tagore
estate at Jessore (now in Bangladesh), was married to Rabindranath
in 1883. Not flamboyant like some of her contemporary ladies of the
Tagore family and known to be a quiet, competent homemaker. Good
cook like sister-in-law Kadambari. Sold almost all her jewellery to
fund the establishment of Santiniketan. Collected Bengali folk tales at
the behest of her husband. Abanindranath Tagore's 'Khirer Putul' was
from this collection. Three of her five children died young, but during
Rabindranath's lifetime, though after her.

, 1417

33

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, 1417

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'Rabindranath : His Life and Work'. 1926 s
'Rabindranath Tagore : Poet and Dramatist'.
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38

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, 1417

39

....

While I was on my way

I heard Thee calling to me.
But I have lagged behind;
Oh! How shall I get to Thee now?
The darkness of night has descended around me,
Concealing the path that stretches
Before me from my sight;
My Lord, wilt Thou not hear my entreaties
In this dense darkness
And guide me on my way?
The fear is ever in my heart
That the more I strive to get nearer to Thee,
The further I wander from Thy presence.
I can feel Thee to be very near,
And yet am afraid
That in this vast impenetrable darkness,
There is only myself,
All alone,
And nothing, nothing at all of Thee.
(Translated by Maitrayee Sen.
She is retired from All India Radio.)

, 1417

40

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, 1417

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, 1417

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, 1417

45

...

That shepherd lad is from a land such a distance away,

In the shadows of my garden, he whiles away his day.
Oh, yes, yes - that shepherd lad, from a land so far away.
The song that he sings - only he knows its meaning clear and whole,
Yet the melody of its verse echoes in my soul,
So I ask you, can you guess the phrases of his lay.
Oh yes, yes - that shepherd lad, from a land so far away.
And when I query, tell me
What gift shall I bestow?
The words he speaks, there isn't anything I seek,
Just your garland, and nothing more.
If I give you that,
How will you repay me?
The day goes by in pensiveness,
Wondering what the answer will be.
When I return, it is to find
His flute is there; he has left it behind.
Oh, yes, yes - that shepherd lad, from a land so far away.
In the shadows of my garden, where all day he would play,
Oh, yes, yes - that shepherd lad, from a land so far away.
(Translated by Ajanta Dutt.
She teaches English at Deshbandhu College, Delhi)

, 1417

46

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a myriad minded poet' myriad minded
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, 1417

47

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, 1417

the meaning of living words can never be exhausted by any one

system of logical interpretation. To me the verses of Upanishads and
the teachings of Buddha have ever been things of spirit and therefore
endowed with boundless vital growth and I have used them both in
my life and in my preachings.

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, 1417

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, 1417

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, 1417

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, 1417

54
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& - 'Eat, drink and be merry' +

'Here with a loaf of bread beneath the bough,

A flask of wine, a book of verse and thou
Beside me singing in the wilderness
And wilderness be paradise enow.'

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qS Edward
Fitzgerald- Z version-

, 1417

55

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Has flung the stone that puts the stars to flight
And lo! the hunter of the east has caught
the Sultan's turret in a noose of light."
q , Epicurean

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, 1417

The worldly hope men set their hearts upon

Turns ashes - or it prospers, and anon,
Like snow upon the desert's dusty face
Lighting a little hour or two is gone

~ e e

56

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'Once dead you never shall return.'

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'....Oh First and Last of all! As thou dost will
Burn me in hell - or save me by Thy grace.'

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'.... the subtle alchemist that in a trice
Life's leaden metal into gold transmute.'

g,

'Oh, thou, who man of baser earth didst make,

And who with Eden didst devise the snake,
For all the sin wherewith the face of man
Is blackened, man's forgiveness give, and take!'

V
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,

'Into this universe, and Why not knowing,
Nor Whence, like water willy-nilly flowing,
And out of it, as wind along the waste,
I know not whither, willy nilly blowing.

f (
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, 1417

57

c q /

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Ah my beloved, fill the cup that cheers
Today of past regrets and future fears
Tomorrow? why tomorrow I may be
Myself with yesterday's seven thousand years!'

( - +
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'The moving finger writes, and having writ

Moves on : nor all thy piety nor wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a line,
Nor all thy tears wash out a word of it.'

, 1417

, t 26
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'How long, how long, in infinite pursuit

Of this and that endeavour and dispute?
Better be merry with the faithful grape
Than sadden after none, or bitter, fruit.'

58

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, 1417

59

R - f
Self Portrait - Rabindranath Tagore

, 1417

60

ij

With Best Wishes From

VANDANA ROY
&
TUSHAR ROY

, 1417

61
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, 1417

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'This strange uneasy poem is an example of Tagore at his most

inspirational imagination, let loose, unrestrained by moral or religious
preoccupation'

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67

[1860-1884]
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KADAMBARI
(1860-1884)
Older than Rabindranath by about a year, was married at the age
of eight to one of his brothers, Jyotirindranath. Prominent among
contributors to cultural atmosphere in the Tagore husehold, she was
a notable inspiration for the cultural pursuits of its members. Imbibed
liberal atmosphere of the family. Promoted and participated in cultural
evenings on the terrace garden of the Jorasanko house. Used to go
horse-riding with her husband on the Maidan grounds at Calcutta.
Committed suicide by consuming opium. Died childless. Her husband,
then thirty five, did not re-marry.

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68
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80
Soumya Mukherjee
Greater Kailash-I
New Delhi

Novelist
Rabindranath

For every true blooded Bengali, whether by birth, adoption or

naturalization, there is a holy trinity of Bengali literature - Bankim,
Sarat and Rabindra : the Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswar of the literary
pantheon. It is, therefore, by definition sacrilegious to criticize any
work by the triumvirate, and an immediate fatwa is declared on any
ordinary mortal who presumes to do so. This has been discovered by
numerous contemporary lesser litterateurs, and has recurred over
various generations. Buddhadev Basu and Sunil Ganguly and other
enfant terribles over the ages have suffered this fate.
Given such a healthy atmosphere of debate, it is no wonder that
most criticism is largely emphasizing their greatness in life and
literature, finding new evidence to corroborate the existing thesis, and
sometimes, in less skilled hands, amounting to hagiography.
So when a cursory reading of Bankim by today's youth gives her
the impression that it is a series of historical romances for the young
adult, although no doubt a pioneer in the genre as far as Bengali is
concerned, and not finding much value other than archival, she keeps
it to himself and looks for new ways to discover genius.
A similar perusal of Saratchandra will no doubt indicate a
goldmine of plots for Bollywood and Tollywood tear jerkers, as they
have spawned more screen adaptations than any other body of work.
A vast output of soaps on the small screen have the same inspiration.
Now, no one has accused soaps or pot-boilers of literary genius, but
the prime inspiration is the holiest of holies.

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Novelist Rabindranath
Attempts by a few brave souls to re-interpret the themes to today's
values have been met with war cries by the purists. Although the likes
of Buz Luhrmann and his ilk has re-interpreted Shakespeare beyond
recognition and our own Vishal Bhardwaj amongst others have
undertaken similar projects with great success, even mild digressions
of the plotlines of our holy trinity to match today's sensibilities results
in calling for blood from the upholders of our cultural heritage. This
results in condemnation without contemplation of celluloid gems like
Dev D or Rituparna's Choker Bali. Ray, being a modern day saint of
the Bengali cultural pantheon, escapes the worst harangues for his
occasional re-interpretations as in Ghare Baire or Teen Kanya.
So today, if a perusal of Bankimbabu or Saratchandra leaves the
lay reader cold, we blame it on the lack of our intellectual depth, rather
than the possibility that although they were pathbreaking works in their
time, their value or relevance may have dimmed with age.
Tagore, however, is a different ballgame altogether. The genius
of his poetry, music, stories, drama, political thought and art have
become far more evident in retrospection than was suspected in his
lifetime, the Nobel prize notwithstanding.
Even so, in order to understand him and his work in today's
perspective, freedom to criticize is a pre-condition. Tagore himself
recognized this and the prominent contemporary critic who called
Robibabu dated was Tagore himself, in the persona of Amit of Shesher
Kobita. Here Amit suggests that contemporary poetry - remember, this
was Tagore's own lifetime - should be like that of 'Nibaran', who also
was a creation of Tagore. Thus he himself showed alternative styles
of poetry under this pseudonym and encouraged his diffident
contemporaries to think beyond Tagore.
Despite this clear carte blanche, till today, it takes a brave soul to
be publicly critical of Tagore, a la Amit of Shesher Kobita. I was,
therefore, surprised to hear during a book reading event by the
Crossword prize winner Neel Mukherjee, who had done an intertextual interpretation of Ghare Baire from Miss Gilby's point of view,
that he did not consider Tagore a novelist. This was a view I had
secretly held and did not dare to air till, supported by a published
author, I will attempt this now.
Tagore's short stories were brilliant in the classic mould of the

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81

82

Novelist Rabindranath
short story, but the novels were a different matter.
The traditional concept of the novel, where the interplay of an
array of finely etched characters bring out the nuances of their
personalities, a drama unfolds, conflict arises and is resolved. Dickens,
Hardy, Hugo, Zola, Flaubert, Thackeray, Scott, Collins, Austen, the
Bronte sisters, Eliot were the role models and Bankim, Sarat,
Bibhutibhushan, Premchand were our classic models.
Tagore's novels, with the possible exception of Chokher Bali, do
not fit in.
Ghare Baire is a brilliant debate on the morality of nationalism
and end versus means, and way ahead of its time, a major critique of
narrow nationalism, the Congress and Gandhi's methodology. Char
Adhyay is a debate on violence versus non-violence, extremism versus
moderation. Gora is about insularity, prejudice and tolerance, tradition
versus reason, validity of ethnicity and race. The masterpiece was
Shesher Kobita - an enquiry into the nature of aesthetics and romance.
However, every character in these books was Tagore himself, with
his erudition and his eloquence. This is not an inter-play of emotions
but Tagore debating with Tagore. The result is a timeless tract, great
literature, but not the classic novel.
Bur then again, what is the definition of the novel? Given the wide
permutation the novel has achieved post war, and Tagore's notoriety
for being ahead of time, they can be happily accommodated today.
But this still does not take away our right to view him critically.
A foolhardy, but apparently mediocre filmmaker recently
attempted a narrative based on Tagore's relationship. Faced with the
ire of the Rabindrik moral police, the film did not see the light of day.
This is something Rabindranath himself would not have condoned.
Let there be irreverence. From debate reverence would arise if
deserved. Respect cannot be obtained through coercion.
(Soumya Mukherjee works with a Public Sector undertaking)

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83

e f
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84
Niraj Kumar
Sarita Vihar, New Delhi

The Beginning :
a true story

The phone rang..

'Yes bhaia. All fine.' It was Nili, my sister from Tatanagar
'Ok. But what happened?' I was impatient.
'It's a daughter. Healthy and doing fine. And so is Mallika.'
Thank God. My wife and I, sitting so far away in Delhi, heaved a
sigh of relief. Six days after the festival of Holi, that is in the evening
of the shashthi in the month of Chaitra, Mallika, my younger sister had
become a mother after eleven years of marriage, thanks to the miracles
of medical science. Or perhaps it was all the fasts, pujas and prayers.
'We should name her Chaitali', I suggested.
'Let this priviledge of naming the new-born go to the parents, or to
the grandmother, or bua-ji who are present there in Ranchi. What is the
point in suggesting names from here.' As usual, a word of wisdom from
my wife.
The same evening, a hundred miles away, in Bokaro, there was a
big gathering of relatives and friends in the house of my chacha-ji. It
was the brahman-bhoj, the sacred meal offered on the twelfth day of
his death. We were very fond of chacha-ji. He was a gentle person.
Younger to my father, he was his most obedient and loyal brother,
though of a diametrically opposite disposition. I remember my
childhood days when after a good spanking (and occasional thrashings)
from father I would find ample solace in chacha-ji's house who lived
next door, and the rasmalais he would offer me would make me forget
my recent woes. He was very fond of music, too. He had a vast collection

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The Beginning : a true story

of gramophone records, be it Salil Choudhury's composition, or Boney
M or ABBA, amazing was his range. It was in his house that I saw a
mandolin for the first and only time.
He lived life on his own terms though. Every evening he would be
found in a corner of his garden, under the old mango tree, sitting under
the blue haze of acrid smelling smoke of ganja, surrounded with a host
of friends or fellow revelers sharing the chillum.
After a prolonged illness, he died of lung failure at the age of sixty
six. As his body was being carried away on the shoulders of his many
admirers from under the same mango tree, a rustling of leaves in the
morning breeze of Phalgun seemed to echo the following
conversation.

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and his soul, already liberated, was perhaps whispering into the
ears of the little one waiting to arrive in the world in a few days

;
,
,
,
q,

....

(May you have the company of friends and family,

and may your home be awash with light
I will be heard in the flute
I will be in the light of the star
On the eternal river of time I have set off
as you have just descended on its bank
may you join the pleasures and happiness of life
as I wind up..)
(Niraj Kumar is an officer with the Department of Posts)

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85

86

(Letter written in 1921 by Rabindranath Tagore to C.F. Andrews

while crossing the Atlantic to England on board S.S. Rhyndam.)

Plato threatened to banish all poets from his

Republic. Was it in pity or in anger, I wonder?
Will our Indian Swaraj, when it comes to exist,
pass a deportation order against all feckless
creatures who are pursuers of phantoms and
fashioners of dreams, who neither dig nor sow,
bake nor boil, spin nor darn, neither move nor
support resolutions?
I have often tried to imagine the banished
hordes of poets establishing their own Republic
in the near neighbourhood of that of Plato.
Naturally, as an act of reprisal, His Excellency
the Poet President is sure to banish from the
Rhymers' Republic all philosophers and
politicians. Just think of the endless
possibilities arising from feuds and truces of
these rival Republics - peace conferences,
deputations of representatives, institutions with
busy secretaries and permanent funds having for
their object the bridging of the gulf between
the two adversaries. Then think of a trivial
accident, through which a hapless young man and
a melancholy maiden, coming from the opposite
territories, meet at the frontier, and owing to
the influence of the conjunction of their
respective planets fall in love with each other.
There is no harm in supposing that the young
man is the son of the President of the

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87

Philosophers' Republic, while the maiden is the

daughter of that of the poets'. The immediate
consequence is the secret smuggling of forbidden
love-lyrics by the desperate youth into the very
heart of the commentaries and controversies of
the two contradictory schools of Philosophy - the
one professed by the yellow-turbaned sages,
proclaiming that one is truth and two is an
illusion, and the other, which is the doctrine
of the green-turbaned sages, asserting that two
is truth and one is an illusion.
Then came the day of the great meeting, presided
over by the Philosopher President, when the pandits
of the two factions met to fight their dialectic
duels finally to decide the truth. The din of
debates grew into a tumultuous hubbub; the
supporters of both parties threatened violence
and the throne of truth was usurped by shouts.
When these shouts were about to be transmuted
into blows, there appeared in the arena the pair
of lovers who, on the night of the full moon of
April, were secretly wedded, though such
intermarriage was against the law. When they stood
in the open partition between the two parties, a
sudden hush fell upon the assembly.
How this unexpected and yet ever-to-be-expected
event, mixed with texts liberally quoted from the
proscribed love-lyrics, ultimately helped to
reconcile the hopeless contradiction in logic is
a long story. It is well known to those who have
had the privilege to pursue the subsequent verdict

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88

of the judges that both doctrines are held to be

undoubtedly true: that one is in two , and
therefore two must find itself in one. The
acknowledgment of this principle helped to make
the intermarriage valid, and since then the two
Republics have successfully carried out their
disarmament, having discovered for the first time
that the gulf between them was imaginary.
Such a simple and happy ending of this drama
has caused widespread unemployment and consequent
feeling of disgust among the vast number of
secretaries and missionaries belonging to the
institutions maintained, with the help of
permanent funds, for the preaching of Union those organizations which were so enormously
perfect in their machinery that they could well
afford to ignore the insignificant fact of their
barrenness of result. A large number of these
individuals gifted with an ineradicable passion
for doing good are joining the opposite
organizations, which have their permanent funds,
in order to help them to prove and to preach
that two is two and never the twain shall meet.
That the above story is a true one will, I am
sure, be borne out by the testimony of even the
august shade of Plato himself. This episode of
the game of hide-and-seek of one in two should
be sung by some poet; and therefore I request
you to give it, with my blessing, to Satyendranath
Dutta, that he may set it in those inimitable
verse forms of which he is a master, and make it
ring with the music of his happy laughter.

, 1417