2021 marks the 160th Birth Anniversary of the poet Rabindranath Tagore. Uma Purkayastharevisits his journey.
Rabindranath Tagore visitedShillong thrice, in 1919, 1923and 1927. Hespent a good number of days in each of his sojourn, in different places of the city. The houses where he lived are preserved and Tagore lovers gather to pay homage every year, since 1961.It’s interesting to note thathe was notoffered any felicitation or public reception here; despite his successive visits.They remained quite unsung;no photograph/press report of the legendary poet’s Shillongjourney is traceable.
Shillong was in deliberate silence in 1931 while the country, including western nations, celebrated his 70th birth anniversary.According to Rabindra biographer Prabhat Kr. Mukhopadhaya,“During his three successive visits, there was no public reception for Tagore from anycorner of Shillong, other than a couple of private invitations only.”
One wonders why such willful reluctance towards a personality of global eminence.The answers may lie in the early part of the 20th century Shillong.
The Journey
On 13th April 1919, the Jallianwala Baghmassacre in Punjab occurred.Hundreds of innocent unarmed common people were killed by General Dyer; and martial law imposed. The barbaric actions of the British Government led to protests. The poet renounced the prestigious ‘Knighthood’ conferred upon him by the British Emperor, George V, in 1915 and wrote a strong letter to Lord Chelmsford (then Viceroy), as a mark of solidarity with the protestors.
Tagore came under the scanner of the British Government. The CID Department referred to him as the ‘Poet Politician’; and Mr. Cunningham, the then Director of Public Instructions, Eastern Bengal and Assam, came out with a strong circular, to the Indian Government officers, forbidding them to send their children to the poet’s school at Shantiniketan, suspected to be related to anti-British activities.
During all those political hurdles, Tagore came to Shillong in October 1919 for peace and mental respite, even though the journey was a tiring one. It is worth mentioning that during that time, theShillong-Guwahati journey was quite precarious and strenuous due to rocky uneven road.
The then elites of Shillong,especially the native bureaucrats,did not come forward to honourhim and refrained from coming in contact with the bard. Interestingly, neighbouring places like Guwahati, Badarpur, Karimganj, Sylhet, and Agartalaoffered Tagore royal receptions, during that very particular period, despite being under British rule.
Only during his third visit in 1927, was he invited by some Khasi youths to attend a Khasi dance festival, which he attended very heartily and highly appreciated their dancing skill.It is heard that the organisersof the festival, including U SosoTham, the National poet of Meghalaya, met Tagoreand presented him with a pair of bow and arrow.This was the token of their love and respect towards him.
Another invitation was offered to himby the Assam Bengal Theatre Party of Shillong to witness the drama, ‘Chirokumar Shaba’ composed by Tagore himself, which was staged in the Quinton Hall. His popularity, though not publicly exhibited,was shown by a section of literate people. Interesting incidentstook place during this time of strict British Administration.
Beginnings
Tagore rushed to Shillong to escape the Bengal summer in May (1923). He stayed at the famous ‘Jitbhumi’,Rilbong, for two months. On 9th June 1923, he composed his famous poem, Shillong-er Chithi (Letter from Shillong).
During thattime Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy, a reputed physician of Calcutta, and later, the Chief Minister of West Bengal, was at his hill residence in Kench’s Trace, Shillong(The Present Circuit House).A very distinguished person Satish Chandra Roy,Inspector of School (IES), Assam, came to Shillong to meet the poet.He ardently requested Tagore to accompany him to the doctor’s house. Rabindranathinstantly agreed and was surprised to see a grand arrangement for hisbirthday celebration there, meticulously organized with flowers, foliage, etc. It was the 62nd birth anniversary of Tagore.
He was touched by Satish Chandra’s humility, and expressed his thankfulness, adding that it was hard for him to imagine such a unique birthday gift, full of warmth and love from the people here.Satish Roy was a Government officer and had the courage to braveall the political hurdles and wrath.
In 1931,Tagore’s 70thbirth anniversary was observed by the Brahmo Samaj of Shillong, butit was done very secretly, confined to the Brahmo society.
The 76thbirth anniversary of the bard was nominally celebrated by the newly formed Bangiya Sahitya Parishad on 9th May 1937, at the ‘Jitbhumi’ complex,with a few members only. The meeting waspresided over by Kshitish Chandra Choudhury, the then comptroller General of Assam. The public celebration of the poet’s birth anniversaryin Shillong was pioneered by the Parishad in 1941. It was the 80thbirthday of Tagore and a very colourfulprogramme was arranged, celebrated forthree days, continuously. Within a few months, on 7th August, the great poet passed away.
With his demise, the bard’s popularity increased by leaps and bounds.To commemorate him, some cultural organizations and a library, among others, were formed after his name; and the ceremonial observation of birth and death anniversary of Tagorebecame a regular practice in Shillong. A few educational institutions of the citystarted celebrating Rabindra Jayanti.Eventually,it turned to be an annual ritual.
Political changes followed in the country and this region. Many established cultural organizations of the city ceased to exist. Despite this, a few very dedicated membersof the Bangiya Sahitya Parishadhas kept its lamp glowing, and celebration of ‘Rabindra Jayanti’ continues.
Rabindra Jayanti
In 1961, the birth centenary of Tagore was celebrated in Shillongunder the chairmanship of ShriBimala Prasad Chaliha, the Chief Minister of then undivided Assam.Under Jawaharlal Nehru ministry, the Government of India took a special venture to erect memorial plaques all over India, where Tagore had stayed during his life’s journey. Three plaques for ‘Brook Side’,(Zig-Zag Road), ‘Jitbhumi’ (Rilbong) and ‘Sidhli House’(Upland Road), marking them as memorial houses, and another one for the Parishad,came from Calcuttaand installed that year.
The most significant public demand since 1961 was to build a ‘Rabindra Bhawan’ in Shillong, or to rename ‘Brook Side’ as ‘Rabindra Bhawan’.The late educationist,Smt. HellimonKhongphai, said that Shillongshould not be deprived of the same, being the capital of then Assam. She strongly suggested that ‘Brook Side’ be renamed as ‘Rabindra Bhawan’ or a separate bhawan be constructed in Shillong, which was supported by the public.
In May 2007, Kolkata Doordarshan televised a programme here at ‘Brook Side’ complex. Dr. DD Lapang, the then Chief Minister of Meghalaya, in his public address declared ‘Brook Side’ as a ‘Heritage building’.
The Central Sesquicentennial Celebration Committee,Shillong established a full-size statue of Tagore which was installed on 9th May 2011, in the Brookside complex. The noble scheme was patronized by Dr Mukul Sangma led ministry which took upon itself, the task of financing the total expenditure of sculpturing. This would go on to become a space of gathering for Tagore lovers in the city.
The same is with‘Jitbhumi’. Tagore stayed here for two months in 1923.The present owner of ‘Jitbhumi’, a dedicated Rabindra lover has proposed to place a bust of Tagore in front of the house, to commemorate the great poet laureate.
Two Departments -Educationand Arts & Culture, Governmentof Meghalaya – took a sincere initiative topopularize Rabindra Jayanti in Shillong.
The regional branch of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) also extended co-operation towards the celebration; since 2008, the celebration of Tagore’s birth anniversary is observed in a very colourful manner. The Arts & Culture department has celebrated the centenary of Tagore’s Nobel Prize award, on 13th November 2013, which was the first celebration of its kind in the region.
In addition, Tagore’s literature has been translated into Khasi and Garo languages. Smt. HellimonKhongphai is a pioneer in this regard and hastranslated Tagore’s works from Bengali to Khasi.
Tagore’s ‘Gitanjali’ was first translated in Garo by Shri Harendra W. Marak in March 1966 and was highly applauded in the Garo community. Shri Prabhat Chandra Paul of Shillong translated ‘Gitanjali’ into Khasi in 2015.Smt. Esther N Lyngdoh translated a few Tagore short stories and poems in Khasi and published a book by the name, KiKhana BadJingrwaiMyllung Jong U Rabindranath Tagore (1973),
Dr. Pascal Malngiang also translated ‘Gitanjali’ into Khasi and published the book in 1988. Professor Chesterfield Khongwir of Shillong, a renowned singer, translated a few popular songs of Tagore.DrLapynshaiSyiem has released her audioCD,Amar A Poth,on Tagore’s song in Bengali,as a tribute to the bard.
This goes on to show how the bard left a lasting impression, the echoes of which are sung to this day.