By Rajiv Roy
In her upcoming book Tagore and Pineland Shillong Uma Purkayastha, a retired principal of Government Girls’ HS School, Shillong, has pictured the relationship between Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore and Shillong – which she referred aptly as Pineland. It is her deep research work and the book gived insight into the lives and works of Tagore. In this small book (under publication), the former educationist has opened her essay with a background that the poet had “cherished a keen desire to visit Shillong once again in 1935, when he was invited by Rai Bahadur Promode Chandra Dutta, the then Education Minister of erstwhile Assam; however, he could not make it due to his physical inability,” which is not known to many besides the poet’s three visit here in 1919, 1923 and 1927.
The book carries the distinguished letter written by Tagore to the British regime to relieve him from the title of knighthood as a mark of protest following the Jallianwala Bagh massacre followed by another letter by Annie Besant writing to elect him the president of congress. The book starts with an opening chapter on Tagore’s first visit to Shillong giving full details of his journey from Shantiniketan to Pineland including the expenses that were incurred for his conveyances besides the literary works that he undertook here. A chapter on his visit to Guwahati from Shillong and another recalling his journey to Sylhet on the same year tells the popularity of Tagore as a poet as he was given a grand welcome whenever the train stopped in each station.
Tagore’s second visit to Shillong in April, 1923 was more of a retreat as the poet himself expressed this in his poem Shillonger Chiti. “When the scorching heat of intense summer / Couldn’t be relaxed by cold-drinks or fan-air, / Exhausted I, rushed to The Shillong hills, / Only to be soothed by its pleasant chill!” (translated by the author). This chapter also carries an interpretation of Tagore on Red Oleanders while it earned negative criticism in the media.
His third visit to Shillong in 1927 was somewhat similar to his 1923 visit when he was yearning for the “peaceful and soothing hill resort” – Shillong, when it was exceedingly hot in Shantiniketan. His desire was fulfilled by an industrialist friend from Ahmadabad. During this visit, similar to his earlier visits here, he gave shape to many of his literary works and had also visited a tribal dance festival concerning that time of the year. The chapter on Tagore’s influence on the indigenous people of Meghalaya can be greatly understood from his references of this pineland in his works. The author here said that the poet did not get the opportunity to know the nitty-gritty of the tribal life and culture, similar to those he noticed elsewhere and have even composed poems appreciating their way of life, or else he could have contributed a great deal. It was only during his last visit in 1927, a Khasi cultural troupe invited him in a dance festival. That Tagore had not been able to interact with the local populace can also be attributed to the influence of British regime in this region and the general citizens who were employees in the British administration and avoided his company lest they offend the British rulers. The return of knighthood by the poet was also another reason.
The author besides touching upon the visit of Tagore with every detail has also given length history of the houses in which he stayed during each of his visits. That the national anthem – Jana Gana Mana – composed by the poet was sung for the first time on 28th annual Session of the Indian National Congress in Calcutta, on 27th December 1911 earned instant appreciation for its “magnetic tune and stimulating words”. The historical facts and settings are substantiated equally by the author and the book carries some of the most memorable pictures of those buildings and others with which the poet was associated with. This book is indeed a prized possession not only for those who want to know the poet and his connection with this part of the country but has all the ingredients to serve those who are into research work. The in-depth coverage of every details of the poet by the author is a feat that has never been attempted before in this part of the country.