|
' 150 YEARS OF TAGORE
Tagore visited Lahore in 1934 and stayed with Lala Dhani Ram Bhalla, the proprietor of Bhalla Shoe Co. This picture was taken at his Nawaan Kot kothi mansion. Photo by Niranjan Singh Nakodari Amarjit Chandan Collection Bengal and Punjab, so far away, are yet so near in many a
significant moment in history. One could play on a limerick and say that
the sons of Punjab are very good fighters, whilst the sons of Bengal are
mostly writers. Major socio-political movements that started in Bengal,
found their echoes in Punjab, be it the national struggle for Independence
from the British regime, or the Naxalite movement of the late 1960s. Manglesh Dabral, the Hindi poet, in a
mood of spirited reflection, says: "The entire romance is either in
Bengal or in Punjab. The rest of the country is dry and arid." His
reference is, of course, to romance of the revolutionary variety. The towering literary figure that ran
parallel to the national struggle for freedom was undoubtedly that of
Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore. He was revered and knighted by the
British imperialists. But the Jallianwala Bagh massacre on April 13, 1919,
proved to be a turning point in his life. On May 30, 1919, he returned his
knighthood in the poignantly penned letter to Viceroy Lord Chelmsford. The
sentiments expressed in the letter went straight to the hearts of all
self-respecting Indians, and the Punjabis at once accepted him as their
very own. Tagore wrote in the historical letter: "The time has come
when badges of honour make our shame glaring in the incongruous context of
humiliation, and I, for my part, wish to stand, shorn, of all special
distinctions, by the side of those of my countrymen who, for their
so-called insignificance, are liable to suffer degradation not fit for
human beings." Punjab's history and the philosophy of
the Sikh religion inspired Tagore to write three poems on Guru Gobind
Singh and a poetic tribute to Banda Bahadar. He also wrote an essay on
Guru Nanak's Sacha Sauda as a young adult in a Bengali magazine for
children called Bãlak. Tagore also said that Gurbani
had inspired some of the songs and compositions of Rabindra Sangeet. In
fact, he also translated into Hindi Guru Nanak's Gagan
Mein Thãl. Several writers and painters in Punjab were influenced by the multi-dimensional talent of Gurudev Rabindranath, who was a poet, playwright, novelist, painter and musician. Many chose to dress like him, and among them were Punjabi writer Devendra Satyarthi and painter Sobha Singh.
Tagore at Lala Dhani Ram Bhalla's place in Lahore. 1934.
Ramesh Sharma, a
Doordarshan executive, who had a close association with the latter, says:
"Sobha Singh used to say that he was inspired to take to painting by
seeing the works of Tagore. He dressed up like his ideal and used to say
that as far as art goes, I am the Tagore of Punjab." Also adorning the Tagore
garb was the late Satyarthi, who first met Gurudev through acclaimed
painter Nandlal Bose. He had a long relationship with him, visiting
Santiniketan many times. In fact, he was inspired by both Gandhi and
Tagore in executing the mammoth task of collecting the folk songs of
Punjab as well as from some other parts of India by moving from village to
village. Satyarthi began this task
in 1927, and he used to quote Tagore, who said: "The vitality of the
Indian villager is India's real vitality. Villages are like women — in
their keeping is the cradle of the race." Satyarthi was deeply
impressed by two poems of Gurudev, Katha
Kaho and Urvashi. In fact,
he asked Tagore if he could combine the two names for the title of one of
his books. The permission was fondly given and Satyarthi's book was called
Katha Kaho Urvashi. This title became very popular and was later
borrowed by Dalip Kaur Tiwana for one of her novels. Tagore also gave
names to the two older daughters of Satyarthi — Kavita and Alka. Celebrated doyen of Punjabi
letters, Gurbakhsh Singh, editor Preetlari, in 1938 set up the hamlet of
Preet Nagar in the rural terrain of Punjab, equidistant from Lahore and
Amritsar, inspired by the model of Vishvabharati at Santiniketan.
A close associate, Guru
Dayal Malik of Santiniketan, was specially deputed by Tagore to visit
Preet Nagar on June 30, 1941. He wrote in the Visitors' Book: "I am
on pilgrimage to Preet Nagar, believing as I do that it is a miniature map
of India in the making. It is the ideal of community building on the basis
of mutual service and sacrifice. To me, Preet Nagar is the sister of
Santiniketan." Punjabi poet Amarjit
Chandan recalls that it was Tagore who inspired both Balraj Sahni and
Balwant Gargi to write in their mother tongue. [Courtesy: Sunday Tribune. 8 May 2011 |
