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Timeless echoes...

Sadya Afreen Mallick
Standing at the foot of the snow-capped mountains of the Himalayas, Rabi fell an overpowering sense of freedom. This was the first time in his young life that he had ventured outside the protected confines of his princely home and was amidst the natural surroundings he loved. I Ie was only eleven then. Strangely enough, this would also be one of those treasured periods of time he would get lo spend with his father Maharshi Devendranath. Rabi, in his later life, would call his childhood a period of'servocracy' since he had grown up more under the tutelage of family servants than his parents. This trip lo Shantiniketan and the Himalayas with his father was, therefore, all the more special to him.
Though Maharashi was a strict disciplinarian, Rabi grew up in luxury. His daily routine was filled with private lessons on drawing, reading, science, mathematics, exercises and schoolwork. Typically, Maharashi would wake up Rabi long before sunrise and practice Sanskrit with him. By the time the sun rose, they went off for the morning walk and on their return look a bath in icy-cold water. Maharshi also read to him select pieces from Bangla and English literature.
Rabi started to show his writing skills at the age of eight. His first poem, Di Barshik, came out at the age of thirteen in the Amrito Bazaar newspaper. However, with lime, his parents were worried if he would be able to support a family through his literary pursuits.
In 1878, Rabindranath along with his elder brother Satyendranath sailed for England for further studies. After seventeen months, Rabindranath returned home empty-handed, with no academic degree or distinction. The only thing he brought with himself was the unfinished manuscript tilled Bhagna Hriday, which he had begun in London.
While Rabi continued to write in a prolific manner on social and political issues, his father wanted to harness his youngest son lo the family chariot. An eleven-year-old girl named Bhavatarini was chosen to be the bride of Rabi. She was the daughter of Benimadhav Raichaudhury, an employee at the Tagore estate. The name, so old fashioned, was changed after marriage by Rabindranath to something that was dearer to him - Mrinalini.
Historians, who write about Rabindranath's life, say that his marriage was an irony. For, despite all her virtues, Rabi's heart lay elsewhere. Mrinalini was not always able to fathom the depths of Rabindranath’s poems as he recited lo her quite often. For a poet of Rabindranath's stature, it was frustrating not to be able to share his philosophy and thoughts within his own home. Thus it came about that the most romantic of men felt confined in the most unromantic of marriages.
In April 1884, Kadambari Devi, Rabi's sister-in-law, who showered deep affection on the young Rabi, committed suicide. She was only twenty-five then and the tragedy left a deep scar on Rabi's mind. Rabi immersed himself in work even more to overcome this grievous period in his life.
In the 19lh century, Bangla art songs reached unprecedented aesthetic heights through the works of Rabindranath. His composition of nearly 2300 songs was categorised into four main groups tilled Worship, Motherland, Love, and Nature. The seasonal festivals introduced by Rabindranath and the dance sketches composed by him on the seasons are regarded as his greatest contribution to our culture. These two aspects of his creativity, along with his paintings brought about a change in the cultural life of Bengal.
In 1904, at the age of 40, he established Shantiniketan, an institution blending Indian and Western methods of education. He had visited this place at a tender age with his father, and the solace he had found in the surroundings brought him back to Shantiniketan time and again. Shantiniketan did not flourish immediately in the hidebound culture of that lime. The only way to earn money was from training troupes of actors and dancers who staged plays and ballets in different towns to raise funds other than the income derived from the landed property.
Today, Shantineketan has truly lived up to his long held dream as the cultural frontier for millions.
Despite all the ups and downs in his life, Rabindranath remained prolific lo his last days, composing songs, poetry, sonnets and novels. His work lakes one along a whole spectrum of emotions. And almost as a vindication of his work's universal appeal, the collection of verses he translated into English, named Song Offerings (Geetanjali), won accolades and he was bestowed with the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1913.
Nearly a century onwards, his work continues to move the hearts and minds of millions. And like his name, Rabi—the sun—his work continues to shine like a timeless gem in the archives of world literature.
SADYA AFREEN MALLICK, NOTED NAZRUL EXPONENT, IS EDITOR, ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT, THE DAILY STAR .