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The Tagore mystique

Akram Hosen Mamun appreciates a bunch of essays on the poet
On the occasion of Rabindranath's 150th birth anniversary, Bangla Academy has published a special issue (Baishakh 1418) of its periodical Uttaradhikar, devoting all 320 pages of the journal to scholarly writings on Rabindranath's life and literary works. It comprises, for the most part, works by seasoned Tagore exponents who have been working on Rabindranath for decades. As a result, the collection will presumably become a reliable work of reference for Tagore enthusiasts, on the one hand. On the other, if one looks for radical new readings of Tagore's classics in the light of contemporary critical literary theories, one will find little. Nevertheless, Bangla Academy's initiative in bringing together such a rich collection of scholarly essays and to offer it to readers at such a low price (taka 50 only) is praiseworthy.
The contributors of the scholarly essays include veteran cultural personalities like Sanjida Khatun, Ramendu Majumder, Karunamaya Goswami, Shamsuzzaman Khan, Selina Hossain, Bishwajit Ghosh and others.
Sanjida Khatun, who has been working on
the revival of Bangladeshi culture for more than five decades, discusses Rabindranath's works in the context of the mid 1950s and 1960s, a very important period in the growth of Bengali nationhood and the birth of Bangladesh. She also recounts how cultural organisations like Bulbul Academy of Fine Arts, Jago Art Centre and then Chhayanaut made significant contributions in creating the cultural prospects for the liberation war. The editor of Uttaradhikar, folklorist Shamsuzzaman Khan, has reflected on how the natural beauty, particularly of the rivers of Bangladesh, induced many of Rabindranath's romantic creations. The influence of Bangladeshi baul songs and philosophies on the poet has also been discussed. However, Khan's generalized treatment of left-wing and right wing critique of Rabindranath seems rather simplistic and indeed could have been more detailed. For a reassessment of classic texts by the Marxist critical school is and has been an influential presence in academia for decades. Moreover, the number of ways in which a literary text can be
(re) interpreted is virtually unlimited. For
example, eminent left wing literary critic Serajul Islam Choudhury has made some revealing observations on the greatness of Rabindranath's plays in Koto Mullo Loibe Ihar (2011). He has also pointed out some limitations in Rabindranath's thoughts on issues of social reformation. The readings of Marxists and reactionaries cannot be categorised in the same way.
Renowned researcher and literary exponent Karunamaya Goswami's comparison between Rabindranath's "Shabbhatar Shankat" (1941) and Samuel P. Huntington's "The Clash of Civilizations" (1993) is intriguing. While Huntington saw wars among different civilizations as inevitable and, according to many critics, gave theoretical legitimization to Western hegemony in other parts of the world, Rabindranath rejoiced in the diversity of different cultures and had a vision of a world where nations coexist peacefully.
Noted writer Hasnat Abdul Hye has explored Rabindranath's views on the development of rural societies and agricultural cooperatives. On the other hand, Lalon expert Abul Ahsan Chowdhury has examined, through citing
many examples, the influence of hauls on Rabindranath in a long essay.
Selina Hossain, one of the leading litterateurs of Bangladesh, in her essay discusses Chhinnapatra, the anthology of Rabindranath's letters. She depicts how the rivers of Bengal and the rural people have been represented in the poet's letters. In Hossain's words, "Chhinnapatra is not only a description of nature but also a guide to how the environment and the inhabitants can be saved" [my translation].
Poet Ashim Saha has dissected Rabindranath's romanticism through the lens of the inherent contradiction between romanticism and modernism. He argues that Rabindranath's romanticism is different from the romanticism of the west.
Among others, Biswajit Ghosh, Masuduzzaman and Khalequzzaman Elias' essays are interesting. Rabindranath's drawings, paintings and photographs are an added attraction of the journal, on the whole.
Akram Hosen Mamun, a journalist, is on the Arts & Entertainment team of The Daily Star .