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Rediscovering the voice...

Tusar Talukder analyses Tagorean oratory
Last year I was taking an interview of Syed Manzoorul Islam, a prolific litterateur of Bangladesh. At one point I questioned him on how he looked at Rabindranath. He said he never compared Tagore with other world litterateurs. And he believes that though Tagore is termed as a world poet, he together with his thoughts is deeply rooted in our soil. It is rare that Tagore leaves his root in any of his literary works. The essence of Syed Islam's saying is truly reflected in the book, Rabindranath: Deshe Bhashan (Tagore: Speeches at Home) by Hasan Hafiz. This piece comprises the speeches of Rabindranath Tagore that were rendered at different times in India and Bangladesh. The speeches are mostly concentrated on matters like literature, education, religion, secularism, development of rural life and so on. Hasan Hafiz, a poet of the 1970s, juxtaposes Tagore's diversified thoughts which he has expressed in his speeches, with brilliance and concrete understanding. At the outset the point which Hasan Hafiz grabs from Tagore’s vast volume of speeches is Tagore's belief in nondependence on foreign assistance. In fact, Tagore believes in selfpower as well as self-dependence. Tagore delivered some of his more insightful and encouraging speeches at some particular places, namely, Dhaka, Sylhet and Mymensingh. And these speeches rejuvenate the things mentioned in earlier.
The speeches on education and religion are substantial. Both were delivered at Calcutta University. Of them, Komola Baktabya (Orange Speeches) is particularly noteworthy. Additionally, the poet delivered speeches at Shantiniketan and different auditoriums in Kolkata. He also delivered speeches on the occasions of the birth anniversary of Jesus Christ, Gautam Buddha, Hazrat Mohammad (Sm), Bidyasagar and so on. Poet Hasan Hafiz attempts to unveil the secular spirit of Tagore which is deeply rooted in these speeches. Due to his vast travel experience, Rabindranath felt the acute
sufferings of rural and deprived people. Thereupon, a manifestation of a desire for the promotion of rural life is evident in many of his speeches. The essayist in this volume has tried to focus on the humanistic approaches of Tagore rather than the other issues. How Tagore clarified his position after the mass assassination of Jalianwalabagh has surfaced through a number of speeches delivered at places like Pabna, Sylhet, et cetera. He believed that education was not only important
for the sake of a smooth future but also for the uplift of the soul.
Tagore placed emphasis on learning foreign languages but not by ignoring the mother tongue. Furthermore, foreign languages should not be learned only for language's sake; rather it should be taken as a medium to dive deep into the vast ocean of knowledge. Tagore recommends that if the mother tongue could be placed as the instrument of learning with respect, it could easily be what a perfect learning environment demands. Hafiz has accumulated theme after theme of Tagore's speeches with utmost intimacy. Religion appears to be a big concern to Tagore. Tagore retained his belief in the supernatural existence of Brahman; the real identity of Brahma is unmasked by the true acknowledgement of the soul.
Tagore saw distress prevailing in the rural areas and felt the necessity of everyone working together in order to roll back the miserable conditions of people. Moreover, he passionately felt the ever widening gap between urban and rural areas in terms of education, wealth and mentality. And he saw this gap as a threat to rural development. Again, Hasan Hafiz invariably endeavors to make a frame of those speeches of Tagore which delineate his humanistic approaches. Tagore would often avoid political discussion but after the genocide of Hijjili and Jalianwalabagh, he made a number of bold speeches considering the humane aspects of these massacres. Tagore opined that a ruler could exploit his subjects by the powers bestowed on him but the ruler can hardly escape people's hatred and curse. He realized the evil aspects of politics. So he invariably tried to keep Shantiniketan out of all kinds of political activities. And Hasan Hafiz thinks this was, in fact, a hallmark decision of Tagore.
Hasan Hafiz enlists three critically speeches of Tagore, namely, 'Literature', 'Acknowledgement and Truth' and 'Creation'. All the three speeches were delivered at Calcutta University. These speeches clearly testify to Tagore's aestheticism. In reality, Tagore believed that traveling was better than arriving at a particular place. The massive experience of traveling he acquired gave him the ingredients for his speeches, which he delivered for the greater welfare of humanity. Hasan Hafiz has rightly integrated the speeches with sheer devotion to Rabindranath Tagore. In fine, if the readers want to know about what poet Hafiz actually did in this volume, the response would be that he has gone through a process of unfolding the oratorical powers of Tagore.
TUSAR TALUKDER IS A FREELANCE WRITER AND TRANSLATOR. E-MAIL:
TUSAR.TALUKDER@GMAIL.COM