Thursday, February 16, 2012

Rabindranath in Japan (contd-8)

At the request of Kawaguchi Rabindranth agreed to stay in the night at Osaka in his house. But result was happy. Pearson described in details the e xperiences  in a letter written to Rathindranath on 4th June;
" At half past nine in the night after the end of the meeting Rabindranath, Pearson, Mukul, Kawaguchi, Sano San and one journalist, these six persons started in a small car . It was expected the car would reach the destination about 10 pm. But after going through a distance of hundred yards, the car had to change its Tyre. At about ten the replaced Tyre burst out after moving through a distance of 4 miles. after ten minutes another car came upand we were all transformed to that and placed tight together like Sardines. Then began an interminable drive through small country-roads till 11.30 when the car  bounced over a heap of stones in a very narrow road and the engines stopped, and the lights went out. After two or three starts and runs of about 100yards or so the car stopped again. Being disgusted Rabindranath decided to go by footto the nearest station and then return to Osaka or Kobe. In the midst of the field through leg-driven lane they started for a railway station at a distance of one and half miles off. Ignoring the presence of Kawaguchi  the three persons began to talk in Bengali. After reaching the station Pearson had to the extreme to prevent Kawaguchi.With the help of Sano San Pearson contacted over phone with a Bengali Mr. Kar at Osaka.At about 1.15 in dead of night they reached Osaka and Mr. Kar took them to his own house by his car The journalist became asshamed and " so ended the most adventurous of our days since we left India. The cyclone of Bay of Bengal was nothing to it.
Probably on 2nd June at noon Rabindranath returned to Kobe. On behalf of Asahi Simbun news paper two persons came to Rabindranath to beg his pardon. Pearson wrote ;
" Then after that he got a short sleep and we all went off to the dinner given by the Indian community. That began at 8 am and we were back in our host's house before 10 o'clock.