Friday, February 17, 2012

Rabindranath in Japan (contd-11)

On 10th June Rabindranath along with andrews and Pearson went to see the Prime Minister of Japan,Count Okuma Shigenobu (1838-1922) in his residence. Count Okuma was directly involved in the reception ceremony of Rabindranth on behalf of Indo-Japanese Association. He greeted him cordially.Stephen He informed;
" the famous Budhist Pandit Anesaki Masaharu, who traveled India 15 years back, acted as interpreter.Pearson described this meeting to Rathindranath on 11th June;
" Andrews and I accompnied Gurudev and were received by Count Okuma himself in a room crowded with all sorts of ugly Western and beautiful Japanese things. He is an old man over eighty years of age but still takes part in active political life being still the Premier. He cannot speak English so he spoke through an interpreter but it was most interesting to watch his face  as talked to Gurudevabout the changes which he has himself seen come over Japan during the sixty years of his active political life. Next they gave a round tour along the boundary of the Waseda University founded by his majesty with 4000 students. One of the Professors of the Institution who wrote a biography of Rabindranath and translated "Sadhana" in Japanese presented one copy each. In the afternoon they went to visit the Art School founded by him, Mr. Taikawan was the director of the Institute. Pearson wrote;
" In the afternoon we went to Taikawan's School of art, and the students and the teachers of the met to hear a lecture on "Ideals of Art"given before the exhibition of pictures was formally opened for the  public.The lecture was translated to Japanese as it was given and Andrews and I took down as much as we could of what he said in English."
After this they went to a top Restaurant in Tokyo at the invitation of the teachers of t5he Art School.Pearson wrote;
" The features of the evening's entertainment was a clssical dance  given during the dinner which was most beautifulThe dresses were most magnificient and the dance itself was just the poetry of motion in a visible form Later a simpler dance was given by three quite young girls and that too was very beautiful though not as wonderful as the one given at first."
Rabindranath wrote about this dance;
" One day we saw the Japanese dance. It seemed to be a music by physical movement.This music is as the tune of our Vina. It contains Mir in every step. There is no gap in between two movements of body.The whole body is pouring flowers of beauties while moving like a creeper. Japanese dance is a complete art. Tere is no nakedness in its dresses. In other countries the beauties of the body movements are mingled with sexual attraction. But here it is not so."