Sunday, July 10, 2011

Santiniketan (contd-35)

The teachers and the students were also interested in extra-academic activities. Rabindranath kept the Brahmacharyasram  free from the negative aspects of the movement of Division of Bengal-1905 but the teachers and students invented new constructive work in relation to that movement.Rajlakshmi Devi wrote Rabindranath,
'a volunteer band has been prepared from among the students of our school. 12/14 students are practicing some hard and adventurous work - bugle is used to conduct their activities. Some students go everyday to Bhubandanga  and began to teach the students of the villages. Some other used to distribute Homeopathy medicine to the deceased persons. In the evening the teachers assembled the villagers and described Ramayana and Mahabharata to them. The students went door to door to collect statistics on different subjects.The teachers and the students had collected experience from this activity.This activity of the teachers and students was noticed by the Government officials but  Rabindranath  was not afraid on learning this.
Among the old teacher Jatindranath Mukhopadhyay wrote,
'I remember that Sri Aurabinda Ghosh was charged by a complain of writing  an anti-Government  essay. Bipin Chandra Pal was called for by the court to present himself as a witness before the court. Bipin Chandra Pal refused to become the witness and he was arrested and put to jail on the charge of disobeying the verdict of the court. At that moment Rabindranath was  not present in the Asram. But the teachers closed down the school. At this news  all its teachers and students of the school  came out  in a procession, they stroke  the drums, sung patriotic songs, went to Bolpur and other places as a protest. They became excited while doing this protest.The news was heard by Rabindtranath. After coming to Santiniketan Rabindranath called all of them and said, "negligence  to your duty due to excitement was tantamount to wilderness. Try to understand the importance of the deed and do the needful. Even if I was arrested by the Government  do your duty without being excited. Excitement may misled you.
Having learnt from the letter of Hemlata Devi Rabindranath wrote, day before yesterday, 'I have heard from my daughter-in-law that the school used to remain  closed off and on. The long vacation was near at hand. It is not good to keep the school  remain closed for every now and then' . Prsanta Kumar Pal, writer of Rabijibani commented Rabindranath was not in favour of the excitement from outside, because man making was his mission.