Tagore’s versatility and the universal appeal of his works are not confined to any one community. The uniqueness of his songs, like that of the poems of Wordsworth and Browne is the fact that they can uplift your mood; anytime, anywhere. They were geniuses who had seen life from so close and felt the bonding with Almighty with such intensity that their words infuse hope today, even in the toughest of situations. They rose like the phoenix from the ashes of their personal defeats and pains to pen down lines of unmitigated strength. Wordsworth’s lines— “To me alone there came a thought of grief: \ A timely utterance gave that thought relief,\ And I again am strong:…” and those from Tagore’s, “Amar e dhoop na porale/ Gondho kichhui nahin dhale” (Until you burn my incense, Lord! I cannot give the fragrance) were written when they were going through bad patches in life. Read the lines, get the essence, and our sorrows fade in the sunshine of our strengths.
Tagore’s poems and songs have always been a constant companion for his readers in their moments of happiness, triumph, togetherness, separations and grief. A collection of a few pearls from the Kaviguru’s collection was presented during concluding ceremony of Tagore's 150th birth anniversary celebrations: an event organised by Nikhil Bharat Bango Sahitya Sammelan, Nagpur Chapter. The programme was held at Scientific Society Hall at Laxminagar. Singer Agnibha Bandyopadhyay meticulously chose songs so that the bouquet he created was wholesome. Bandyopadhyay’s research (he is an Associate Professor at Rabindra Bharati Vishwavidyalaya) and years of familiarity in recital of Tagore’s songs was evident as he presented some of Tagore’s rare compositions. His rendition touched every heart, of even those who did not understand the language. Each song emerged from the depth of Bandyopadhyay’s knowledge of Tagore literature mixed with his years of riyaaz in classical music, and from his obvious love for what he was doing.
Among his accompanying artists were some world-renowned names like Sheetal Ganguli (on Madira) and Shubhobroto Ghatak (on keyboard), who is better known as Shonku Ghatak.
Anshubho Bandyopadhyay created magic on tabla and Chiranjeev Choudhuri ably accompanied in guitar.
The enchanted journey through Tagore’s songs took a magical turn with Balmiki Pratibha, the dance drama by Tagore that was staged by Surabhi Kala Kendra, Kolkata. The beautiful performance by the artists of the Surabhi Kala Kendra was choreographed and directed by Shri Sudhir Das. Valmiki Pratibha, meaning, the ‘genius of Valmiki’ was composed by Tagore for an entertainment purpose; for a family gathering. Tagore kept the overall mood of the drama happy and kept elements of comedy for the delight of children of the family. The plot is based on the story of Ratnakar, the chief of dacoits, being moved to pity and having a change of heart after witnessing the grief of one of a pair of cranes whose mate was killed by a hunter. Ratnakar was so moved that he broke into a lament in Sanskit, the Devvani (language of Gods) unbeknownst to him so far. Later, Ratnakar became Valmiki and composed his Ramayana in Sanskrit.
Members of Surabhi Kala Kendra portrayed every character flawlessly. Sudhir Das fused bharatnatyam, kathak, Rabindra Nritya and a bit of Puruliya chhau deftly and created a choreograph that was perfect and captivating. He played the central character of Ratnakar. Painstakingly done stage sets, costumes and makeup that were clearly works of genius, left an everlasting impact in the minds of Nagpurkars.
3 comments:
Congratulations for the wonderful reporting. Keeping Wordsworth vis-a-vis Tagore is opportune, But it is hard to agree that Tagore suffered the lot of a phoenix at any point of time.Did he? May be I dont know Tagore much.Mental agony and physical hardship are two different things. He felt lost but really did not. However, diminutive details of the event have been captured, This something sadly missing in present day journalism. It seems a true Bengal, outside Bengal is brought alive and felt intensely through this Nagpur event. Language is superb. Yet, one slip seems to be there - the name of the org. is perhaps Nikhil Bharat Bang Sahitya Parishad. But never mind.
Sir, Thank you for your insightful comments. I dare not challenge your knowledge in anything literary. You are right— Tagore never went through physical hardship. What I meant by his "rise like phoenix' is, he penned songs like "Aro aro, probhu aro aro/ Emni kore amay maro" after death of one of his children. Gitanjali was written after he suffered the loss of his wife and three of his children. Also, his most distinct poems/songs were written in the period 1937 - 1940, between two spells of serious illness which kept him comatose for a long period of time. He never recovered from the coma he suffered in 1940.
Also, you are right about the slip in the name of the organisation. It should be Nikhil Bharat Bango Sahitya Sammelan. I apologize for the mistake.
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