CHAPTER -1

TAGORE: LIFE & WORKS

LIFE

Rabindranath Tagore, fourteenth child of and Sarada Devi, was bom on the 7* of May 1861 at Jorasanko in Calcutta. According to the Bengali calendar the date was the 25'*' of Vaishaka, 1268.

The was living very simply at the time of Rabindranath's birth. Rabindranath did not even have the care and attention of his mother, Sarada Devi, head of the large household. Rabindranath's care became the responsibility of the family servants. His movements were restricted by them to make their job easier. Very often Rabindranath would spend his hours shut alone in a room seated quietly by a window. The world outside grew more and more mysterious and strange to . Rabindranath was even deprived of his share of milk as the servant mismanaged to take a major share of it. But this servant indirectly contributed to Rabrindranath's development & growth as a literary artist, because when he read out parts of Ramayana and Mahabharata to the other servants, Rabindranath listened with keen interest. Cut off as he was from the grown-up world and the outside world, the world of his imagination become real to him. Insularity from the external world made Rabindranath's mind more sensitive to the workings of a child's mind.

Listening to his elder brothers talk of school, made Rabindranath's heart yearn to go to school, but once there he realized that the closed room was nothing like the colourfiil world of imagination; going to school, he felt, was no better than being punished in a heartless prison. Rabi and the other children of the Tagore household studied various subjects, at the Normal School as well as at home, like the mother-tongue Bengali, Geometry, Arithmetic, History, Geography, Physics, Logic and Biology, They were also taught Drawing and Gymnastics, Anatomy and English. Even holidays and Sundays were not "wasted", Rabindranath and the other children were taught devotional songs and sometimes light popular songs too. Sometimes a science teacher came to show them simple experiments with the help of scientific apparatus.

At the insistence of his father, Rabi joined a Eurasian school called the Bengal Academy. His father's company was something Rabi always sought, and so he was obviously overjoyed at the opportunity to go to the Himalayas with him for four whole months. The first break in their journey was at Bolpur, in the Birbhum district of Bengal where Rabi's father had built a house named Santiniketan. They also visited Amritsar on their way, from there they proceeded to Dalhousie in the Himalayas.

On the 20*^ of September 1878, Rabindranath, 17 years old, sailed for England. He was put in a public school at Brighton and later admitted to the University at London. Here he studied English Literature. He spent about a year and a half in England. Back in , he saw at close quarters Calcutta, Darjeeling, Maharashtra (Pune) & a part of South of India (Karwar in Kamataka). In 1883 Rabindranath, 22 yrs. old, was married to . Barely six months after his wedding, Rabindranath's sister-in-law, committed suicide. For Rabi, her death was the tragic loss of a companion close from childhood.

This was also the time when Rabindranath was introduced to the political, social and religious changes taking place so rapidly in

India. His father gave him charge of the administration of the

Brahmo Samaj. Towards the end of 1890, his father also entrusted him with the lull charge of the landed estates of the family. Rabi went to live at Shelaidah alone as his children were yet small; Bela, his eldest daughter was 4 & Rathindranath his eldest son was 2 years. At Shelaidah his acquaintance with the simple folk of the village deepened. Rabindranath won the hearts of his tenants, a fact which is clearly reflected in the fact that even in his old age, in 1937 he visited them at their request. At Shelaidah, he also developed keen interest in folk literature and folk music.

In 1898, Mrinalini Devi left Calcutta and joined her husband at Shelaidah, taking with her their five children Bela, Rathi, Rani, Mira and Sami. A room in the manor house was turned into a school for them, this was in a way a foundation for the school at Santiniketan an important mile stone in the cause of humanitarian ideals.

On the 22"** of December 1901, Rabi founded a school of his own and named it the Brahmacharya Ashram. He had to face many financial and administrative hardships to see the school flourish.

This was also the time of personal tragedies for him; his wife

Mrinalini Devi died in 1902, his second daughter Rani, 12 years old, died in 1903. 1904 brought the death of a teacher Satish

Chandra Ray who was like a son to him. In the early part of 1905 Rabi's father passed away. 1907 brought the severest blow when Sami, Rabindranath's six year old son died of cholera. Undaunted and unbent by the severity of these blows, Rabindranath gave his entire attention now to the work of the school.

After the age of 50, Rabindranath's health started deteriorating. The year 1912, Rabindranath visited England for improving his health. It was here that several English poets of the day were introduced to him; Yeats, the most important one among them. Praises were lavished on him for - his translation of his poems. The Swedish Academy awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature for 1913 to . It was the first time an Asian writer had been shown such an honour.

The year 1918 again brought a tragic blow for Tagore; the death of

Bela his eldest daughter. On the other hand his fame was rising rapidly. All over India and Europe Tagore became a household name known for his writings and above all for his ideas on humanism. On 23'*' December 1921, Rabindranath dedicated Viswa

- Bharati (earlier known as the Brahmacharya Ashram) to the people of his country. In 1921, he completed his 60* year. As long as his health permitted he traveled tirelessly in his own country and in other lands. His condition took a turn for the worse in 1940 from which he was never to recover. He died on the 7* of August 1941. The passing away of the complex multi-dimensional creative genius has created a void in the literary firmament, which is hard to fill.

WORKS

Tagore's multi faceted creativity found expression through all possible literary genres: verse, fiction-short stories and novels, experimental plays, essays and over 2,000 songs; in his life span of 80 years.

Early stage

The earliest sparks of Tagore's creative genius can be traced back to his childhood. Rabi started scribbling poetry at the early age of

9 years. He composed his first heroic poem -THE DEFEAT OF

PRITHVIRAJ - at the age of about 11 years. He made his first public debut as a poet on the 11* of February 1875. The poem he read out was later published in the Amrita Bazar Patrika and named

THE GIFT OF THE HINDU MELA. When Rabi was 12 or 13 years old, he spent part of every day composing SWAPNA PRAY AN (The Dream Journey), each part read out to the whole family as soon as it was written. At the age of 15, his poem BANAPHUL (THE WILD FLOWER) appeared in a magazine called Jnanankur. His first prose writing, a critical essay also appeared in this magazine. In 1877, Rabi aged 16, appeared on stage in the role of Jyotindranath's (his brother) farce Alik Babu. Rabi wrote a critical study of Micheal Madhusudan Dutt's MEGHNAD BADH which was published in the first issue of Bharati, a magazine published from the Tagore household.

He also wrote some padas in imitation of Vidyapati's padavali in Braja dialect. These padas supposedly written by Bhanu Sinha an old master of the padavali style, created quite a sensation in the literary circles, when published in the Bharati.

Other writings of Rabindranath were also published in the Bharati; poems, stories, essays on foreign and native customs, studies of civilizations and literatures. At about the age of 20 years, his letters to Europe, PRABASIR PATRA (Letters of a Visitors to Europe) were published in Bharati. His first musical drama was a product of his study of Indian and European melody, it was VALMIKI PRATIBHA (The genius of Valmiki). At about the age of 20 yrs. he composed his (Evening Songs)which were acclaimed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee the well-known writer of the times. About this time Rabi also started writing his first novel BAU THAKURNIR HAT (The Young Bride's Market).

Middle Stage

About the age of 21 years Tagore wrote a symbolic play PRAKRITIR PRATISODH (Nature's Revenge). Around 1884, Rabindranath wrote ironical verses, plays and essays attacking the false interpretations of Hinduism going on at that time.

From the time he was married in 1883 to 1890, Tagore wrote stories, poems, plays, essays, and critical studies continuously. He wrote many plays during these years MAYAR KHELA (The Play of Illusion), O RANI (The King and The Queen) and VISARJAN (Sacrifice). The decade of the 1890's was also the most fertile decade of Tagore's short stories. A series of short stories, establishing the story form in Bengali literature, were published in GALPA GUCHCHHA when staying at Shelaidah. He described his visit to England in 1890 in EUROPE JATRIR DIARY (Diary of a Sojourner to England). In addition to these he wrote poems, essays, plays and criticism.

In 1892 he wrote an essay entitled SHIKSHAR HER PHER (Tortuosities of Education) emphasizing the importance of the mother-tongue as the medium of instruction.

In 1898 he was writing the poems of KATHA O KAHINI. Poems narrating the glorious incidents in the history of India were published in a book called KATHA (Narrative Poems). A study of the ancient forest hermitages, in the age of the Upanishads, led to the writing of NAIVEDYA (Offerings) which contained the foundation ideas of his school at Santiniketan.

In 1904 an essay SWADESHI SAMAJ (Indigenous Society) was published propounding a plan emphasizing the work on the fields in the villages for the country to advance. His play

PRAYASCHITTA (Atonement) written in 1909 is based on similar ideas. The other plays written about this time were

SARADOTSAVA (The Autumn Festival), MUKUT (Crown),

RAJA (King), DAKGHAR (), and ACALAYATAN (The Castle of Conservatism).

Last Stage

In 1911, Rabindranath aged 50 years, composed a song sung at the Maghotsav at Santiniketan.

"Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people.

Thou Dispenser of India's destiny."

This song (Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka . . . .) was to be the National Anthem of free India.

About this time, he also wrote an essay BHARATVARSHER ITIHASER DHARA (The course of India's History) and a poem BHARAT TIRTHA (India, Place of Pilgrimage) and a novel .

In 1912, he started translating selected poems of his from

GITANJALI, GITIMALYA, NAIVEDYA, and a poem named INDIA'S PRAYER on the Indian political scene of the day.

Around 1924, the poems in PURAVI were written during his convalescence in South America. Between 1913 and 1920 about twenty of his books were translated and published in English and other European languages.

10 SHESHER KAVITA (Farewell My Friend) and YOGAYOG two novels were written after the First World War. LABORATORY was a story written in extreme old age. His experiences during his travels in Japan, Java, Russia and Iran find expression in his diaries. The events of his life are told by Tagore in JIVAN SMIRTI (My Reminiscences), 1912, CHELE BELA (My Boyhood Days), 1940, and in his other writings, particularly in his letters. Self- analytical essays and lectures about the course of his life as a poet were brought together in the book ATMA PARICHAYA (A Poet's Testament) in 1942.

The books published during the last 20 years of his life (1921-41) number nearly seventy-five. The songs run in hundreds. He even acted in many of his plays. He introduced dance as an art form to his students at Santiniketan. Combining dance, song and acting he created the Bengali dance-drama. He also introduced free -verse in poetry. Painting was something that fascinated him in his last years; exhibiting in Moscow, Denmark, Berlin, Paris, London and New York. His contribution to the world of music, in the form of , is a feather in the crown of Indian culture.

11 He continued writing poems or reciting them impromptu almost upto the time of his death.

His selected works can be enlisted as follows :

POETRY: Gitanjali (), The Gardener, The Crescent Moon, Fruit-gathering, Lover's Gift and Crossing; The Fugitive; sheaves; The Child; The Golden Boat; Poems, A Flight of Swans; Syamali; The Herald of Spring, Wings of Death; Poems fi-om Puravi, One Hundred and One.

DRAMA : ; The King of the Dark Chamber; The Post- Office; Sacrifice & other plays; The Cycle of Spring; The Curse at Farewell; Red Oleanders; Three Plays; (The Court Dancer)

NOVELS: The Home & The World; The Wreck; Gora; Two

Sisters Farewell, My Friend; Four Chapters; Binodini; Chaturanga.

SHORT STORIES : & other stories; Mashi & other stories; Broken Ties & other stories; The Runaway & other stories; The Housewarming & other selected writings.

ESSAYS : Sadhana, Nationalism, Personality; Greater India;

12 Talks in China; ; Man; Crisis in Civilisation;

Our Universe; Towards Universal Man.

MEMOIRS & LETTERS: My Reminiscences; Glimpses of Bengal; Letters from Abroad, Letters to a Friend; My Boyhood Days; A Tagore Testament; Letters from Russia; A Visit to Japan.

ANTHOLOGIES: The Parrot's Training; Fireflies; Our Universe; A Tagore Reader

PAINTINGS: Chitralipi I; Chitralipi II

SONGS: Svaralipi I, Svaralipi II

TAGORE & OTHER WRITERS

Tagore among world writers

Though Tagore visited England in 1878 for the first time; it was in

1912 that he was introduced to the literary world there. Tagore was ailing in 1912 when it was decided that he should go abroad for medical treatment. In London the artist, Sir William Rothenstein looked after the poet and it was this artist who showed some of

Tagore's poems to the Turkish poet W.B.Yeats. Yeats suggested that other poets should be invited to visit Tagore. Yeats read out a few of Rabindranath's translations of his poems under the name of

13 GITANJALI in his presence to the few English poets gathered there. This paved the way for the Nobel Prize for Literature for 1913 to be awarded to Rabindranath Tagore.

Ezra Pound compared Tagore to Dante in his review of GITANJALI. Tagore however was painfully aware of the difficulties and limitations of translations, he even mentioned this in a letter to Ezra Pound. Yet he has been translated world over by various writers from time to time.

Juan Ramon Jimenez, Tagore's Spanish translator after having translated twenty two of his works, decided to do away with Tagore because critics made him conscious of Tagore's indelible impression on his works.

Anna Akhmatova, Nobel laureate, who translated Tagore's works into Russian in the mid -1960's calls him a 'great poet'.

Andre Guide, Nobel laureate, who translated GITANJALI &

DAKGHAR (The Post Office) into French, stated

"What I admire in "Gitanjali' is that it is

not encumbered with mythology ... it is

14 not at all necessary to make preparations

for reading it."

(Dutta & Robinson: 1997-5)

War Poet Wilfred Owen, wishing his mother goodbye, before going to war, quoted Tagore's lines :

" When I go from hence,

let this be my parting word", from the GITANJALI. Parallels have been drawn between Tagore on the one hand and Goethe on the other for his versatility; between Tagore on the one hand and Walt Whitman on the other for his vision of universal brotherhood; between Tagore & Keats for his "romantic" spirit, Tagore was deeply inspired by Keats's 'Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty'.

Tagore's rise to fame as a literary giant had many hurdles on the way in the form of severe criticism of his works, by almost all literary luminaries of his days.

15 Tagore Among his Indian Contemporaries

Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, the renowned writer from Bengal, who penned the prophetic novel ANANDAMATH and the National Song of India 'Bande Mataram', once stated (1871):

"Bengali literature is feeble and base and utterly worthless, yet has within it what may encourage no small degree of hope for the future,"

(Roy: 1992 -15)

These lines almost prophesy the advent of Rabindranath Tagore who was just 10 years of age then; for it was Tagore who tapped all the potential of Bengal through his works.

Romesh Chandra Dutt was a well-known novelist in Bengal then, whose works include MAHARASHTRA JIVAN PRABHAT

(1878) a historical novel. Aurobindo Ghose wrote poems and plays envisioning his spiritual vision. But it was none other than Bankim

Chandra Chatteiji - Sahitya Samrat (emperor of Bengali Literature)

- as he was known - who encouraged Tagore and gave him the strength to rise above the criticisms showered upon him for the voluptuousness of his love-lyrics. At a wedding party where

Chatterji was the guest of honour, he removed the garland put

16 around his neck for felicitating him and put it around the neck of

Rabindranath Tagore stating:

"This garland really belongs to him. I am the setting sun. He is the sun now rising".

(Roy: 1992-16)

This rising sun was to reach higher and illumine the sky of Bengali literature; and today, Amiya Dev states:

"Bengali poetry owes its present prestige to

Rabindranath Tagore ..."

(George: 1984-337)

Having crossed all dark clouds of criticism Tagore won a lot of adulation from younger writers. Many imitators appeared but only a few could attain individuality. One important contemporary of

Tagore, who did make a mark was Satyendranath Datta (1882-

1922). It is interesting to note that his HASANTIKA (In Test,

1917) is a bunch of satiric poems many of which defend Tagore against his critics. Satyendranath also wrote BENU O BINA (Pipe and Strings, 1906), KUHU O KEKA (Kuhu and Keka - birds,

1912), ABHRA ABIR (Cloud Dusts, 1916), etc. He was also known for his translations from French, German, Persian and some

17 Indian languages; making translation a major preoccupation of the

Bengali poets.

Mohitlal Majumdar (1888-1952) was another contemporary of Tagore, who tried to outgrow the influence of Tagore by going back to Madhusudan Dutt & others. Some of his books were SVAPAN PASARI (The Dream Vendor, 1922) and BISMARANI (Oblivion, 1927).

Some other poets who carved out a niche for themselves in the literary world, however small, during the times of Tagore were Jatindranath Sengupta (1887-1931) author of NUTAN KATHA (New Notebook, 1923) and Kaji Nagul Islam (1899 - 1977) who was known as the 'rebel poet' because of his celebrated poem VIDHROHI(The Rebel). In fact, Tagore dedicated to him his musical drama VASANTA (Spring, 1923). His books include AGNIBINA (Fiery strings, 1922), BISER BANSI (The Poison Flute, 1924) and BHANGAR CAN (The Song of Destruction, 1924).

When Tagore was writing novels and stories focusing on social issues, writers in different parts of India were doing the same. Sarat

Chandra Chatterjee was a very important novelist of this time

18 whose novels based on different social issues of the day raised many an uproar and created a furor in the literary circles in Bengal, to name a few novels of this rebel craftsman: PALLI SAMAJ (1916), FATHER DATRI (1926).

Prem Chand's fiction that attained to the heights of glory of Hindi Literature after the tragic death of its creator, also dealt with similar social issues. His novel SEVASADAN (1916) dealt with the problem of prostitution and his novel KARMABHUMI (1932) dealt with Gandhian ideology. The Marathi novelist Khandekar wrote about political beliefs and social ideas in Marathi in his novels like KANCHAN MRUGA(1931) or HIRWA CHAPA.

Some other writers almost contemporary with Tagore in other Indian languages were Kishorilal Goswami whose novel LABANGALATA (1891) in Hindi appeared at the same time as Devaki Nandan Khatri's CHANDRAKANTA Hari Narayan Apte was writing in Marathi historical novels like MAISORCHA WAGH (1890) and Raman Pillai was writing Malayalam novels like MARTANDA VARKA (1891).

When Tagore was writing plays projecting the corrupt practices in

society under the name of religion, playwrights in other parts of the

19 country were also handling the same theme. In the southern parts of India, V. Narayanan's four playlets in his collection WHERE GOD IS NOT & OTHER PLAYLETS (1933) expose the evils of both organized religion and society. Aiyangar's play SUB-ASSISTANT MAGISTRATE OF SULTANPET points out to the evils of corruption.

Every writer has a place of his own in the literary world; yet it is very difficult to find a genius like Tagore who contributed significantly to every genre of literature.

Tagore left a stamp of his creativity on many up-coming writers of his time who were either directly or indirectly inspired by him.

TAGORE- INSPIRED WRITERS

In Bengal many young poets showed the influence of Tagore. To name a few Dvijendranarayan Bagchi (1873-1927), Karunanidhan

Bandyopadhyay (1877-1955).

Jatindramohan Bagchi (1878-1948), Kumudranjan Mallik (1883-

1970) and Kalidas Roy (1889-1975). The general tone of these poets is gentle; the titles of the works reflecting their mild simplicity, for instance, RABINDRA AARTHI (Tagore-worship,

1937) by Karunanidhan or LEKHA (Writing, 1906) and REKHA

20 (Lines, 1910) by Jatin Bagchi or BANATULSE (Wild Tulsi, 1911) by Kumud Mallik. Some other poets of the time inspired by the grate craftsman were Priyambada Debi (1871-1935) author of RENU (Flower Dusts, 1900); or Pramathanath Roy Choudhury (1872-1948); or Tagore's niece Hemlata Debi (1873-1967) and nephew Balendranath Tagore (1870-99). Chittaranjan Das's poetry was clearly written under the influence of Tagore, before he turned to politics. (1868-1946), who married Tagore's niece Indira clearly carries Tagore's mark.

Niranjan pal acknowledges his indebtedness to Tagore's BISARYARI for his play, "The Goddess" (1924). Smt. K. B. Thakur's play MOTHER & CHILD (1960) like Tagore's play KARNA & KUNTI focuses on the natural bond of affection between a mother and her child. Narayan Prasad's one-act play BATTLE FOR LIGHT (1964) carries the influence of Tagore. As Shree Krishna Prasad says about the play :

"... he seems to have indirectly taken

his cue from works like ... Tagore's

The King of the Dark Chamber."

(Bhatta: 1987-158)

21 The fact, therefore, cannot be denied that Tagore has become an inevitable, perhaps unconscious, part of the Indian literary psyche.

CHARACTERS IN TAGORE'S WORKS

Tagore picks up simple hues from the colours of life around and puts them on his canvas to paint a short story, a novel or a poem with the strokes of a master. The situations and characters of his works are real and can almost be touched. They leave on sensitive minds impressions that cannot be shaken off.

Living in Shelaidah gave Tagore the opportunity to acquaint himself with the simple people there, through his administrative work. He recognized the fact that the simple village farmer was helpless, without resources and completely at the mercy of the landlord. Tagore saw in them his own people, members of a single large family, the country. He saw the villager always looking up to others for survival and protection from all evil. Every calamity that befell him was blamed on fate. Sensitive as he was to pain and suffering Tagore felt the peasants state within him and this suffering found expression through his writings.

The series of short stories published in GALPA GUCHCHHA written among the sand dunes of the Padma, stand testimony to the

22 fact. Most of these stories have village settings and deal with village people. In an English interview given in 1935, Tagore stated:

"My whole heart went out to the simple

village people as I came in close

contact with them .... My earlier stories have

this background, & they describe this contact of mine

with the village people"

(Radice: 1994-4)

In this collection, POSTMASTER was one of the first he wrote. This postmaster in the story was modeled on the postmaster at Shajadpur; a fact mentioned in one of the letters he wrote to his niece Indira Devi.

Raicharan in LITTLE MASTER RETURNS another short story is a real life character with simple beliefs and emotions. , the protagonist in the story of the same name, projects the simple emotions of a person deeply attached to his soil.

Even his poems show his close affinity to the rural scenario. In

CAITALI (Wild Spring) the poet covers different moods.

23 "Some are pen-portraits of rural people

a girl looking after her little brother

by the riverside, or a herd-boy coaxing

a cow into the river for a bath,...."

(Radice: 1994 -12)

Not just the characters but even the situations in his works are taken up from life around. Many situations in his stories are directly taken from the soil of rural Bengal. UNWANTED the story of Nilkanta, for example, is set in the picturesque locale at the banks of the river in rural Chandemagore. THE LIVING & THE DEAD and PUNISHMENT are some other instances of his stories that depict situations and happenings in rural Bengal.

Painfiilly refuting the charge of critics that his stories lack realism,

in an interview to the noted Bengali critic Buddhadeva Bose,

Tagore stated:

"At one time I used to rove down

Bengal's rivers, and I observed the

wonderful way of life of Bengal's villages

I would say there is no lack of realism

24 in my stories. I wrote from what I saw,

what I felt in my heart - my direct

experience..."

(Radice: 1994-13)

From the above discussion one may be easily tempted to infer that Tagore's stories deal only with 'simple village folk'. He was so sensitive that he could not have missed the insensitivity of the people of his times, much less accept it as a necessary evil. Many of his stories bring out this insensitive side of human nature seen more in cities than in villages. Phatik's aunt in the story HOLIDAY is a fine example of this.

Tagore's fiction also talks of social problems - PROFIT & LOSS for instance is an evidence of his reflections on child-marriage,

SON-SACRIFICE on casteism. His novel GORA shows Tagore's acute awareness of the political changes taking place around him.

This contradicts Tagore's statement in the same English interview quoted above, that he had "no social or political problems" in mind when he wrote. It is interesting to see that Tagore depicted the adult world with equally lucid strokes of realism as the world of children he depicted.

25 TAGORE'S IDEAS ON CHILDREN & THEIR WORLD

Tagore's greatest contribution to humanity is without doubt the school he set up at Santiniketan with its emphasis on liberal and humanitarian ideals rather than insular, pedagogical education. To Tagore a child is like a beautiful lotus whose petals need to unfold in a natural way. As he states in LIPIKA the gaps between clouds can be filled with short stories, and the space between buildings can be covered with grass on which children can play. The school set up at "Santiniketan" was this space covered with grass for children to play, learn and grow as complete human beings in close proximity to nature. Tagore knew that if a child is taught childishly he does not grow into manhood. Children are capable of imbibing a great deal of knowledge if it is presented to them with due respect and explained well. Some of it remains with the child in the unconscious mind. He knew that when lessons are forced down a child's throat and are memorized automatically, without understanding, the lessons are naturally lost.

Rabindranath wished to follow the ancient ideal of the forest school. He did not wish to commercialize learning and refused the idea of accepting fees from the students. The teachers, would teach

26 free of charge and take only as much as they needed to maintain their families. Students and teachers lived as family. Rabindranath believed that the aim of education should be the development of a whole integrated personality. Discussing the aims and objects and the teaching methods of the Santiniketan school he said :

"The chief object of this school

is to make education an integral

part of life. Intimate ties of kinship

must be set up and maintained

between the children of the ashram

and the world of nature through

knowledge, through music, through

activities and through the festivals

of the seasons. Relationships must be

established with our neighbours in

the human world as well as

with the world of nature."

(Roy: 1980-57)

27 The motto of the Visva-Bharati was:

ABHEYAM VISWA BHARATI YATRA VISHWAM

BHABATYEK BHIDAM i.e. This is the Visva-Bharati where the world makes a home in a single nest.

To establish links with the village people, the students at the Visva- Bharati were given advice about the cultivation of a spirit of cooperation in the village, the use of labour saving devices, the revival of cottage industries, community training and health instruction. They were also introduced to gardening, cow keeping, handicrafts and games. The school attempted to make use of the best methods of agriculture, the breeding of livestock, and development of village crafts like weaving. The students were taught cultivation of land, sanitation and all practical sciences. Besides this the students studied music, dance and painting.

Visva-Bharati, thus, was the physical embodiment of Tagore's ideas, his attempt to cut across all barriers of caste, colour and creed among human beings. Visva-Bharati was his attempt to make people see and feel the oneness of the spirit underlying the apparent plurality between the Occident and the Orient.

28 Rabindranath Tagore's ideas on education highlight two important aspects of his personality one is his deep love for humanity and the other is his love and concern for the hearts of children, who he felt could blossom fully well only in the love and nurture of nature.

Many of his short stories and poems bring out the conflict between adults and children, when adults try to mould children according to the dictates of society away from nature. Phatik in HOLIDAY, Nilkanta in UNWANTED, Ratan in POSTMASTER or Ashu in HOUSEWIFE are examples of such children whose innocent hearts are cruelly crushed by the adult society.

Tagore shows deep understanding of children; his keen sensitivity is tuned so well with their emotions and needs that he has immortalized them with their wide spectrum of moods in his stories and poems. His stories show children fiill of mischief and playful naughtiness, unwilling to be restrained, with an intense desire to grow up which is in fact an extension of their desire to be free to do everything that is hitherto forbidden by adults. Acute sensitivity combined with a keen observation led him to capture real moments from life and put them down in ink.

"The description of the boys playing

29 at the beginning of chuti (Holiday),

for example, is taken straight from

observation,...."

(Radice: 1994-5)

Rabindranath's daughter Bela, a delightful chatterbox, becomes the model for Mini in the story KABULIWALA.

The insularity from the external world that he faced during his own childhood only helped Rabindranath imderstand the loneliness of a child. The lonely child isolated and lost in thought, who appears in his stories or a play like DAKGHAR (The Post Office) is thus an autobiographical figure inspired by the poet's very own lonely childhood.

That Tagore also saw the negative aspects in a child's personality is proved by his short stories and poems where he captures the indifference, the almost hostile attitude of children or where he projects children as perpetrators of human tragedy. I WONT LET YOU GO is a poem which brings out a little child's callous behaviour. Phelna in LITTLE MASTER RETURNS gives a classic example of human tragedy instigated by an adolescent.

30 CONCLUSION

It is often believed that greatness has nothing to do with something as trivial as children or childhood. This is a gross misunderstanding of life and its complexities. Life has shown at various times instances of the 'great' being close to children. Even a poet of pain and suffering, like Ghalib loved children.

"In fact, Ghalib's love for children

is a little known but very

lovable aspect of his character.

The children and grandchildren of

many of his friends found in

him an 'uncle' who never

failed or forgot to inquire about

their welfare".

(Varma:1989-114)

The same holds true for Tagore. Lila Majumdar states:

"He was also the person who came

out to scold them for playing

31 in the rain and concluded by

joining them in song".

(Majumdar: 1961-176)

Tagore respected children as individual human beings complete by themselves, capable of thinking and feeling just as strongly as any adult; so he could write stories for children and stories of children with equal ease. His stories are stories simple enough for a child to comprehend and his children are real enough for a child to identify with; children with a firm belief in the power of love and truth.

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